SNP councillors are in open revolt over the Scottish Government's plans to reform local government, warning ministers not to redraw the council map without first proving the changes would benefit communities.
The backlash, from within the party's own local government base, complicates a reform agenda that was already politically delicate — and exposes tensions between Holyrood and the councillors who deliver services on the ground.
The proposals under discussion could see some of Scotland's 32 councils merged or reorganised, with supporters arguing that larger units would be more efficient and critics warning of a democratic deficit.
A fight over local power
Local government reform is one of the oldest and most contentious subjects in Scottish politics. Every reorganisation in living memory has been contested, and the current map — 32 councils for 5.5 million people — has defenders and detractors in every party.
Those pushing reform argue that Scotland is over-governed at the local level, with too many small councils duplicating back-office functions while struggling to fund social care, education and roads.
Opponents counter that bigger councils mean more distant decision-making, weaker local identity and no guarantee of savings — pointing to previous mergers that promised efficiency and delivered upheaval instead.
The SNP's internal problem
What makes the current row significant is its source. The resistance is not coming from opposition parties but from the SNP's own councillors, many of whom face re-election and have no desire to defend the abolition or merger of their own authorities.
Senior local government figures have warned publicly that ministers must prove the benefits of any change before imposing it — a direct challenge to the party leadership from its own grassroots.
The revolt lands at an awkward time, with the party's conference dominating the political week and the leadership keen to project unity ahead of the next Holyrood election.
The money question
Behind the argument over boundaries lies a harder truth: councils are running out of money. Years of tight settlements, ring-fenced spending and rising demand for social care have left many authorities warning of effective bankruptcy.
Some in the reform camp argue that structural change is a distraction from the funding crisis; others insist that the current structure is unaffordable and that reorganisation is unavoidable.
Cosla, the councils' umbrella body, has its own long-running battles with Holyrood over funding and autonomy, and any reform plan will have to survive that gauntlet.
What happens next
Ministers are expected to consult formally before bringing forward legislation, and the strength of the internal opposition may yet force a rethink or a dilution of the plans.
For now, the message from the SNP's council group is unmistakable: do not take local government for granted, and do not redraw it from Edinburgh without winning the argument first.
A party that has governed Scotland for nearly two decades is discovering that its most awkward opposition is sometimes its own.
The row also revives a deeper argument about where power should sit in Scotland. Critics of the SNP's time in office have long accused Holyrood of centralising — absorbing powers from councils, police and fire services into national bodies — and the council reform plans are being read through that lens. Local government leaders point to the contrast with the government's rhetoric about community empowerment, and note that Scotland's councils are already larger, on average, than those in most comparable European countries. Ministers respond that no final decisions have been taken and that the consultation will be genuine. But with councillors openly organising against the plans and opposition parties scenting a wedge issue, the path from proposal to legislation looks longer and rougher than anyone in government expected.
