Consultation On The Proposed Community Empowerment - Scottish ...

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“Planning Aid for Scotland considers that the Community Planning process thus far has focused to a greater degree on the delivery of essential services to communities than on how members of these communities might be more effectively involved in the decision making processes that will impact on them as communities.” (Planning Aid Scotland) 3.5 Others suggested that there was an inherent problem of using community planning partnerships as a starting point for a discussion on community engagement, when the geography of these partnerships was not on a community scale. “Community Planning is about strategic planning and the delivery of public services, usually at a city or regional level. Communities on the other hand, are much more likely to relate to activity at neighbourhood level. Successful community engagement therefore occurs at the interface where strategic planning meets neighbourhood planning.” (Development Trusts Association Scotland) 3.6 Some community planning partnerships and local authorities commented on the need for appropriate structures to enable effective representation from the local to the strategic level. Some respondents recommended the establishment of local community planning partnerships to underpin the strategic community planning partnerships. “To ensure strategic community planning partnerships do not exist in a vacuum and are informed by community needs, it is essential to build adequate pathways and mechanisms to deliver Community Planning at the local level.” (Community Planning Aberdeen) “Effective community engagement within the Community Planning process should involve using a variety of approaches to gather the views of a wide range of community members. There should be a structured approach to ensure that this information is communicated to community planning partnerships to provide an understanding of the needs and strengths of its communities.” (Perth and Kinross Council) 3.7 The Edinburgh Partnership highlighted that it is currently running two pilot projects based on the principles contained within the Christie Commission report – Total Craigroyston and Total Neighbourhood. 15
3.8 Respondents made a number of suggestions on what would provide evidence of effective community engagement, including: increased community participation in community planning partnership structures, consultations, decision making; projects and budgets delivered with full public support; closer working relations between local communities and public agencies; increased satisfaction that community engagement is working; increased level of satisfaction with quality of public services; and compliance with the National Standard for Community Engagement. 3.9 Respondents were also asked to express views on how effective and influential they thought that the community engagement currently taking place within Community Planning was. With the exception of community planning partnerships and local authorities, there was widespread agreement across respondents that experience across Scotland was ‘mixed’ and ‘patchy’. “Our experience through audits indicates that the effectiveness of community engagement by public bodies is variable. A common weakness being that many councils/ community planning partnerships find it difficult to demonstrate that their consultation and engagement activity is clearly making a difference in influencing decision making and leading to service change and improvement.” (Audit Scotland) “It is our view that current CP arrangements are not delivering effective community engagement. Although widely variable across the 32 local authorities, CPPs are generally not involving communities in community planning processes as well as they might be. The focus of CPPs on public sector partners working on shared service delivery leaves little space for community views to be accounted for.” (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) 3.10 A number of community councils and their local networks, individuals and third sector/ equality organisations and their representative bodies felt that current community engagement was not effective and had limited influence within Community Planning. Many felt that they lacked awareness of what was happening at community planning partnership level. Other respondents felt that public bodies who do engage with communities tended to see it as a box ticking exercise rather than as a means of shaping public service delivery. “Current community engagement appears to have very limited influence within the strategic Community Planning process.” (Bridge of Allan Community Council) 16
Page 1 and 2: Consultation on the proposed Commun
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRO
Page 5 and 6: While many public bodies engaged in
Page 7 and 8: Audit Scotland indicated that commu
Page 9 and 10: However, a majority felt that commo
Page 11 and 12: 1. INTRODUCTION About this report 1
Page 13 and 14: 2. OVERVIEW OF RESPONSES Introducti
Page 15 and 16: Table 2.2: Consultation Analysis Th
Page 17: “The first step is communication;
Page 21 and 22: “In our experience, community eng
Page 23 and 24: Theme 2: Overarching Duty to Engage
Page 25 and 26: 3.26 Others reflected that although
Page 27 and 28: 3.34 The number of respondents who
Page 29 and 30: 3.44 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Page 31 and 32: 3.48 A number of community councils
Page 33 and 34: “Their constitution makes it diff
Page 35 and 36: 3.64 Views from respondents on the
Page 37 and 38: 3.69 The Society of Local Authority
Page 39 and 40: 3.78 Others felt that there might e
Page 41 and 42: 3.87 The numbers expressing opposit
Page 43 and 44: Theme 6: Community Engagement Plans
Page 45 and 46: 3.103 Respondents were also asked a
Page 47 and 48: “Whilst participation is covered
Page 49 and 50: 3.118 One respondent questioned whe
Page 51 and 52: 3.128 The numbers expressing opposi
Page 53 and 54: Theme 10: Community Service Deliver
Page 55 and 56: 3.149 Some respondents suggested th
Page 57 and 58: Theme 11: Community Directed Spendi
Page 59 and 60: “There requires to be a balance b
Page 61 and 62: 3.175 Engagement’ was also discus
Page 63 and 64: “There are key buildings and piec
Page 65 and 66: 4.12 Other respondents concentrated
Page 67 and 68: 4.18 The Community Woodland Associa
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4.26 Some respondents suggested tha
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4.32 This approach was backed by De
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Theme 15: Common Good This theme co
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4.49 Reasons put forward by those i
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4.58 Some respondents suggested tha
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“Our understanding is that common
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4.67 Very few respondents argued ag
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“A single point of contact would
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Theme 17: Allotments This theme cov
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Theme 18: Definitions for Part 2 Th
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5.4 Another more fundamental qualif
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“Only assets which are not requir
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5.17 Several respondents from commu
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“Unless this is done, councils an
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Theme 21: Dangerous and Defective B
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Theme 22: Compulsory Purchase This
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“We believe that a “right to re
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5.56 The wording of this question c
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5.65 It was also suggested that the
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5.71 The vast majority of those who
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“Councils will be challenged on j
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5.88 One local authority again made
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Theme 25: Assessing Impact This the
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“Community gardens and allotments
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APPENDIX ONE: LIST OF RESPONDENTS T
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Other community organisations and t
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Poverty Truth Commission Ramblers S
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Scottish Community Development Netw
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APPENDIX TWO: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
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3. Are there any changes that could
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5. Should the various existing duti
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Theme: Community Councils 6. What r
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Theme: Third Sector 9. How can the
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Theme: Community Engagement Plans 1
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Theme: Named Officer 13. Should pub
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Theme: Community Service Delivery 1
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19a. What areas of spending should
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Theme: Definitions for Part 1 20. P
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21b. How should an ‘urban communi
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22b. What information should a publ
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24. Should communities have a right
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26a. What should a local authority
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Theme: Asset Management 27. Should
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29. Should each public sector autho
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Theme: Definitions for Part 2 33. P
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34b. What, if any, conditions shoul
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37. Are there any other changes tha
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Theme: Compulsory Purchase 40. Shou
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Theme: Power to Enforce Sale or Lea
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43. Should local authorities be giv
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44. If a local authority enforces a
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Theme: Assessing Impact 46. Please
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Easy Read Questionnaire 1. What doe
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6. Should local communities be invo
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10. Do you think communities should
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