Rebuilding confidence in local empowerment

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Note: this section relates to q8, q10 and q13 in the DM2 consultation

This is clearly an important element of improving how local democracy works. From SCDC’s programmes, such as Supporting Communities and exploring ways to strengthen Participation Requests, we are very aware that many, if not most, communities and community organisations currently feel they have a very limited level of influence over local decisions and services. This is particularly low in disadvantaged and marginalised communities where there is often significant disengagement and disillusionment with democracy.

To increase the influence of communities over services and decisions, implementing new legislation needs to incorporate the following:

  • While new democratic bodies should have independence and autonomy from elected representatives, there should be regular liaison and feedback mechanisms with political representatives, ensuring a right of access that goes beyond current mechanisms (community councils, open surgeries etc). These were alluded to in our suggestions regarding powers but how they are implemented and the relationships they are based on will be key to success.

  • Local elected reps should be able to be co-opted onto, or be offered seats on, new democratic bodies but without any automatic rights to special powers. More generally, there should be an expectation that local elected members should attend appropriate meetings.

  • Recognition for local community action plans, and how these can be implemented with service providers is a key building block.

  • Local spending and investment, including community wealth building initiatives, should be based on priorities in community action plans, from participatory budgeting and other community priorities.

  • Involving as wide community-representation as possible in any engagement, co-production, participation initiative, including gap analysis (i.e. which groups are missing?) followed by targeted support.

  • Encourage local self-organisation so that communities can intervene in specific issues to shape services through dialogue and partnership or by seeking resources for their own services and projects. Existing and new groups should be encouraged and supported to engage on issues which they have identified as important to achieve change.

  • Communities should be enabled to engage and make alliances with actors and organisations within the political system in order to help them influence and achieve positive change. This should not extend to anchor organisations making direct recommendations to local people on how to vote in elections. However, it should be able to involve democratic educational actions such as organising hustings or local media initiatives so that local people were clear about which actions political organisations seeking their support were likely to take in support of their communities or in line with community-led action plans produced by people themselves.

  • Any restrictions should be placed on political parties to prevent them co-opting community activity for political gain, but not on communities who may legitimately wish to engage in politics in a more participatory democracy. To place limitations on communities would ignore the reality of power imbalance which communities face when trying to influence services, planning and decisions. To put it as plainly as possible, in order to have influence, communities will often need all the help they can get.

  • Delegated authority for local officers to base more decisions on how services are delivered locally in place-based initiatives based on the priorities of communities is essential. This is especially true in those communities facing greatest disadvantage where some models of service delivery are less effective and lived experience in these communities identifies better ways to promote and target services at those who need them most. This is a pre-requisite for effective place-based working and responsiveness to community need.