This is an extract from a report which was prepared for the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament by the Scottish Office Central Research Unit in June 1999.

The Role and Effectiveness of Community Councils with Regard to Community Consultation

1. Executive Summary

Introduction

This research was commissioned to inform the deliberations of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament and relates to the second element of their remit; ‘how councils can best make themselves responsive and democratically accountable to the communities they serve’.

The system of community councils which exists in Scotland was introduced at the 1973 reorganisation of local government. The environment in which community councils operate has changed quite considerably since then and recent years have seen increased interest in community consultation in general. Thus in considering the responsiveness of local authorities, it is particularly pertinent to reflect on the role and effectiveness of community councils.

The research involved: · interviews with relevant organisations; · a postal survey of local authorities; · case studies of six local authorities encompassing three or four community councils within each (a total of 23).

The six case study councils covered a range of rural, urban and intermediate councils and a range of approaches to community consultation.

An overview

Community councils are set up through a combination of local authority and voluntary effort. Their statutory base provides wide scope for variety in their roles, composition and resources.

There are 1,169 community councils in Scotland. This is 238 less than the 1,407 provided for in authorities’ schemes for community councils. The number in existence has remained stable over a period exceeding 10 years but there has been some lapsing, some reformation and some divisions of one community councils into two. Over 83 per cent of the population lives in areas with community councils, 87 per cent in rural areas and 81 per cent in urban areas.

Gaps in coverage occur more often in areas where community councils have never existed than in areas where they have once existed but subsequently lapsed. The exact number of community councillors is not known, but exceeds 16,000. A large minority of community councils have unfilled places.

Community councils in urban areas serve populations over three times that in rural areas. Community councils are often seen as more successful, active or effective in rural areas.

Local authorities spent around £1 million on community councils in financial year 1997- 98. Commonly, an administration grant is supplemented by the opportunity to apply for funds for specific projects. The average administration grant is £538 and over half the local authorities provide between £247 and £417 on average. The average total amount of grant per community council is £925. Local authorities provide a range of other resources for community councils. Nine out of ten local authorities provide training, eight out of ten provide free use of council premises for meetings and four out of ten provide free use of office services. Ten authorities in total provide the services of dedicated staff.

Community council elections are infrequent and turnouts are very low. Higher turnouts have been achieved mainly through the use of postal ballots. Direct elections are supplemented in a significant minority of areas with representation by organisations with a presence in the area. This form of representation is achieved by co-option or simply attendance at meetings. Two local authorities have extended the franchise for community council elections to young people under 18.

Roles

The meaning of the statutory role of community councils causes some confusion and difficulty to local authorities and community councils. The possible breadth of their role seems to be at odds with the informality of their legal status. While they have some of the characteristics of the voluntary sector, they feel excluded from benefits available to voluntary organisations.

Community councils engage in a wide range of activities: their own and other meetings, commenting on public policy, publicity and promotion, dealing with enquiries and surveys of opinion.

Six roles can be detected in the activities and work of community councils: · organising social events; · providing services; · liaising with community and voluntary organisations in their area; · identifying and taking action on issues of concern; · providing a sounding board in the framing of public policy; · providing a sounding board in relation to specific public services.

They generally perceive that their most important relationship is with the local authority. Over seven in ten authorities (72%) report they have a code of practice for the conduct of relations with community councils and a greater number (87%) have a designated liaison officer. Local authorities routinely send a variety of information to community councils.

Over four in five local authorities (83%) involve community councils in structures such as working parties, area forums and regeneration partnerships. The majority of local authorities see community councils as, in principle, having no different a role in community consultation than voluntary and community groups. However, in practice, many find community councils a convenient means of securing community involvement. A small number of authorities, perhaps four or five, give community councils a distinctive role in their decentralisation schemes or community consultation policy.

Effectiveness

Effectiveness is broadly defined in this study with reference to: · representativeness; · awareness of and ability to transmit the views of the population to local authorities and other public bodies; · the willingness of local authorities and other public bodies to listen to community councils.

Qualitative evidence suggests that community councillors appear to be more representative than other elected bodies in respect of gender but less representative in respect of age profile. They are about as representative in respect of ethnic and occupational background. They are distinctive in the number of community councillors who are also members of other community and voluntary groups.

Community councils vary in their approach to representing the views of their population. Some local authorities have recently taken steps to clarify what they expect from community councils in relation to this role. With some exceptions, community councils feel they are listened to by local authorities and other public bodies. Most also report improvements to their area as a result of influencing public policy or service delivery.

Conclusions

Community councils can perform many different roles, some of direct relevance to community consultation. This creates uncertainties as well as opportunities. The differences between community councils in the roles they perform are partly, but not entirely, accounted for in the different patterns of funding, liaison and status accorded them by local authorities.

The legitimacy and accountability of community councils is perceived by many local government officers and councillors as diminished by a poor electoral mandate. The absence of explicit political party involvement is very highly valued.

Co-ordinating local opinion is difficult and little guidance is available. Community councils may be expected to provide one definitive view or to express the range of opinions. Some local authorities now expect community councils to establish both a stronger electoral mandate and a more consultative approach.

Several factors contribute to the effectiveness of community councils in representing and promoting their communities and in contributing to public consultation. Although no definitive prescription for effectiveness can be provided, the funding, attitudes and policies of local authorities may be implicated.

In contemporary moves towards democratic renewal in local government, community councils are seen as having no special status or role by most local authorities. However, in practice, a distinctive role may be granted because local authorities find it convenient to involve community councils.

In summary, community councils are a unique feature of public and civic life in Scotland. They defy attempts at generalisation other than the truism that their role and effectiveness as community consultees varies throughout Scotland.

The views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and do not necessarily represent those of the Department or the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Further extracts can be found here

The full report can be found here