HELP US UNDERSTAND What STRONG LOCAL DEMOCRACY Means to YOU

WE’ve GOT SOME questions…

HELP US UNDERSTAND what STRONG LOCAL DEMOCRACY means TO YOU

We are an independent Commission that has been set up to look at what democracy in Scotland might look like, whatever the result of the referendum in 2014. The Commission is chaired by Councillor David O’Neill, President of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and we have set out its main tasks at the end of this document.

Our starting point is that we believe that local services and local accountability matter. That is why we want to begin our work by hearing your views and suggestions about what happens now, and what the future might be.

This is only our first step in listening to you. Any information that you give us now will help start the debate, but we also want this to be an ongoing conversation. Over the next few months we will be setting up different ways in which you can meet us or tell us what you think. A good way to find out about these is by signing up to our newsletter at www.localdemocracy.info and by following @localcommission on Twitter.

How to Respond

We will use the information that you give us to develop our work and explore new ideas, and so what you tell us now is really important. For that reason, we want to hear from you as quickly as possible. We are keen to hear your views by 29 November 2013, or sooner if you can. However, please let us know if you need more time.

You can complete and return this form electronically to:

You can also respond online via our website:

http://www.localdemocracy.info/call-for-evidence/

Alternatively you can post a copy of this form to:

The Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy

Verity House

19 Haymarket Yards

Edinburgh, EH12 5BH

If you are responding as an individual we would be grateful if you could also provide some other information when you give us your views. This will help us develop an overall picture of the information we have. This is optional and any information that you provide will be used anonymously and will remain strictly confidential.

If you have any queries please contact us using the above details or call us on 0131 474 9200

Respondent Information

To help us make the most of your response, please tell us about yourself and how you want us to use the information you provide. There are some questions marked * and these must be answered by all respondents, unless you are directed past this question.

Name of Organisation (if appropriate) / South Ayrshire Council
Forename
Surname
Address / County Buildings
Wellington Square
Ayr
Postcode
Telephone / 01292 612187
Email /
Twitter name if applicable
* I am responding as: / An individual
X An organisation/group
Do you consider yourself or your organisation as from or representing?
a rural area / an urban
area / X
an area with both urban and rural parts / don’t know /
not applicable
Would you be happy to be approached by the Commission for further discussion about your submission? / X Yes
No
If you are responding as an individual:
* Do you agree to your response being made available to the public on the Commission’s web site? / X Yes
No
* If you have agreed to your response being made available to the public, please tell us if we may also make your name and address available. (Please select one option only)
X Yes, make my response, name and address all available
Yes, make my response available, but not my name and address
Yes, make my response and name available, but not my address
If you are responding as an individual we would be grateful if you could also provide some additional information. This is absolutely optional but it will help us get an overall picture of the information we receive. You can download this sheet here and send it to us at the same time as you return this form.
If you are responding as a group or organisation:
* The name and address of your organisation will be made public on the Commission’s web site. Are you content for your response to also be made available? / X Yes
No
Which of the following best describes your organisation? (Please select one option only)
Community Group
X Local Authority
Other public sector organisation
Third Sector organisation
Professional body / A business
A government department or agency
A social enterprise
Other (please specify)
Short description of the main purpose of your organisation:

Tell us what you think

We have not provided a long list of questions to answer, but we do want to hear what you have to say about some themes. Please respond to as few or as many as you wish. However, it would be helpful to keep your overall response to eight pages or less.

Please provide evidence or examples in support of what you say. This will help us understand and explore your ideas further.

1.  LOCAL DECISION MAKING: Do you think that decisions about local issues and services are made locally enough in Scotland at the moment? If not, what does deciding ‘locally’ mean to you? Please illustrate your answer with any examples from your own experience.
We consider that it is important that decisions about public sector delivery are taken as locally as possible and that local government is the ready mechanism to achieve this. There is a considerable body of evidence that involving local people and specific groups in decision making that affects them produces the most effective decisions and thus outcomes.
The move across the public sector to asset based approaches with a focus on localism and positive assets rather than the traditional deficit model has been very welcome. Further centralisation will reverse the benefits that this is bringing to the public sector and thus we would strongly favour strengthening local decision making.
We recently reviewed within the Council the impact of engagement exercises: Over 90% of respondents stated that engagement exercises achieved desired outcomes. Consultations impacted on local area improvements, responses to forthcoming legislation and specific policies and projects.
There is a strong tradition of Council supported neighbourhood level decision making. One current example is a multi-partnership forum developing a co-production model for regeneration and neighbourhood community development in an area featuring very high in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation with representation from voluntary, public, private and business sector. As a result of effective very local community engagement, the partnership has developed a number of neighbourhood initiatives including greenspace developments with advancements in play areas, a robust “Keep Lochside Tidy” campaign driven by local children and young people with considerable community involvement and a programme of community capacity building training for local residents. This led the work of the group to be showcased at a national Intergenerational Conference in Troon.
2.  LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY: How important do you think it is for locally elected people to be responsible for decisions about local issues and services? Do you have any examples of why this is the case?
It is absolutely imperative that decisions are taken locally and underpinned by democratic accountability. If public sector interventions are to work then they must reflect local needs and realities. The more distant the decision maker is from the situation or group of people, the more the linkage is diluted and the less effective the intervention with the consequence that public money is not used to maximum effect. The importance of many public sector interventions reinforces the need for democratic accountability so the only way to square the circle is through strong local government.
Every day, decisions are taken in every council which reflect the importance of localism whether it relates to the school estate, economic development, social work interventions, refuse collection arrangements.
People are concerned about holding all public services to account locally. The Council is uniquely placed to respond. It is large scale, has a unique range of functions and has the democratic legitimacy to co-ordinate the work of partners.
3.  LOCAL PRIORITIES: How well do you think that communities’ local priorities are accounted for in the way that national and local government works at the moment? What is effective, and if there is room for improvement, how should things change?
We do not think that it is the role of national government to take account of local issues. It is simply not practicable to do so in a country as diverse and geographically spread as Scotland and if it were to attempt to, it would be duplicating what local government is for and which it is very good at. National government should focus on national priorities and local government on local priorities.
Innovative ways of ensuring that local priorities are accounted for exist and continue to evolve. The examples below focus on authority wide and neighbourhood level.
Authority wide priority setting
The Your South Ayrshire consultation ran from 19 February 2013 until 31 March 2013. The consultation asked for views on the priorities and outcomes the Council and South Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership believe will make a difference for the community over the next 3-10 years. This was a multi-media campaign including taking a mobile trailer into rural areas to ingather views.
The findings revealed broad based support for the outcomes being consulted on with:
87% stating that maximising the local economy is very or fairly important;
84% stating that supporting our children and families is very or fairly important;
82% stating that caring for our older people is very or fairly important;
82% stating that stronger communities is very or fairly important;
75% stating that caring for our environment is very or fairly important.
Results from the consultation have been used to develop the South Ayrshire SOA and the Council Business Plan.
Neighbourhood level
Good progress has been made towards South Carrick regeneration and work is continuing in a number of areas. The project to develop a new leisure, sports and arts facility at Girvan harbour has recently moved on another stage with the agreement of a building design. Planning consent for the new building will be sought in November and steps are being taken to secure the balance of funding for the project. A Girvan Town Team group has been formally established and is progressing a number of regeneration projects including refurbishment and reopening of the Girvan Town House, refurbishment and opening of the tennis courts, operation of the boating pond through the Girvan Youth Trust, supporting the shop front improvement initiative and much more. At a more general level support to Girvan has been provided through the employability, business support and enterprise implementation plan.
We also have many strong examples of priority setting with specific local groups including traditionally hard to reach groups such as alcohol and drug users.
Overall, this is an area where improvements can be made and some clarity on what role locality planning is expected to take in the context of new community empowerment legislation would be helpful.
4.  STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY: What do you think should be done to strengthen local democratic decision making in Scotland? Do you have any ideas or examples about how this could improve people’s lives?
Local government in Scotland should be strengthened and this can best be achieved by enshrining The European Charter of Local Self-Government http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/122.htm into primary legislation. The Charter recognises that local authorities are one of the main foundations of any democratic regime and that the local level is the best means of people participating in public affairs.
The concordat between the Scottish Government and COSLA marked a positive shift in national-local relations. In return for agreed levels of funding and less ring fencing, Local Government agreed to certain priorities of the Scottish Government. A partnership model is evolving. It is important that we don’t drift back towards centralisation since this weakens local decision making and integration of local services and thus reduces the outcomes that can delivered locally.
5.  SCOTLAND’S FUTURE: Has there been enough discussion about local democracy in the debate about Scotland’s future? If not, what should be addressed and how might this be achieved?
The establishment of the Commission is welcomed since it is now stimulating a debate which thus far has been absent. At one level, the Referendum debate is about the governance of Scotland and necessarily has a focus on significant national issues. However, at another it is about layers of Government and what they should be responsible for so the locus of local government in a devolved or an Independent Scotland is a material consideration and should be debated.
We would suggest that the Commission should lead the debate on local democracy working with COSLA as appropriate.
6.  OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES: Do you have any concerns about strengthening local democratic decision making in Scotland?
The democratic responsibilities of local government need to be matched with fiscal autonomy. Local government is heavily dependent on central government funding which dilutes democratic accountability. A clear, distinct role for local government is required which is underpinned by financial responsibility to deliver that role. We believe enshrining and observing the European Charter on Self-Governance will provide that strength.
7.  We would like to keep the conversation going with you. Can you tell us about any events, networks or other ways in which we could help achieve this? Is there anything that we can do to support you?
We would recommend the dialogue is continued through COSLA.

Thank you for your submission. If you have any queries about the Call for Evidence please contact us at:

Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy

Verity House

19 Haymarket Yards

Edinburgh EH12 5BH

0131 474 9200

email:

twitter: @localcommission

Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy Terms of Reference

Context

Scottish local government has adopted a vision that focuses on improving local democracy as the route to better outcomes, and is putting this at the heart of all of its work. The COSLA Convention has agreed to establish Scotland’s first Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy to pursue that vision. It will bring people together with a common resolve to consider how local democracy and accountability in Scotland might be improved and empowered, and provide advice on what is needed for that to happen.