Increased inclusion

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Note: this section relates to q3 in the DM2 consultation

The issue of inclusion is central to, and to some extent underpins, all three previous facets of our response above. Nevertheless, there are particular measures which should be incorporated into any Bill around local democracy in order to ensure inclusion and equality are achieved.

  • Targeted outreach work with marginalised, easy to ignore communities, should be prioritised as a key task of the community development infrastructure we have outlined above. In addition to making use of local providers (from a range of sectors) this work should involve national organisations, such as third sector intermediaries, ranging from those working to address poverty to equality organisations.

  • If new powers are given to existing and future community anchor organisations/networks, then they should be supported to demonstrate how they are: engaging widely with disadvantaged groups in their community; delivering equality of access to services; and ensuring their membership and leadership is diverse. These things could be achieved through a range of measures, some of which are listed below. What is important for now is that this is considered a priority and that it becomes a key area to explore in the deliberative element of designing legislation.

  • One way of ensuring diverse membership is to provide compensation schemes to support participation, including accessibility, travel, caring responsibilities, and even loss of earnings. Otherwise, the system is not genuinely open to young people, single parents, disabled people, carers, low paid workers and the self-employed, etc. Without adequate support in place participation in decision-making will mainly be the preserve of citizens who can afford to. How this could be achieved would be a useful focus for further deliberative dialogue, but the work of the Scottish Government's Lived Experience Payments Group could be useful in considering the issues.

  • Creative and engaging methods, utilising technology, should be encouraged and supported. Democratic innovations such as citizens’ juries, lived-experience panels, participatory budgeting and online creative methods should be supported so that everyone is able to take part on a sustained basis. However, this must be balanced with the needs of many community members who would much rather use face to face approaches and who themselves can be excluded by the overuse of online methods.

  • Public bodies, service providers and community anchor organisations/networks should be required to sign up to an Intention to Include statement that demonstrates efforts they will/have made to engage harder to reach groups.

  • The above statement, and any bill more widely, should have clear links to new human rights laws, currently being developed in Scotland, including outcomes in the new bill relating to participation and empowerment.

  • Linking to the last bullet in our above section on influence and intervention, local democracy legislation should ensure that mapping explores the widest possible needs, including longer-term targeted engagement with easy to ignore groups.

  • There should be good check-back mechanisms with communities, making use of physical events or conferences and/or surveys.