Jim Wallace

Liberal Democrats have welcomed a move to allow local elections in Scotland to be decided using a form of proportional representation.

And overhauling Scotland's local elections could lead to reform south of the border, the party's leader in the Scottish parliament, Jim Wallace, has claimed.

The Scottish executive confirmed it is to publish a Local Governance Bill which will include the Single Transferable Vote system as the alternative to First Past The Post for use in local authority elections.

In a speech to the Lib Dem conference on Tuesday, Wallace condemned the existing arrangements - with particular anger directed at Labour's record in Scotland - for "encouraging laziness" and "taking the electorate for granted".

The reforms, announced by first minister Jack McConnell on Tuesday, were supported by Wallace as an anti-sleaze measure.

He told journalists that the reform would help to clean up local government, and pointed out that his party could lose control of up to eight councils.

Wallace told delegates at his party's conference that the system of local government no longer represented local communities.

"How can it, when in Angus, more than two thirds of the seats are held by a party with significantly less tan half of people's votes, or in Midlothian where one party holds 17 out of 18 seats - again with less than half of the vote," he said.

Wallace predicted a fierce battle with Labour but also forecast that the 2007 local elections would be held under the new system.

"We should not underestimate the opposition we will encounter. Those whose power is vested in the current unrepresentative system will not let it slip away without a fight," he said.

Jack McConnell said his administration remained committed to making progress on electoral reform.

"It is a fact that there are members of my own party who oppose electoral reform. Although the published bill will not be introduced before May 2003, as a matter of democratic principle, I believe that it is important that the new executive should have the opportunity to take a decision on this issue," he said.