Making it easier for communities to take part and have their say
1. What does the word ‘community’ mean to you?
Community can mean either a group of people living in a particular place, or it can mean a group of people with a particular interest, for example Scouts, the local WRI, the art group, pensioners clubs etc. It can also apply to ethnic or religious groups. All meanings are valid, but there is potential for difficulty if one community interest were to hold an asset to the exclusion of other community interests. 2. Can you tell us something about your community? Our local Community Council represents Juniper Green, which consists of the “old village” of Juniper Green plus the newer addition of Baberton Mains. It is difficult to make the two areas cohesive because there is physically no actual connection by road, plus being on a hill is not conducive to easy walking between the two, especially for those who are older. A further problem for cohesion and sociability is the fact that both communities are corridor suburbs where people of working age are employed elsewhere and where the city proves a magnet for entertainment and other social activities. Within the Juniper Green Community Council area there are other community organisations, some centred on the Parish Church and some around the Village Hall. These organisations tend to co-operate with each other and work well together.
3. How can community councils do more to help local people have their say about how local services are run or managed?
By making people aware of the community council and what it can do to address local problems and grievances and to improve amenities and services. By encouraging local people to attend the regular CC meetings and other CC meetings aimed at addressing particular issues and by giving a lead. As many methods of practical communication as possible also need to be used. As well as the electronic means of a website, a large mailing list and questionnaires, and possibly Twitter and/or Facebook, we take the opportunity to meet and talk to people at our local Farmers’ Market which is an initiative of the Community Council. Much local information is exchanged there.
4. Do you have any ideas about how to make it easier for community organisations to help run or manage local services?
In theory taking over services should be possible – but with certain reservations. Local communities should certainly have a greater say in how local services/facilities are used and run, and have support to buy unused buildings, IF they have well developed ideas of how these can be used. Theoretically it is a good idea for buildings/organisations like the Village Hall to be owned and managed by the community, but only as long as there are enough competent people willing to put in the time to do this properly. Problems can arise when management is incompetent or worse (and this is a situation which can easily occur some time down the line after the initial buy-out or change of management has taken place), or when there are not enough volunteers to do the job properly (which can also affect the initial set-up). For example, the Village Hall management committee is currently under strength (there were many more members on the first committee), attendance at AGMs is hardly overwhelming, and attempts to recruit new committee members is proving quite difficult. Possibly a liaison salaried support worker specialising in community matters would be helpful to give advice, and/or mentoring from a neighbouring similar organisation. Where full responsibility for a service was taken, a budget commensurate with that allocated at present to the running of that service by the local authority would also be essential, as would the ability to draw on the specialised expertise and experience of local authority staff. Running a school would be a more difficult proposition and it is not clear that communities would necessarily have the skills or time to commit to such an undertaking. It would be helpful to have some training available for community groups wishing to run or manage services. Any increase of responsibilities would have to be introduced very gradually where CCs are given a clear understanding of the logistics and operation of any new responsibilities and provided with salaried support staff at least, initially.
5. Do you think communities in Scotland should be able to challenge a local service if they feel the service is not run well or does not meet their needs?
Why do you think this?
Yes. If there are shortcomings, client communities are in a good position to judge and it is in their interests to do so. Challenging a local service is already possible through the locally elected Councillor. Whether the challenge is listened to or taken note of is quite another matter.
6. Should local communities be involved in deciding how money for local services is spent?
Why do you think this?
If you said yes, what do you think would help to make this possible?
Yes. They already do so to a limited extent. It gives them more responsibility and involvement. Usually local communities know intimately how they are affected by the lack or withdrawal of a local service or indeed the need for a new service. However, it would be difficult for local communities to take account of the bigger overall picture. Neighbourhood Partnerships could perhaps have a major role to play in assessing wider local needs, since local services are not usually provided just on the basis of Community Council area boundaries. Helping communities to own land and buildings in their area
7. Would it help your community if it owned land or buildings?
Why do you think this?
Theoretically yes. Finance is then the issue. For example our empty butcher’s shop could have made a community facility but a large amount of money would have been needed to purchase and maintain it for the community. In the US a levy from house sales is used to finance community projects, but this would still need to be evened out with some State funding to maintain fairness across communities. A further example is our local Village Hall, where the management committee would like to take ownership of the land where the former Janitor’s house stood, to ensure an improved entrance to the hall and especially disabled access to committee rooms, and a ground level committee room could be provided when funds become available. However, access to funding sources would be essential to make this a viable prospect, as fundraising activities alone could not raise the sums required within a reasonable time frame. Also, as before, sufficient training and a fall-back position may be required if a project falters.
8. Should communities in towns and cities have a right to buy land and buildings that are for sale in their area?
Why do you think this?
Yes, if they can see a communal purpose for it and they have the necessary funds plus infrastructure and support to assume such responsibilities. In theory the answer has to be “yes”, but the practicalities of finance and ongoing costs in the light of current community council funding and councils’ inability to make money put the suggestion into the ‘pie in the sky’ category. An “across the board” right to buy land and buildings may be impractical. And of course different communities of interest may be interested in these assets. For example a young persons’ group may wish to use land as open green space for recreation; their parents may wish to use the land as allotments and the older generation may simply wish to have parkland. In other words if this was to be included in the Bill there would need to be safeguards built in to dissipate potential tensions. The matter of maintenance and running costs must also be a consideration. Does the question imply granting Community Councils the right to take rents or other income from land or buildings they might acquire? If community councils were to take on such responsibilities, they would almost certainly need to employ part-time staff.
9. If the local council or other public authority own land or buildings they are not using, should the local community have a right to ask for the land and buildings?
Why do you think this?
Yes this would seem sensible. Again there would need to be provision through an official body to make sure the community could administer the asset and that the community was competent to do so.
10. Do you think communities should have more land for allotments and community gardens so people can grow their own food or flowers?
Why do you think this?
Yes. There is a clear shortage of such land across the Lothians which means long waiting lists or having to travel outside one’s community to find an allotment. Ideally this is an excellent idea. It has benefits for those who grow the food, for the environment, for the families of those growing the food and for the fostering of a community.
Making the best use of buildings and land
11. Should your local community be able to use public buildings or resources like buses for part of the week or for a short time? Why do you think this?
In theory a good idea, but resources may be an issue. We have in this area a PPI primary school whose meeting rooms we would like to use, but the cost of the room hire is unrealistic. It is a great shame to see an asset paid for out of taxation lying idle. We understand that it is the janitorial costs that make this difficult but there must be a way of allowing responsible members of the community to undertake these duties.
12. Are empty houses and shops a problem in your local community?
Why do you think this? If you said yes, what would you like to happen to the buildings or land?
Yes. There should be a time limit on the letting or sale of land or property because of their potential negative impact on the rest of the community. Recently we have experienced empty property in the community. An empty electrical shop and yard, an empty butcher’s shop and a Post Office that we lost, not because the Post Office closed it, but because a previous incumbent had not run the business satisfactorily. It would help the area if owners of shops had to keep properties clean and tidy, perhaps allowing community groups to make window displays and generally keep the properties looking cared for.
13. Would it help your community if it could use land or buildings that owners are not using just now?
Why do you think this?
If you said yes, what would make it easier for owners and communities to agree about this?
Yes, but only if they were of practicable value and helped to provide a communal need. Owners would have to be assured that they would be properly looked after and maintained. An example might be that a community group agreed to keep shop windows clean in return for responsible use of the window facility for example.
14. Should your community have the right to ask the local council to arrange the sale of an empty building or land?
Why do you think this?
Yes whether the buildings and land is in council or private hands but with the proviso set out in response to Q.13
It is not clear if the intention is for Council owned empty property to be the target. If so, then it is sensible for the local community to pursue the Council to sell or dispose of the asset
Other ideas and views
15. Do you have any other ideas or comments for the Scottish Government?
Many of the ideas put forward have merit. However, implementing them would not be cost neutral and sufficient resources of money and personnel would need to be devoted to implementation. To sum up – the ideas in the Bill would require:-
• adequate, reliable and steady funding;
• addressing the question of a continuity of able people who are willing to work unpaid;
• adequate training and a source of advice from the Local Authority. It is not a simple task to maintain and run a community centre.
• to address the question of those whose livelihoods, or potential employment opportunities, will disappear as a result of this initiative.
We would also suggest that more emphasis should be placed on public service in local schools – for the future.