Devolution beginning to deliver for local communities

Second round of evidence to the Calman Commission on Devolution - February 2009

ASCC's previous evidence to the Commission pointed out that there had been little positive response by the devolved institutions (the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive/Government) to the interests and potentiality of Scotland's community councils.
ASCC can now however report signs of a more positive attitude being forthcoming as a result of its campaigns.

The Scottish Executive/Government has now increased the grant to ASCC so that it can appoint a National Development Officer to support its work in promoting and developing community councils across Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Executive/Government have reached agreement with ASCC on a national model scheme for community councils which will be promoted around the country.

These are the most positive steps in relation to Scotland's community councils for over a decade. ASCC will continue its efforts to widen appreciation of the roles and potential of community councils as a means to encourage grass roots citizen participation in local governance.

Four of the main Scottish political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament have manifesto commitments relating to community councils and ASCC will continue to encourage them to deliver them. Given the party political situation in the Scottish Parliament it ought to be possible for all parties, as well as the administration, to progress their 2007 election manifesto policies in relation to community councils.

ASCC will also encourage other parties to begin to support the strengthening of community councils.

ASCC is pleased to report that devolution is beginning to deliver for the grass roots in ways which have been previously lacking and would encourage the Commission to express its support for the de-concentration of power from the Scottish centre and for its continuing devolution to local communities through the mechanism of community councils.

Norman Bonney
National Vice-President, Association of Scottish Community Councils, 25 February 2009
www.ascc.org.uk

For more on community councils visit;
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/CommunityCouncils

Turn of the tide for Scotland's community councils?

Scotland's community councils have had an uphill struggle to convince Scotland's governments and local authorities that they are a valuable device for harnessing citizen input into the local governance process and that they deserve full encouragement and support.

There are signs that the campaign of the Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC) to encourage the Scottish Government to provide it with more support in order to encourage the further development of community councils is beginning to pay off. ASCC is now in a position to recruit a National Development Officer. If you interested in the appointment visit;
http://www.goodmoves.org.uk/

This move is a direct result of the greater responsiveness of the SNP Scottish Government to the case put to them by ASCC. The SNP had ambitious aims for community councils in its 2007 elections manifesto and it is beginning to implement them.

The other Scottish political parties, with one exception, also made election commitments to community councils in 2007. They should not let one party steal a march with its support for community councils. It will be interesting to see how the other political parties make evident their support for community councils in the two years ahead to the next Scottish Parliament elections.