2011 Community Council Short-Life Working Group

Short-Life Working Group

Community Councils Short-Life Working Group

As part of ongoing engagement with stakeholders with an interest in strengthening and developing Community Councils across Scotland, the Scottish Government has established a short-life working group to look at ways to build the resilience and capacity of Community Councils, in order to strengthen their role as voices for their communities.

The working group will bring together a range of people from across Scotland with direct Community Council involvement to share their knowledge and experience. It is anticipated that the working group will run until summer 2012, and will then prepare a report of its findings.

Update

Since its inaugural meeting on 7 December 2011, the Community Council working group has now met 4 times to consider what can best be done to support a diverse range of Community Councils with different priorities and expectations.

Those invited to participate in the group offer a cross section of views and experience relevant to the Community Council sector, including, but not limited to, youth involvement; island views; rural views; urban views; development issues; networking; and Community Planning.

Each of the five formal meetings have been themed to provide a framework for discussion to support the agreed remit of the working group recognising that overarching and interrelated issues would emerge. To date these have included:

Different local authority approaches to:

engagement;

devolvement of responsibility;

training;

funding and other support.

Expectations of Community Councils/Community Councillors
Representativeness
Accountability of both Community Councils and Local Authorities (to Community Councils)
Attracting and maintaining membership
Contested elections
Unincorporated status of Community Councils

The working group will report its recommendations later this summer and these proposals will provide a platform to wider engagement and discussion with Community Councillors and those with an interest in the sector, which will inform and support the future development of Community Councils in Scotland.

Membership

Alasdair McKinlay (*Chair - Scottish Government)

Alex Hewetson (COSLA nominated representative for Community Councils)

Sheila Garson (Shapinsay Community Council, Orkney Islands Council)

Keith Giblett (Queensferry & District Community Council, City of Edinburgh Council)

Logan Inglis (Reston & Auchencrow Community Council, Scottish Borders Council)

Stephanie Simpson (Lambhill & District Community Council, Glasgow City Council)

Jim Whyte (Irvine Community Council, North Ayrshire Council)

Sheila Armstrong (Dumfries & Galloway Council)

Lesley Baillie (Clackmannanshire Council)

Helen Geddes (Stirling Council)

Charles Reppke (Argyll & Bute Council)

Maureen Stephen (Aberdeenshire Council)

*The first meeting of the group on 7 December 2011 was chaired by Derek Mackay MSP, Minister Designate for Local Government and Planning, whose ministerial portfolio will cover Community Councils.

Remit

The agreed remit of the working group will be to look at ways to build the resilience and capacity of Community Councils, in order to strengthen their role and relevance as voices for their communities.

Within this remit, the working group will focus its activity around five specific aims:

Supporting Community Councils to play an active role in their communities (including exploration of current legislative status) and to work together to share experience and good practice;

Strengthening the role of Community Council Liaison Officers in supporting Community Councils, including in the provision of training and development;

Increasing diversity of representation on Community Councils (including exploration of wider public perception and awareness of Community Councils);
Strengthening the link between Community Councils and Community Planning: and,
Role of Community Councils in project/asset management and service provision.

Meetings

The agenda and papers will be made available shortly after each meeting, and minutes will be made available once agreed by the working group.

Meeting of 7 December 2011

Agenda

Paper CCWG 1.1 - Working Group remit and membership

Paper CCWG 1.2 - Secretariat and reporting arragements

Paper CCWG 1.3 - Working principles

Minutes - Agreed minutes of the meeting of 7 December 2011

Meeting of 24 January 2012

Agenda

Minutes - Agreed minutes of the meeting of 24 January 2012

Meeting of 28 February 2012