Policy Officer, Community Justice
Community Councils are a voluntary organisation set up by the Local Authority, who have a duty to support these, and run by local residents to act on behalf of its area. Community Councils are the most local tier of statutory representation in Scotland, helping to bridge the gap between Local Authorities and communities. They help to make public bodies aware of the opinions and needs of the communities they represent, and the Community Councils also have a statutory right to be consulted on all planning matters and are often consulted in matters that affect their community.
You can find out more about community Councils here:
2023 is also the 50th anniversary of the legislation which brought Community Councils into existence, the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The Act defined the purpose of a Community Council as:
“…to ascertain, co-ordinate and express to the Local Authorities for its area and to public authorities the views of the community which it represents, in relation to matters for which those authorities are responsible.”
Engaging with Community Councils allows us to work with a wide range of people across Glasgow’s communities, who care about their communities and are invested in making them a better place to live. We can engage with people from diverse backgrounds and get valuable information about what matters to people in Glasgow. This helps us to understand the issues that matter to people, rather than just the views of the professionals that make up our partnership. It also empowers the community, so that they can influence the work of the Partnership.
We had a screening of films made by people with lived experience of the justice system for Glasgow’s Community Councils, resulting in great participation and discussion. Feedback received following the event included:
“Very organised, excellent presentations”
“Very worthwhile”
“Inspiring and informative.”
This was at one of the regular Community Council Development Sessions, which are informal capacity building sessions, which offer Community Council members a platform to engage in ‘Peer Learning Sessions’, and with a wide range of public and private agencies. While some of the views were quite challenging, there was consensus on some issues, which helps us to set our priorities and could be fed into our latest Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan.
You can read more about the making of the films and view them in the article ‘Media Education – Creatively engaging the Community in Conversation about Community Justice’.
If you would like to find out more about Community Councils in Glasgow, the Glasgow City Website provides more information and links to individual community councils. There are currently 55 active Community Councils in Glasgow, and if you want to find your nearest one, you can do so by entering you postcode here.