Brief

Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary declines to promise devolution of new employability powers

Somerville said the Scottish Government is already consulting on council reforms and will not pledge to give up any powers before the process concludes.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:49:13 GMT

Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville told the Press Association on 17 October that she would not commit to devolving any new employability‑support powers to local authorities, despite Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s suggestions during his visit to Scotland on 16 October.

Burnham, speaking at the party conference, offered the Scottish Parliament powers currently held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over employability support. Somerville responded that the Scottish Government is already in the middle of a three‑month consultation on reshaping council structures, including proposals for up to ten larger regional authorities and 120‑160 more localised ones.

She said, “Andy Burnham seemed to come up and make suggestions as if this was the first time this had been thought of,” and emphasized that the consultation involves input from councils, businesses and the third sector. Somerville also referenced a letter sent by First Minister Humza Yousaf to Downing Street earlier in the week, noting that the Prime Minister had only responded to one bullet point from that letter.

Somerville added that the Scottish Government will compare Burnham’s vision with that of Deputy First Minister John Swinney and will continue to work with the Prime Minister if genuine discussions take place. She warned against portraying the offer as a generous, radical step when it stems from a single request in the earlier correspondence.

Key facts

Shirley-Anne Somerville refused to commit to devolving new employability‑support powers to local authorities. (standard.co.uk)
The Scottish Government is conducting a three‑month consultation on reshaping council structures. (standard.co.uk)
Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested transferring DWP‑held employability powers to the Scottish Parliament during his 16 October visit. (standard.co.uk)
Somerville cited a letter from First Minister Humza Yousaf to Downing Street, saying the Prime Minister only responded to one bullet point. (standard.co.uk)