The establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 Will pose questions about its relationship to local authorities, and about the local authorities' roles in education. The Parliament could become a force for further centralisation in Scottish education policy, or, as the Scottish Constitutional Convention proposed, it could initiate a radical programme of decentralisation. Both of these scenarios hold significant implications for education and local government. Local government has recently been reformed in ways which make education much more central to the business of local councils. This gives the new councils an opportunity to shape the emerging debate, and establish for themselves a position as partners of the Parliament in the government of Scotland.