October 2025 sees the reset of Cullen and Deskford Community Council for the next 4 years.
Introduction:
Community Councils have been with us for 50 years, coming into existence in 1975, through the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Their value is becoming more important as local authorities funding is cut, local services are being withdrawn with local community groups picking up the slack.
So, what are they, why do we need them, what challenges do they face, and how do we encourage communities to get involved?
What are they?
They’re the most local implementation of governance in Scotland, designed to be non-party political and non-sectarian, and inclusive regardless of gender, race, age, disability, nationality or sexual orientation.
Their effectiveness can be shaped by their geographical nature and fit into three types.
- Urban Community Councils: In cities like Glasgow or Edinburgh, community councils may represent densely populated neighbourhoods with complex issues.
- Rural Community Councils: In remote areas, such as the Highlands and Shires along with smaller coastal areas, their focus will be on issues like broadband access, transportation links and the sustainability of local schools.
- Island Community Councils: On islands like Orkney or Shetland, community councils often tackle unique challenges, such as seaboard transport links, access to healthcare, and depopulation.
Why do we need them?
They are statutory bodies whose role is to provide:
- Consultation: Local authorities by law are required to consult with communities on planning and licensing applications, roles where community councils provide that interface. Community councils also have a role in gathering residents’ views on local authority initiatives.
- Advocacy: Community councils act as advocates, championing improvements and drawing attention to issues ranging from transport and housing to public safety and environmental concerns.
- Initiation of Projects: Many community councils initiate and manage local projects, organise events, maintaining community spaces, supporting local clubs, and developing community plans.
- Information Source: They have a role in keeping residents informed about local issues, changes to services, and opportunities for engagement through newsletters, social media, public meetings, and notice boards.
- Partnerships: Community councils work with local authorities, police, health boards, and voluntary sector organisations to deliver services and enhance community well-being.
In truth not all community councils will fulfil these roles, their level of community activities will be shaped by the community’s profile and demographics
Vibrant urban communities will have vibrant community councils. Rural and Coastal communities with significant retired populations, may be less active, focussed on more niche issues. Island communities will have a wide range of issues that bind the community members together.
We need community councils to represent the issues and concerns of local communities, to be that voice that interfaces with local authorities.
What challenges do community councils face?
- Recruitment and engagement: Some councils struggle to involve younger people and attract new members, existing on small groups of participants, leading to a lack of diversity and risk of stagnation.
- Influence: Although statutory bodies, they have no statutory powers. Their influence depends on the strength of relationships with local authorities and the skill of members. It is possible to influence decision makers, but only when true community engagement and involvement has taken place and can be evidenced.
- Resources: Funding and training are concerns, especially for councils in deprived or remote areas. In Moray the admin support grant totals £17K for potentially 20 community councils.
- Visibility: In some communities, awareness of the council’s existence or role is low, limiting its effectiveness.
- Changing Demographics: Local resident populations are changing and realignment of community identities impact participation and relevance.
Regardless of these challenges, Community Councils have survived the last 50 years, but it is going to take some adjustment of their establishment schemes and funding to help them evolve.
Why are they important, and how to encourage participation?
Community Councils are the active element in the governance model that engages with residents in their areas.
The key part of getting communities to participate with Community Councils is making community councils relevant. For some they’re small parochial and based around a group of aging participants, not all, but some.
By addressing the challenges, primarily resourcing and encouraging younger blood into the mix. The ‘body politic’ has lost confidence in the political system. Community councils are non-political but plays a role in governance.
The second and third tiers of governance must recognise the effectiveness of localism, of empowering people to solve their issues, and by making sure that the power to solve issues is closer to the people being impacted.
That will require not just an establishment scheme for community councils that promotes relevance, but a grass-roots review of funding, by making the funding of local authorities more equitable and locally driven through a review of land-values or local income taxation. Community councils have the potential to be part of building better communities and are filling the gaps lack of funding for local authorities is creating in services.
The one thing that community councils need is locals to get involved.
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
Author: Leslie Tarr, Community Councillor, Cullen and Deskford Community Council
References:
- Duties of a community councillor, click here
- Eligibility to st5and, click here
- Roles within the Community Council, click here
- What to do next, if you are interested. Click here
Posts related to the Election/Nomination process:
- Why Community Councils are Important
- Over 16 and want to help your community?
- Who’s eligible to be a Community Councillor?
- What the current Community Council Delivered
- What do community councillors do?
- Visit C.D.C.C at the Sea School Gala
- Phase 2 Community Council Consultation
- Community Councils: Review of the Scheme of Establishment
- Community Council Elections 2025
as l8ng as it is non political it is usless
One benefit from Community Councils not being political is that they can concentrate on issues that affect people locally, without have to abide by some party’s policy position