Community Wealth Building Bill published
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 26th March 2025
The Scottish Government has published the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill, which it says is "designed to create jobs and drive economic growth across Scotland by promoting investment in communities."
The Scottish Government have called it "the first of its kind in the world", with the Bill requiring “councils, National Health Service boards and other public bodies to take forward measures which boost their local economies."
SCDC has supported the principles of this approach, and this investment could benefit communities more directly by delivering local employment and supporting local business and social enterprises.
We have also set out how bigger political decisions on tax and redistribution are required to help make these policies ‘transformational’. Key to this is increasing the influence communities have on the local and wider economy so they receive more of the benefits, particularly those furthest away from power and influence.
Community-led organisations must be enabled to participate, and have access to resources and community capacity building support to enable people in their communities to take advantage of these opportunities and benefits.
The Bill will now make its way through parliament, with the government previously committing that it will be passed in this parliamentary term.
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