SCOTLAND is “one of the most centralised nations in Europe” and the nation’s councils must be empowered to reverse the trend, according to a new report.

Founded by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to consider options of governance that back neither the status quo nor separation, the think tank Our Scottish Future’s latest report has looked at the role local government can play in devolution to communities across the country,

Entitled “Rewiring Scotland,” the report echoed long-held complaints from councils it says are “often relegated to the role of a delivery agent for the centre rather than a genuinely empowered level of government,” amid increasing centralisation over recent decades.

Launching the report, which called for a cross-party consensus to be built to axe council tax after the next Holyrood elections, Our Scottish Future chair, and former senior civil servant, Professor Jim Gallagher said there was “clear consensus that more power should be held not in Edinburgh, but closer to our cities, towns, and communities.”

Further measures recommended include ensuring ring-fenced government funding — leaving councils powerless to direct it — being “radically reduced,” while allowing councils to form combined authorities in areas such as transport and planning to make better use of scant resources, as well as returning to a proposal the think tank had considered in the past, directly elected provosts.

Prof Gallacher added: “It’s time for Holyrood to stop telling our local leaders how to manage their business.

“Scotland is one of the most centralised nations in Europe.

“More power in local hands would reinvigorate local democracy and tip the balance of power away from centralised rule and back in favour of our cities and towns.

“Just as Scotland doesn’t want Westminster to tell Holyrood what to do, so it’s time for Holyrood to stop telling our local leaders how to manage their business.

“Maybe then the Scottish government could do its own job better too.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish government said: “The Scottish government is making available record funding of more than £14 billion to councils in 2024-25 — a real-terms increase of 4.3 per cent compared with the previous year if the council tax freeze is accepted.

“We committed to empowering Scotland’s regions in the programme for government, with Glasgow City Region’s ambitions to create a metropolitan region and Edinburgh’s regional economic prosperity framework highlighted as a precursor to similar discussions with all regional economic partnerships across the country.”