Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government

The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has overall responsibility for local government, community planning, housing, welfare, the third sector. The Cabinet Secretary is assisted by a junior Minister, the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning. The role also formerly had responsibility for social security, with the Minister for Social Security being a junior minister supporting the cabinet secretary, but in June 2018 this position was raised to cabinet, becoming the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People.[1]

Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government
Incumbent
Aileen Campbell MSP
since 18 May 2016
StyleCabinet Secretary
Communities Secretary
AppointerFirst Minister
Inaugural holderShona Robison
Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights
FormationJune 2018
Websitewww.gov.scot

The current Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government is Aileen Campbell, who was appointed in June 2018.[1]

Overview

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government:

Social justice, Tackling inequalities, measures against poverty (with CSSS), Community empowerment, devolution to communities and reform of local government, homelessness and regeneration, democratic renewal, Third sector and social economy, Religious and faith organisations, Housing, Local government, Planning, Building standards, Business Improvement Districts, Community planning, fuel poverty.[1]

History

From 2007 to 2009 the Minister for Communities and Sport was a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. In 2009, sport was linked with public health and the role became the Minister for Housing and Communities.

Following the 2011 election, the role was reorganised as Minister for Housing and Welfare[2] but as a junior ministerial position, the Minister did not attend the Scottish Cabinet.[3]

A cabinet post was created in April 2014 as a result of Alex Salmond's gender-balancing cabinet reshuffle. The post was Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights with Shona Robison at the helm. This was short-lived, however, as the job was further restyled as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights as a result of Nicola Sturgeon's first reshuffle after she became First Minister in November 2014, with Alex Neil being given the role.

This was further rebranded in May 2016 as Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities in the second Sturgeon government.

List of office holders

Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights

Name Portrait Entered office Left office Party First Minister
Shona Robison 22 April 2014 21 November 2014 Scottish National Party Alex Salmond

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights

Alex Neil 21 November 2014 18 May 2016 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities

Angela Constance 18 May 2016 26 June 2018 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government

Aileen Campbell 26 June 2018 Incumbent Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

References
  1. "New Cabinet appointed". Scottish Government. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  2. "Scottish Parliament Fact sheet Ministers, Law Officers and Parliamentary Liaison Officers by Cabinet: Session 4" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  3. Scotland Act (1998), Only those appointed under Section 47 of the Scotland Act "attend" Cabinet. Junior ministers are appointed under Section 49 and may be "present".
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