Agenda item

Consider report by SBC Service Director Strategy and Policy on the implications for the Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership and its membership in relation to the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill.  (Report and appendices attached.)

7.1    With reference to paragraphs 10 and 11 of the Minute of 27 November 2014, there had been circulated copies of a report by the SBC Service Director Strategy and Policy, setting out the implications of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill for the Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership.  The Bill aimed to empower communities, make the most of the talent existing in communities, deliver high quality and improving services, and support strong local democracy.  The most important part of the Bill was the Community Planning section, with several implications for consideration by the Partnership.  A review of the membership of the Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership would need to be undertaken to ensure that the potential contribution from the wider range of public service bodies was fully brought into the community planning process.  Consideration would also need to be given as to whether the Community Planning Partnership should become an incorporated body; whether the proposed community engagement framework could be used to carry out consultation and engagement at a local level; how community planning partners should contribute specific resources to the Partnership; and what local outcomes improvement plan reporting and monitoring processes would mean to the Partnership.  The community participation requests process, whereby community organisations could make representations to public bodies with suggestions on improving services, could impact on plans to change the delivery of services, and also lead to the need for greater support for those community organisations which did not have the capacity to take part in the community participation process.  With regard to community right to buy, the Bill proposed that this be extended to certain urban areas, including Galashiels and Hawick in the Scottish Borders.  While this could provide more opportunities for community groups in the Borders to buy land and property, there was a risk that some community groups may not have the understanding, business skills, or capacity to fully understand what they was involved in making a success in the long term of such purchases.  Further information was provided in the report on asset transfer arrangements, common good properties, allotments and non-domestic rates.   

7.2    Mrs Hume advised that the 3rd Sector already supported community groups and was planning a conference - once the final Bill contents were known – on how to develop community participation at local level.  The 3^rd Sector had also already been in contact with disadvantaged groups in this respect.  Further reports would be provided to the Board once the contents and implications of the Bill were finalised, likely to be in autumn 2015.  There were still uncertainties on who would be included e.g. Arms-Length Organisations, Trusts, etc.  In terms of cost, the Financial Memorandum for the Bill was not clear or explicit.  There was likely to be more detail available in the Guidance once the Bill became an Act.  Cosla was currently looking at costs and the Chairman suggested that the Community Planning Partnership could put information from this area into that.

DECISION

AGREED to:

(a)     receive further reports, once the Community Empowerment legislation had been passed, on –

(i)      a review of the membership of the Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership to ensure that the potential contribution from the wider range of public services and other bodies was fully brought into the community planning process;

(ii)     consideration on whether the Community Planning Partnership should become an incorporated body;

(iii)    whether - building on the work of the 3^rd Sector - further support would be required for community groups, particularly those in more disadvantaged areas, to ensure that they could effectively engage in community planning (including influencing the services delivered in a locality), community participation requests, community right to buy, and asset transfers;

(iv)    how community planning partners should contribute specific resources to the Community Planning Partnership; and

(v)     what the proposed local outcomes improvement plan reporting process and monitoring would mean to the Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnership;

(b)     use the Community Engagement Framework to carry out consultation and engagement at a local level; and

(c)     to request the Joint Delivery Team to carry out localised costing of the impact of the Community Empowerment Bill on the Scottish Borders and feed this information into the work being carried out by Cosla.