http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15545566
I’ve heard various reports, most recently about Western Isles, that Community Councils in Scotland are on the decline. I didn’t really give it much thought until I read today’s BBC report on the matter. Lack of interest is cited as one of the main reasons, along with a shortage of younger people willing to get involved.
I was aware of the existence of Community Councils, but I always thought they were only an informal affair, without much power and probably full of local do-gooder types (there, my prejudices are laid on the table). I wasn’t aware that they do actually have some statutory role in aspects of local decision making such as planning and licensing.
My own local Community Council was fairly active, I thought. I would hear mention of it when I was a kid, and I’d always assumed it had carried on its activities. However, a quick visit to my local authority’s website revealed that my own local council was one of the ones suspended due to lack of numbers. I was quite taken aback. Am I really surprised, though? If my local MP or MSP died, resigned or otherwise became indisposed, there would be publicity, and a subsequent by-election. I’ve seen no such publicity about my own local Community Council. I tend not to read the local papers, so perhaps I missed something there, but the first thing I would expect is a leaflet through my front door. If I wanted to become an MP, the process for doing so is fairly well documented; it’s not so obvious how to become a community councillor.
So why aren’t people getting involved? Apart from not knowing about the existence of a local organisation, there are time constraints. If you have a council which meets on a certain day at a certain time, you then find that anyone who does shift work is less able to fully participate. Is there enough flexibility in the system? Although we lead busy lives, people will find the time to engage in such activities, given the chance.
It’s a sad situation, because I feel that democracy should begin at the local level. Indeed the more say individual communities have over their own lives, the better. I read somewhere recently that we should be looking at re-instating the old parish and town councils, and I totally agree.
Will we see Community Councils die within 10 years? No, I don’t believe so, but they need a higher profile. Get a blog, tell us who you are and what you have done, are doing and will do. Get a Facebook page and a Twitter account; if you want the younger generation to take an interest, what better way to engage them?
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