SCDC Consultation Response
This is our response to the Democracy Matters 2 consultation where we’re calling for Scottish Government and CoSLA’s commitment to a new ‘Local Democracy Bill’ to include measures that give communities greater power and control over the issues the affect them.
Democracy Matters was part of the Scottish Government’s Local Governance Review which is exploring how power, responsibility and resources are shared with communities by government and local authorities.
In the response we have:
Set out how communities should have greater influence and control over public services that respond to local priorities through new and enhanced community engagement duties for public bodies, community control where is appropriate, and decentralisation of budgets built on a culture of partnership and power sharing.
Explored how communities can get the advice and assistance they need to develop or strengthen their own representative organisations. These groups should be supported to develop inclusive community-led action plans, representing local issues and setting out what resources are required, and how they could be used.
Explained why it’s vital that communities are supported to take on autonomous community action, without over burdening them with too much responsibility. This should all be supported by skilled community development practice and other support for communities taking these powers on to create an ‘empowerment infrastructure’.
Argued that a new deliberative process should be developed to build on the ideas people have expressed so far, with the aim of determining concrete recommendations to inform a potential ‘Local Democracy Bill’ in spring 2025.
