ACROSS the country, there are people making superhuman efforts to make their communities come to life.
The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill, which reaches its final stage in Parliament today, is based on the belief that you shouldn’t need to be superhuman if you want to build a successful community.
The bill will make it easier for communities to take control of land and property, and will provide a new right for communities to request to own, lease, use or manage land owned by the public sector.
Local authorities and public bodies will have a statutory duty to weigh up the benefits of transferring their land and buildings to communities. So instead of waiting to be offered something, the community can put forward their case proactively.
We all probably know of land or buildings that haven’t been used to their potential in the past. It could mean an old school or office being be transformed into a sports hall or even a community shop. Community takeovers can protect services that might otherwise have been lost, provide jobs and training opportunities or even generate income for the community.
To provide a guiding hand for communities who want to take this route, today I have announced £400,000 for the Community Ownership Support Service (COSS). This will help support the implementation of the Bill.
COSS will give advice on how to make these asset transfers work, and will organise roadshows to reach out to communities in all parts of Scotland.
Initiatives like Cassiltoun Stables in Glasgow show how community ownership can take the energy of a place to new levels, creating new jobs and services – in this case a community hub and childcare facility.
In my own Edinburgh constituency I’ve visited the 20 More project in Dumbiedykes where the community volunteers are now running their own shop.
Each community knows its needs and decides for itself.
Another key part of the bill is that communities will have more rights to take over abandoned private land in both urban and rural areas. Neglected wastelands can be turned from dumping grounds into community gardens.
The bill also gives community groups that have positive ideas to improve their areas more right to take part – or lead – that improvement.
It builds on the appetite for engagement and participation we saw in the referendum. If you are a representative group for your community and you have an idea of how you can make your area better, you gain rights to be involved at the outset with the public body responsible for delivering that service.
This means there are opportunities for discussions with the council, the police, the health board – any public body in a devolved area – from the earliest stage.
There’s a massive difference between communities being asked for comment on ideas others have come up with, and communities being involved from the start in conceiving those ideas.
I want this bill to give communities the powers and confidence to shape their own future. It is a momentous step in our drive to give people a stronger voice in all the decisions that matter to them.
ends.
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