Community Empowerment Group Policy and Information Tracker

Key policy and information areas being monitored by the Community Empowerment Group.

Last discussed by the Group in May 2023. ACVO has developed a community asset transfer webpage where communities can access advice and support. Improvements to the Council’s community asset transfer webpage and processes are being progressed by the Council’s Community Wealth Building Group. The Community Empowerment Group agreed it was content to maintain a watching brief on this.

The New Local define Community Power as “the belief that people should have a say over the places in which they live and the services they use”. In their publication, “The Community Paradigm: Why public services need radical change and how it can be achieved”, they set out the idea that it is not possible for us solve the simultaneous challenges of diminishing public finances and increased demand on public services, unless there is a wholesale shift in the relationship between communities and those public services. In order to unlock the potential capacity there is within communities to take more control over what happens in their localities, public services must be willing to give some of their control of resources and decision-making, and some of their responsibilities, over to communities. Such an approach is necessary if we genuinely want to move away from addressing society’s acute problems, and move towards a preventative approach. They argue that the prevailing paradigms of the past century, such as the state and market paradigms, have not allowed for a genuine collaboration between public services and citizens that is responsive to community needs.

Another paper by The New Local, “Community Power: The Evidence”, sets out the evidence of how Community Power has worked in practice, with examples linked to improved health and wellbeing, the prevention agenda, community cohesion and democratic participation.

On March 28th 2024, the Community Empowerment Network, in partnership with the Grampian Engagement Network, held a webinar to explore what Community Power or the Community Paradigm means in our context of Aberdeen and North East Scotland. As well as exploring some of the theoretical ideas, we also showcased local examples of where these principles were being put into practice locally, e.g. NHS Grampian’s Putting People First strategy as well as their work in New Pitsligo, and the Woodside Decides initiative (led by shmu and the Woodside Network).

We have identified that much of the theory set out within the Community Paradigm matches up with our experiences of apathy and frustration with communities in Aberdeen, as well as the principles set out in our Community Empowerment Strategy. As the Community Empowerment Group of Community Planning Aberdeen, we are keen to further explore with both communities and public bodies, what testing out and embedding Community Power principles could look like, and how we could evaluate impact.

Interesting Reading:

Published responses for Democracy Matters – Scottish Government consultations – Citizen Space

Democracy Matters Phase 2 Analysis of Responses, Sep 2024

Local Governance Review: joint statement – September 2024

Action being taken by the Community Empowerment Group:

Cameron Mellowes, Team Leader Local Governance Review at the Scottish Government attended the CEG meeting on 29 May 2025 and gave a presentation on progress since the documents linked above were published.

Cameron explained the Local Governance Review was first launched in 2017, but progress was disrupted by the pandemic in 2021. Cameron summarised the findings of the phase 2 consultation as follows:

Arrangements need to be flexible and responsive to needs of the place.
At the very least they need to be a platform to influence decision making and shape services in a structured and meaningful way.
Ability to develop a plan for place which can be implemented. Community involvement in delivery and implementation will vary according to capacity.
Clear participative mechanisms in place when making decisions.
Needs to have a budget which is sustainable and can be directed independently.
There should be renewed commitment to community capacity building in Scotland.

The group asked questions and discussed the potential for new community decision making bodies to devolve more power locally, the interface with locality planning (Under the Community Empowerment Act and IJB legislation), role of community anchor organisations, self-directed and sustainable budgeting, the need for national and local government as well as public sector bodies to ensure the voices of local people inform policy making.

Cameron advised that the Scottish Government is aiming to publish their blueprint for change by the end of parliament in 2026, with legislation following in the next parliament. Cameron agreed to keep in touch with the CEG on progress being made and opportunities for involvement.

Children and Young People’s Rights

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Scotland) Act 2024 was enacted on 16 July 2024, ensuring that children’s rights are respected and protected in Scotland. In response, the Community Empowerment Group established Improvement Project 16.1 Children and Young People’s Rights which seeks to involve children and young people in the planning and development of our work across the city.

Equality and Human Rights

In October 2024 the Scottish Government invited views to help inform the Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy. The Strategy is fundamental to achieving positive change and a fairer, more equal, society in Scotland for all of those who live here. It is key to tackling persistent inequality in society and sustaining equality of opportunity for all of those who live in Scotland. By establishing a clear framework for the Scottish Government and wider public sector’s approach to mainstreaming the Strategy will benefit all of those who live in Scotland by providing the foundation for improved policy, with better and fairer outcomes for all.

In February 2025 the Community Empowerment Group submitted a joint response to the consultation. The responses to the consultation have not yet been published online.

Briefing: Building trusting citizen relationships with the help of AI

Examples of where AI is currently supporting the Community Empowerment Group:

Meetings – Fathom

Your Place, Your Plans, Your Future – Co-pilot analysis

To be considered by Community Empowerment Group on 24 April.

Engaging people with lived experience has become increasingly recognised for its value.

Various approaches and mechanisms to engage people with lived experience are emerging across community organisations and community planning partners. There could be a risk of this becoming a cluttered landscape, with duplication of activity and inconsistent practice that might not be in line with the principles of our Community Empowerment Strategy.

The Community Empowerment Group has gathered examples of current practice to understand what is happening at the moment, with a view to developing guidelines on engaging people with lived experience to be incorporated into the Community Empowerment Toolkit in future.

Understanding and Implementing Lived Experience