Why Empower Community Councils?
Human beings have two basic emotional needs. We need freedom to express ourselves lovingly and creatively. At the same time we need an equitable share of responsibility for the wellbeing of others, as this generates a sense of connection and human warmth. This is especially important in our local communities because it is vital to feel that we are living among friends who care about us rather than strangers who couldn’t care less whether we live or die. Besides, what is a community if not a group of people who help and protect each other?
However, this presents us with a conundrum, for if community responsibilities are simply forced on us, they automatically undermine our freedom.
The solution is to provide local democratic governing forums, where community members can meet and negotiate their mutual responsibilities, as well as plan ways to develop their community socially, economically and environmentally. This would release the creative energies of Scotland’s communities, which are currently stifled by a lack of local democratic control. Community councils are ideally placed to perform this function.
An added benefit of community-based democracy is that, through the negotiation process, people learn about each other’s points of view, thereby breaking down cultural barriers. This is especially important in today’s multicultural society.
Which responsibilities should communities exercise?
If we want to live in caring and supportive communities, those communities must prioritise the needs of those who are especially vulnerable, such as the elderly, the disabled, single parents and home carers.
However, it is also important that even the most vulnerable people are able to play an active role in their community, and are not treated merely as the objects of charity. It is well-known that this can leave people feeling they are just a burden.
Then there are those aspects of community governance that concern the welfare of the whole community. These might include:
Lastly, there are the general municipal functions that were taken from Scotland’s burghs in 1975, such as:
In general, the role of Scotland’s 32 local authorities should become more about mentoring and facilitating local action, rather than decision-making and service delivery.
The psychological element: Locus of control
Freedom means having control over our lives. Research shows that our mental wellbeing is greatly affected by where we perceive the ‘locus of control’ in our lives. People who feel that fate or powerful others are in control are more prone to depression.
At an extreme level, people who feel they have little control over their lives are susceptible to a state known as 'learned helplessness', which can lead to serious depressive illness. One study found that similar effects have been observed in groups, and the authors ask the following question:
"Might we be able to speak of complex organisations or even whole cultures and societies as helpless?"
I would suggest that Scotland’s communities are indeed in a state of learned helplessness, and that this has a direct bearing on the shocking levels of drug and alcohol-related deaths and suicides in this country.
Comparison with England’s parish councils
While Scotland lost her parish councils in 1930 and her town and burgh councils in 1975, in England there are still over 10,000 parish councils that can choose from a wide range of optional powers, with budgets to match. According to the Society of Local Council Clerks there are currently:
The optional powers of England’s parish councils include:
Vertical transmission of decision-making authority
Whereas members of Scotland’s community councils are not allowed to be members of primary authorities, in England there is no such restriction. Members of parish councils can also be members of district and county councils at the same time. This creates a strong link between the different levels of local government.
HOWEVER, you’ll have noticed that the functions of England’s parish councils are somewhat dry and administrative in nature. There is little of the human element that communities should prioritise, such as supporting and engaging those who are particularly vulnerable. That is why, IN ADDITION to the powers of England’s parish councils, the role of Scotland’s community councils should ALSO incorporate a strong element of supporting and involving vulnerable groups.
The Scottish Parliament’s review of community councils in 2023
In 2023 the Scottish Parliament hosted a discussion about community councils, 50 years after they were established under statute - https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/LGHP-23-05-2023?meeting=15334&iob=130783
One of the participants was Jackie Weaver of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils. She said:
“One of the things that surprises me over and over again is how much can be achieved in the local community with very little money, but when you look at a principal authority getting involved in it, the costs just grow exponentially. The infrastructure that follows that, the rules and regulations and so on, mean that everything that you try to do is expensive, but locally, so much can be achieved with so little money.”
She continued:
"It is very interesting listening to you talk about the strengths of your community councils because, of course, those are exactly the strengths of our town and parish councils. However, in England we back them up by giving them the resources that your community councils do not have. It is very interesting to hear that they are valued in Scotland, yet they are kept in line in some ways, so they have no autonomy."
Another speaker, Oliver Escobar of the Scottish Government's Improvement Service, expressed concern over the lack of support that community councils get. He said "they are doing a lot of work with very little resource and very limited support", and "Any institution that is put in the situation that community councils have been put in over the past 50 years would struggle, so it is almost a miracle that they are still trying to do what they are trying to do."
Summary
The Scottish Government has been talking about community empowerment since 2011, with the publication of the report by the Christie Commission.
However, 14 years later our communities have yet to receive a single decision-making power. The so-called Community Empowerment Act is being used by local authorities to rid themselves of expensive-to-maintain town halls and foist them on communities that are condemned to making endless funding applications for all eternity.
The situation is intolerable, with community councils routinely sidelined and struggling to retain members. If the Scottish Parliament really believes its own message, it will at the very least give Scotland’s community councils the same powers and budgets as England’s parish councils. This should only be the starting point of empowering Scotland’s communities, so they can become the vibrant, caring, supportive, inclusive and creative places they ought to be.
However, this presents us with a conundrum, for if community responsibilities are simply forced on us, they automatically undermine our freedom.
The solution is to provide local democratic governing forums, where community members can meet and negotiate their mutual responsibilities, as well as plan ways to develop their community socially, economically and environmentally. This would release the creative energies of Scotland’s communities, which are currently stifled by a lack of local democratic control. Community councils are ideally placed to perform this function.
An added benefit of community-based democracy is that, through the negotiation process, people learn about each other’s points of view, thereby breaking down cultural barriers. This is especially important in today’s multicultural society.
Which responsibilities should communities exercise?
If we want to live in caring and supportive communities, those communities must prioritise the needs of those who are especially vulnerable, such as the elderly, the disabled, single parents and home carers.
However, it is also important that even the most vulnerable people are able to play an active role in their community, and are not treated merely as the objects of charity. It is well-known that this can leave people feeling they are just a burden.
Then there are those aspects of community governance that concern the welfare of the whole community. These might include:
- Road safety, e.g. the installation of traffic calming measures and pedestrian crossings, albeit with advice from the local authority
- Taking part in the management of local health centres
- Monitoring care homes and other aspects of care in the community
- Co-ordinating local volunteering
Lastly, there are the general municipal functions that were taken from Scotland’s burghs in 1975, such as:
- Providing and maintaining parks, paths and other public amenities
- Determining local planning decisions
- Providing council housing
In general, the role of Scotland’s 32 local authorities should become more about mentoring and facilitating local action, rather than decision-making and service delivery.
The psychological element: Locus of control
Freedom means having control over our lives. Research shows that our mental wellbeing is greatly affected by where we perceive the ‘locus of control’ in our lives. People who feel that fate or powerful others are in control are more prone to depression.
At an extreme level, people who feel they have little control over their lives are susceptible to a state known as 'learned helplessness', which can lead to serious depressive illness. One study found that similar effects have been observed in groups, and the authors ask the following question:
"Might we be able to speak of complex organisations or even whole cultures and societies as helpless?"
I would suggest that Scotland’s communities are indeed in a state of learned helplessness, and that this has a direct bearing on the shocking levels of drug and alcohol-related deaths and suicides in this country.
Comparison with England’s parish councils
While Scotland lost her parish councils in 1930 and her town and burgh councils in 1975, in England there are still over 10,000 parish councils that can choose from a wide range of optional powers, with budgets to match. According to the Society of Local Council Clerks there are currently:
- 6,048 have precepts exceeding £10,000
- 987 councils have precepts exceeding £200,000
- 390 councils have precepts exceeding £500,000
- 150 councils have precepts exceeding £1M
The optional powers of England’s parish councils include:
- Providing allotments, bus shelters, parking spaces, footpaths, public lighting
- Providing premises for athletic, social or educational objectives
- Providing premises for offices and for public meetings and assemblies
- Taking measures to prevent crime
- Tackling environmental issues
- Participating in schemes of collective investment
- Acquiring land for recreation grounds and public walks.
- Incurring expenditure not otherwise authorised on anything which in the council's opinion is in the interests of local inhabitants
Vertical transmission of decision-making authority
Whereas members of Scotland’s community councils are not allowed to be members of primary authorities, in England there is no such restriction. Members of parish councils can also be members of district and county councils at the same time. This creates a strong link between the different levels of local government.
HOWEVER, you’ll have noticed that the functions of England’s parish councils are somewhat dry and administrative in nature. There is little of the human element that communities should prioritise, such as supporting and engaging those who are particularly vulnerable. That is why, IN ADDITION to the powers of England’s parish councils, the role of Scotland’s community councils should ALSO incorporate a strong element of supporting and involving vulnerable groups.
The Scottish Parliament’s review of community councils in 2023
In 2023 the Scottish Parliament hosted a discussion about community councils, 50 years after they were established under statute - https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/LGHP-23-05-2023?meeting=15334&iob=130783
One of the participants was Jackie Weaver of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils. She said:
“One of the things that surprises me over and over again is how much can be achieved in the local community with very little money, but when you look at a principal authority getting involved in it, the costs just grow exponentially. The infrastructure that follows that, the rules and regulations and so on, mean that everything that you try to do is expensive, but locally, so much can be achieved with so little money.”
She continued:
"It is very interesting listening to you talk about the strengths of your community councils because, of course, those are exactly the strengths of our town and parish councils. However, in England we back them up by giving them the resources that your community councils do not have. It is very interesting to hear that they are valued in Scotland, yet they are kept in line in some ways, so they have no autonomy."
Another speaker, Oliver Escobar of the Scottish Government's Improvement Service, expressed concern over the lack of support that community councils get. He said "they are doing a lot of work with very little resource and very limited support", and "Any institution that is put in the situation that community councils have been put in over the past 50 years would struggle, so it is almost a miracle that they are still trying to do what they are trying to do."
Summary
The Scottish Government has been talking about community empowerment since 2011, with the publication of the report by the Christie Commission.
However, 14 years later our communities have yet to receive a single decision-making power. The so-called Community Empowerment Act is being used by local authorities to rid themselves of expensive-to-maintain town halls and foist them on communities that are condemned to making endless funding applications for all eternity.
The situation is intolerable, with community councils routinely sidelined and struggling to retain members. If the Scottish Parliament really believes its own message, it will at the very least give Scotland’s community councils the same powers and budgets as England’s parish councils. This should only be the starting point of empowering Scotland’s communities, so they can become the vibrant, caring, supportive, inclusive and creative places they ought to be.