The Improvement Service is a partnership between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the Scottish Government and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE). It aims to improve the efficiency, quality and accountability of local public services in Scotland by providing advice, consultancy and programme support to councils and their partners, and thereby to improve the health, quality of life and opportunities of all people in Scotland.
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the representative voice of Scottish local government. COSLA works in partnership with the Scottish Government under the terms of a Concordat developed in 2007. Scottish local authorities are responsible for the delivery of a wide range of vital public services including: education; social work, including community care; roads and transportation; planning and the environment; police and fire services; housing; and leisure, library and other cultural services. Among COSLA's objectives are to promote and develop local government's role in providing strategic leadership to local communities, ensuring the delivery of the fullest possible range of public services.
SOLACE Scotland is the Scottish branch of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers, which is the representative body for senior managers working within local government. The Society's members are drawn from a variety of backgrounds and it has a role to play in providing a corporate view of local government.
Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs). These are arm's-length bodies which can perform statutory, regulatory and advisory functions, particularly in areas where it would be inappropriate for legal or other reasons for mainstream Scottish Government to be directly involved. Public bodies play an important part in the delivery of public services in Scotland.