It was suggested that someone might consider mapping the growth of community ownership of assets around Scotland. A couple of eager beaver consultants got back in touch to register an interest. Rumour has it the folk from the Community Land Team in Scottish Government say that they’re working on something very similar, and that we … Continue reading Recording community ownership
Government
European funds at risk
EU auditors have suspended payments on the £22m that Scotland receives from the European Social Fund due to concerns over the programme’s management. Unease around the internal systems that were being designed for the European Social Fund stretches back to when the original rules for the management of the programme were being drafted. Advice from … Continue reading European funds at risk
#democracymatters
The way we live our lives is constantly changing; democracy is changing too. Increasingly people want to share in making decisions, or at least have a greater understanding as to why certain decisions have been made on their behalf. In order to make democracy work better for everyone, and especially for those who feel left … Continue reading #democracymatters
Community Development for the Economy and Enterprise
One of a series of briefing papers by Senscot aims to highlight how social enterprise can deliver effective routes to employment through sport-based activity. To do this, key aspects of successful employability programmes are outlined, including examples of diverse funding streams, opportunities to access public sector contracts and potential routes to fruitful partnerships. Another describes the … Continue reading Community Development for the Economy and Enterprise
Action Research in Policy Analysis
A new book on action research includes a chapter by two What Works Scotland research associates, drawing on the collaborative action research projects with community planning partnerships in Scotland. The chapter explores how action research can be a valuable methodology for producing the collaborative knowledge and action required to produce effective policy responses for the current … Continue reading Action Research in Policy Analysis
Look who’s participating
The Community Empowerment Act 2015 had a lot squeezed into it. One section that some folk speculated might be the surprise package was contained in Part 3 of the Act which gave communities the right to request to participate in public sector decision making with a view to improving outcomes. Participation Requests only came into … Continue reading Look who’s participating
Blame game
For anyone trying to understand the shifting sands in the relationship between local and national government, the McIntosh Report published in 1999 seems to be required reading. The McIntosh Commission tried to explore the emerging and potential relationships between local government and the new Scottish Parliament and made a number of recommendations, many of which … Continue reading Blame game
