EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Implementing Community Planning – building for the future of local governance

Implementing Community Planning – building for the future of local governance

Introduction

Following the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, This report makes the point that Scottish local authorities and their partners have become a national learning network on better governance and participation.

Description

The report presents the findings of a study looking at implementation of community planning in 3 cities. The research recognises that because there is no right answer, the best source of learning is the experiences of practitioners and those active in the process. The study looked at community planning and selected a number of neighbourhoods to get a bottom up view.

Background information

Following the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, Scottish community planning offers significant opportunities to improve local governance by linking the agendas of social inclusion, community participation, better service delivery and modernised local government in a process of innovation and improvement.

This report makes the point that Scottish local authorities and their partners have become a national learning network on better governance and participation.

Methodology

The research focused on the 3 cities of Aberdeen, Stirling and Edinburgh and on 4 neighbourhoods – 2 SIP neighbourhoods (Tilldrone and Pilton) and 2 non SIP neighbourhoods (Cornton and Seaton). The research was based on 2 basic premises:

That community planning has enormous potential to unlock innovation;
That its implementation in the field is the best guide to potential good practice.

The research had 3 objectives:

to provide guidance to assist the integration of SIPS to successful Local CPPs;
to enhance understanding about the relationship between community planning at the local and local authority levels;
to enhance understanding about the relationship of community planning to democratic participation, service management and partnership structures.

Conclusions

Recommendations:

Local authorities should play a role in leading the CPP towards independence.
Community Planning should be based on cross party political consensus.
Strategies should be developed across a limited range of priorities.
A focused Community Plan should identify a small number of objectives.
Each CPP should keep social inclusion in the forefront of strategic deliberation.
Strong leadership is essential to value partnership working and community involvement.
Improve the understanding of what Community Planning can offer.
Community Planning should be seen as a key opportunity to improve community engagement.

Contact info

Communities Scotland (Research and Evaluation Department)
scr@communitiesscotland.gsi.gov.uk

Publication date

Project finished

//2004

Researcher

Communities Scotland (Research and Evaluation Department)

Links

Visit the Scottish Centre for Regeneration website

Download the 'Implementing Community Planning' Report (PDF, Eng, 217 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Keywords

Capacity building