Empowering People

A further step on the path to self-determination was recently taken in the Scottish Parliament with a debate on giving greater powers to local communities, and to put decision making in the hands of local people.

The Community Empowerment Bill aims to give locals the tools they need to shape the future of the areas in which they live – from local job creation, to ownership of land and buildings, to renewable energy generation.

These are the kinds of measures that can transform a community and galvanise an area to make the best with what they have. We need to be given the means to cultivate what we have here in the north east of Scotland.

One of the things that the bill proposes is to extend the Community Right to Buy to add urban areas and larger rural towns. This would include the compulsory right to buy land and buildings that are abandoned or neglected – so that they can deliver greater public benefit. This also fits in to the Government target of having 1 million acres of land in community ownership by 2020.

So far, there is a total of 127 community bodies that have been created since May 2007, and all applications where a right to buy has been triggered have been approved.

A key part of the thought process behind this new legislation is a desire to firm up the process that ordinary people can get involved in the development of their community.

Community Planning Aberdeen recognised it as “an opportunity to ensure genuine community engagement, consultation and active participation by citizens in identifying local needs and involvement in setting priority outcomes and how they should be addressed.”

As with so many things – efficient and pertinent communication can go a long way when it comes to making good ideas a reality.

But this is not just a set of good ideas - a new Empowering Communities Fund of £10 million will make sure that people get more involved in the planning process – removing barriers and making it necessary for the public sector to engage well with communities.

Also, the bill will give local authorities the power to create business rates relief schemes to support the local economy.

For the Scottish islands, ‘Our Islands Our Future’ was launched in June 2013 committed to devolving powers to our most northerly outposts, and a consultation is due this summer.

Much evidence has shown that involving people more regularly and more effectively in decisions that affect them leads to a better use of the talent that already exists within the community, and increases confidence and more positive relationships between local movers and shakers.

Back in November 2013, I welcomed consultation for the new Community Empowerment Bill – at that time in the very early stages in its development.

I would like to reiterate what I said at that time – the people who know best what needs to be done to improve life in a local community are the people who live and work there – in this case, Banff and Buchan Coast.

The launch of this bill is a significant step towards greater local self-determination – this is a major opportunity to build upon Scotland’s world leading community right to buy legislation and empower communities across Scotland.

I maintain this opinion and although the bill is far and wide reaching, it is worth communities across the north east taking the time to discover how they can benefit from the truly empowering reforms that this bill proposes.