The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee will visit Ferguslie Park in Renfrewshire next Monday (6th February) to meet with Engage Renfrewshire, a Third Sector Interface, which supports local charities and other not-for-profit groups, as part of an inquiry into Community Planning.
In November 2022, the Committee launched a new inquiry into Part 2 of the Community Empowerment Act (2015), which changed how community planning is delivered by Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs).
Community Planning aims to improve how organisations such as local government, health boards, and the police work together with other partners to improve local outcomes in an area.
CPPs exist in every local authority to identify priorities, share resources to deliver services for people and are tasked with developing Local Outcomes Improvement Plans and targeted ‘locality plans’ for smaller areas which need more support.
Partners also must work with communities to involve them in community planning.
The Committee held a call for views between November 2022 and January 2023 and will go on to take evidence from stakeholders before sending a report to the Scottish Government in the spring, outlining its findings and recommendations.
Ahead of the visit, Committee Convener, Ariane Burgess MSP said:“Hearing directly from people in Renfrewshire involved in the local Community Planning Partnership will greatly improve our understanding of the impact of these partnerships and how they are helping to support communities across Scotland.
“Our inquiry is looking at the impact of the Community Empowerment Act on community planning and how CPPs have been able to respond to significant events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis.
“Throughout this inquiry, we will seek to hear directly from organisations involved in Community Planning Partnerships, such as those we will meet in Fergulsie Park as well as communities and individuals from across Scotland about the impact the Partnerships have had.”
The Committee will hold meetings with Engage Renfrewshire in Ferguslie Park to learn more about the background to CPP operations in Renfrewshire, the Forum for Empowering Communities and examples of local partnership working.
Following this the Committee will visit the Tannahill Centre for an overview of local services delivered as part of the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Approach and Winter Connection Programme.
Commenting, Dr Alan McNiven, Chief Executive of Engage Renfrewshire, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Local Government Housing and Planning Committee to Renfrewshire as part of their review of Community Planning.
“Community Planning can be challenging but it’s an approach which can provide Third Sector organisations with the opportunity to establish a strong working partnership with the Public Sector – and in our experience partnership working often creates a great environment for delivering better local outcomes.”
Andrew Field, Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, and Joan Parr, Service Director for Culture and Wellbeing, from City of Edinburgh Council: Community Partnership Planning – Moving Forward
Councillor Scott Arthur, Convenor, City of Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Committee:
Transport Priorities for a Growing City
This 26 January meeting begins our 2023 programme.
I invite you to get in touch to bring other meeting ideas to me.
(As before, this meeting is open to the public, but due to space restrictions, priority will be given to Community Councillor attendees.
The meeting may be recorded – please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent in that regard.
Where asked to sign-in with a screen display name, please adopt the following procedure:
If you are carrying your council’s vote, please sign in to the Teams screen meeting with a clear CC identifier, preceded by two asterisks and followed by your surname, along the lines of:
**GRANGE – ROBERTSON
**CORST – KERR
**LTHLNK – MILLAR
If you are not carrying a vote, just sign in as FIRST NAME LAST NAME.
The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)meets TONIGHT via Zoom at 7pm. (The screen facility will open at 18.50.)
The Agenda:
1. Andrew Field; Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, City of Edinburgh Council:
– Community partnership planning; some thoughts on the way ahead.
2. David White; Primary Care Strategic Lead, Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership:
– The Winter Programme vaccine roll-out;
– Developments in GP service provision in the city.
3. Kenny Wright, Chair, Drum Brae CC:
– The Cost-of-Living Crisis: Community initiatives.
4. Steve Kerr, EACC Chair.
– Preview of the EACC AGM on 24 November;
– Nominations to the EACC Members Board.
The meeting is open to members of the public as observers, but participation in the first instance sits with the EACC representatives of Edinburgh Community Councils.
(The meeting may be recorded. Please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent in that regard.)
The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) will meet on Thursday 26 May, at 7pm on Zoom.
(See the Zoom link at the foot of this email.)
*** Agenda ***
1. Presentation by Charlie Raeburn on the ‘Observatory for Sport in Scotland’.
This is a community sports initiative — involving central and local government, as well as the private sector — aimed at tacking Scotland’s health and activity crisis. (See https://oss.scot.)
2. Best practice for community council treasurers? Solutions to banking problems for small organizations? Discussion led by Judy Wightman, EACC Treasurer and Chair of Ratho & District Community Council.
3. Removal of litter bins from parks and greenspaces. Issue to be raised by Tim Parker, Trinity Community Council.
