Tag: community engagement

Edinburgh Partnership launches community planning review

Your chance to influence how community planning works for Edinburgh

Do you feel involved in decision-making? Are community voices being heard? What can be done to improve local democracy and community engagement? Where does the community fit into community planning?

In the snappily-titled ‘Edinburgh Partnership Review & Consultation on Governance and Community Planning Arrangements (the name alone should be enough scare a few people off!) The Edinburgh Partnership is consulting community councils, community groups and individuals on community planing in the capital.

Community planning brings together public agencies, the third sector and communities to work together to plan and deliver services which make a real difference to people’s lives.  The Edinburgh Partnership involves these partners in overseeing this work for the city.

The Edinburgh Partnership recognises that community planning processes can be improved.  In this consultation, the Edinburgh Partnership would like to hear people’s views on:

  • how communities and community groups can more effectively influence decisions about their community.
  • how the governance arrangements can be improved to:
    • make it clear how decisions are made, and who is making them, by improving the groups and structures involved
    • make partnership working stronger
    • make better connections between the different levels of partnership working in the city.

Why is The Edinburgh Partnership consulting?

In Scotland, the law says a range of public bodies must take part in community planning. This is set out in the Scottish Government’s Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. The act was designed to strengthen the influence communities have in making decisions about their area – this is known as community planning.

Below is the current governance structure in Edinburgh, which forms the basis of the consultation. It shows many partnership and advisory groups feed into and from the Edinburgh Partnership.

There are other bodies in the city which link to and/or have a role in these arrangements but they are not part of the governance structure. These include community councils, Council committees, the Edinburgh Association of Community Councils and the Equality and Rights Network. They provide the city-wide perspective for community and interest groups. These are not included in the consultation.

To help develop the consultation the Edinburgh Partnership carried out a review with the people involved in the current partnerships and groups shown in the governance structure (as above).  Their views on what is working well and what could be better have shaped the proposals and questions in this consultation.

The Edinburgh Partnership would now like to hear YOUR views as it’s recognised that this consultation is relevant in different ways to a wide range of organisations.

Timescales

Deadline for submissions is Sunday 9th September 2018.

Your chance to influence how community planning works for Edinburgh: Take part here:

 

Trinity Community Council: annual walkabout this morning

Here’s your June update from TCC. I hope you find it informative.

Please note in particular that our Annual Walkabout will take place today (Saturday) at 10am.  You are, as ever, welcome to join and to leave at any point along the route.

Best wishes,

Bill Rodger
Trinity Community Council

North West Locality Draft Action Plan: Three June opportunities to have your say

Help improve the Locality draft Action Plan

What’s a Locality Plan?

The city council and partners (police, fire and rescue service, voluntary sector, Edinburgh College, NHS Lothian etc) asked individuals and community groups for their views on local priorities and services. Using that feedback, four Locality Improvement Plans (LIPs) for 2017 to 2022 were developed and endorsed by The Edinburgh Partnership in December last year.  The LIP draft action plans are currently out for wider community consultation and this is the opportunity to have a look at them and share your views. Continue reading North West Locality Draft Action Plan: Three June opportunities to have your say

Give communities more say in local planning, says Holyrood Committee

“A clear theme running through our report is the importance of empowering communities to have a meaningful say on the kind of place they want to live in” – Local Government & Communities Committee Convener Bob Doris

We want communities to have a stronger voice in planning what their neighbourhoods look like, says a Holyrood Committee today.

The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee sets out recommendations to strengthen the Planning (Scotland) Bill in a report published today, while recognising that it has the potential to improve the planning process overall.

The Bill aims to streamline the system of development planning, support delivery of planned developments and includes a new right for communities to produce their own plans for their local areas called Local Place Plans.

Continue reading Give communities more say in local planning, says Holyrood Committee

New fund will give communities a voice on Brexit

New support will help ensure community organisations, charities and other grassroots groups are listened to during the ongoing Brexit negotiations. The £150,000 stakeholder engagement fund will provide grants to Scottish organisations who wouldn’t otherwise have the resources to gather and promote the views of their members on preparing for the UK leaving the EU. Continue reading New fund will give communities a voice on Brexit