Communities: seize the day!

‘giving communities the power to make their own choices is one of the most effective ways to tackle poverty and address inequalities.’ – Local Government & Community Empowerment Minister Marco Biagi MSP

Development Trusts Association (DTA) Scotland, the national organisation for development trusts, says the introduction of the Community Empowerment Act presents communities across Scotland with an ideal chance to ‘seize the day’ as their rights and opportunities in relation to assets, land and participation increase.

Development Trusts, community groups and representatives who gathered for the Associations’ two-day Annual Conference in Inverness yesterday heard that there has never been a better time for community-led regeneration, as more and more communities look to take control of their future through the acquisition of assets.

Ian Cooke, Director of DTA Scotland (pictured) said: “The introduction of the Community Empowerment Act brings with it ground-breaking opportunities for communities across Scotland in the acquisition, development and management of land, buildings and other physical assets.

“Often driven by the need to save community services and iconic heritage assets, community groups have historically had to work against the odds and with minimum support to take on assets and services.

“However, now, more so than ever before, communities have an opportunity to stimulate sustainable growth and lasting change thanks to favourable policies like the Community Empowerment Act which encourage, support and help resource this kind of community-led activity.

“We would urge that anyone considering taking on an asset, however early the stage, gets in touch with the team at the Community Ownership Support Service to find out how they can help support the process.”

Under some of the notable provisions of the new Act, most of which are expected to come into effect in the summer of 2016, communities throughout Scotland will:

• Have the right to request to purchase, lease, manage or use land and buildings belonging to local authorities, Scottish public bodies or Scottish Ministers;
• Have extended Community Rights to Buy Land in Scotland incorporating both rural and urban settings through amends to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and;
• Have the right to put forward their ideas for how services could be changed to improve outcomes for their community through a participation request. This could include community bodies taking on delivery of services.

In his Ministerial address at the DTAS Conference today, Minister for Local Government & Community Empowerment Marco Biagi MSP is expected to say: “These are remarkable times in Scotland to be an active citizen. We have almost unprecedented levels of participation and engagement from people in communities the length and breadth of the country and the Scottish Government wants to build on the enthusiasm that people have been showing and get them more involved in local decision making, so that we can release at a local level the energy that comes from employing those talents, and allowing communities to guide the changes and improvements that they want to see in their local areas.

“In June this year the Scottish Parliament passed the Community Empowerment Act, the focus of which was to put forward legislation that helps give communities the means and ability to greater control their futures. Communities in the driving seat, that is the aim of the Act.

“We want to go beyond consulting, go beyond engaging and get into the true participation and partnership that is the only way communities can be empowered. We know that giving communities the power to make their own choices is one of the most effective ways to tackle poverty and address inequalities.”

Also addressing conference today will be Rob Hoon, manager of the successful Out of the Blue arts and education trust based in Dalmeny Street.

Entitled ‘Assets, Enterprise & Creativity‘, DTA Scotland’s conference – the organisations’ twelfth – has brought together Scotland’s experts on community-led regeneration, along with the development trusts and community organisations and groups looking to deliver innovation and sustainable change on the ground.

Topping the agenda is ensuring that delegates are aware of the opportunities available to them as a result of the introduction of the new legislation.  Once again a sell-out, the Conference is providing an invaluable forum for the sharing of ideas, experience and good practice.