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

Overview

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government:
Social justice, Tackling inequalities, measures against poverty, 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.

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 but as a junior ministerial position, the Minister did not attend the Scottish Cabinet.
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

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Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights

Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities

Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government