Scotland’s monitors ‘will spark tension’

New bodies charged with co-ordinating and monitoring Scotland’s criminal justice services could create tensions between local authorities, a council chief says.

The group, known collectively as the Community Justice Authorities (CJA), has started operating in shadow form and goes fully live next year. They will distribute funding for criminal justice social work services and will report to the Scottish executive and local authorities.

But only eight will cover Scotland’s 32 councils, so authorities will have to compete for funding.

Tim Huntingford, chief executive of West Dunbartonshire Council and a member of the Scottish executive’s CJA group, said: “Funding allocations are an obvious flashpoint – local authorities with the same CJA will be competing to get as much money as possible,” he said.