Report to the People
Community Planning
Last Friday I was able to join community activists from Inverclyde at a conference on Sustainable Development and Community Planning. I was fortunate enough to be asked to talk at the conference on the topic of "Community Planning and the Scottish Parliament."
"Of course. I would be delighted to deliver a speech." I said when asked. Presently, however, a more worrying thought crossed my mind: What exactly does community planning mean?
After all, many anthropologists and sociologists would agree that communities, by definition, are already planned.
It refers, though, to a specific, exciting initiative.
Community Planning is a concept being promoted by the Scottish Executive. It gives people and their communities rights and responsibilities over how much money should be spent, on what it should be spent and how it should be spent. The aim is to involve local people, voluntary groups, Health Boards, local businesses and organisations in deciding the policies of local authorities. Central to the plan is a partnership of public bodies, the private sector and local groups working together to an agreed strategic plan.
This is a bold move. For the first time, communities will be at the heart of the decision making process. Indeed, a report published in January by the Scottish Executive described Community Planning as "holding the key to social renewal." Community Planning is a chance to breathe life back into our communities.
Four concepts underlie Community Planning.
A Strategic Vision for the whole area. Show me a poverty issue and I will show you a housing issue, a health issue, a transport issue and an employment issue all rolled into one. Attempting to tackle any social problem by focussing on a single aspect is doomed to expensive failure.
Community Consultation and Involvement. This, I feel, is the cornerstone of community planning. The Scottish Parliament offers an ideal opportunity to do this. It is both geographically and politically closer to Scottish communities and people now feel more ready to challenge decisions and confident in their right to have an input to public debate.
Partnership. Not simply partnership between the various branches of government, but a wide, inclusive partnership. This must embrace the community organisations and the private and voluntary sectors. Only through genuine partnership will people have the stake in their community on which a process such as this depends.
Community Leadership. Inverclyde Council, while needing to act increasingly in partnership, have a key role in providing leadership for their communities in general and for the Community Planning process in particular.
Further, effective leadership from the Council at local level will be mirrored by integrated working by the Executive at the national level.
I have written and spoken many times about extending democracy and involving communities in decision making. I firmly believe that such Community Plans offer one of the best opportunities to take this forward that I have seen in a while.
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Open Government ] [ Scottish Parliament ]