Empowering Communities

Facilitating Community Decision-Making & Regeneration

The SNP in government has been committed to supporting communities to do things for themselves and make their voices heard in the planning and delivery of services.

Research has shown that when communities feel empowered, you get greater participation in local democracy, increased confidence and skills among local people, more people volunteering in their communities, and greater satisfaction with quality of life. Better community engagement and participation leads to the delivery of better, more responsive services and better outcomes for communities.

In 2015, MSPs passed the SNP government's Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 to give new rights to community bodies and new duties to public sector authorities. This includes measures to facilitate participation requests, and to increase opportunities for community planning and community land ownership.

The Scottish Government funds participatory budgeting through the Community Choices Fund, giving people more power to make decisions on spending in their local areas, and in recent years has updated guidance on the roles and engagement of community councils. The Government also continues to provide funding support to various community-led regeneration programmes through the Empowering Communities Programme.

The Investing in Communities Fund targets our most disadvantaged communities to deliver projects, services and activities that address poverty and disadvantage on their own terms. It supports community-led regeneration that increases the number and strength of locally-controlled, enterprising community organisations; supports local organisations to take ownership of assets such as buildings or land; helps people to co-ordinate action and respond to challenges in areas where there are high levels of disadvantage; and helps people identify and act on the priorities in their areas.

Moreover, the final year allocation of the Scottish Government Place-Based Investment Programme will see community projects across Angus benefit from a combined funding package worth £490,605, including Sustainable Kirriemuir and the Westmuir Hall Committee.