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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Last week, we heard about the idea of having a named community empowerment contact or champion in each public authority, especially in authorities that are sometimes hostile or obstructive, as Gail Ross touched on. What are your views on that recommendation?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

I have one more question. In its submission, the Scottish Community Alliance said that community empowerment is best understood as a journey “to be travelled”. Where are we on that journey and what does the final destination look like?

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Local Governance Review

Good morning, everyone, and thanks very much for coming. Everyone has touched on community empowerment, and my question is based on that. How can all communities, and the people who are in them, feel that they can influence decisions in a local area? In particular, what impact...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Local Government Fiscal Arrangements

Thank you for that. My final question is about the local governance review. What has happened to the wider local governance review beyond just the relationship with local authorities? What should be happening to improve community empowerment, local democracy and community weal...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Good morning, panel. What are the main challenges faced by communities across Scotland and have they changed in the years since the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 was passed? We could talk about the Covid pandemic, for example. Also, looking ahead, what role could c...

Annie Wells Con Chamber

Dignity, Fairness and Respect in Disability Benefits

The Scottish Government will have control over some top-up benefits. I am trying to say that we need to work together in this chamber to deliver the best for the people of Scotland. With the integration of health and social care, we should explore whether attendance allowanc...

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Chamber

International Women’s Day

I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to speak today ahead of tomorrow’s international women’s day, and I am grateful to Angela Constance for securing the debate. However, my voice might not last long, as I have a bit of a sore throat. I will first speak a little ab...

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

To follow on from Sarah Boyack’s line of questioning, the organisations or community groups that apply for asset transfer are obviously sometimes refused. What is the main reason for refusing an asset transfer and how do communities progress their projects after a refusal?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Some community transfer bodies experience difficulties with relevant authorities, describing them as “hostile” or “obstructive”. What can be done to change that?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Good morning, panel. Will you give us some examples of best practice in the public service approach to participation requests and asset transfers? On the flipside, can you give us any examples of bad practice?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Do panel members believe that the 2015 act has narrowed or widened the outcomes gap between communities that were already empowered and those that were less empowered?

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Good morning, panel. One of the recommendations from the Glasgow Caledonian University report was that the Government should explore an appeals process in relation to part 3 of the 2015 act, particularly for cases in which collaboration between public authorities and community...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Good morning. I will follow on from Sarah Boyack’s questions and pick up on something that Mr Scott said regarding an appeals process. Which body or bodies should be responsible for assessing appeals?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

I will frame the question slightly differently for Mr Hamlin. Should there be an appeals process for participation requests?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

I will ask you the same question that Sarah Boyack asked Mr Scott. Has the relationship between the community and the local authority changed as a result of a participation request, at any point?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Thanks for that. My final question is for Mary Peart. Although your organisation has not yet had to submit a participation request, how confident do you feel about influencing decisions that are made on behalf of your community? I note that you said that you have a good relat...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-Legislative Scrutiny)

I have a question about asset transfers. Does the cabinet secretary believe that there are socioeconomic trends in the types of community that seek an asset transfer? For example, are they more likely to be wealthy communities or areas with high levels of professional people l...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-Legislative Scrutiny)

I will touch on the subject of the appeals process, which Andy Wightman brought up earlier. If there was an appeals process, which body do you believe should decide on the appeals?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-Legislative Scrutiny)

Thank you. Convener, I am content.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Thank you, convener. Good morning, panel. What are the main challenges that are being faced by communities across Scotland, and have they changed in the years since the act was passed in 2015? I am thinking about the Covid pandemic, in particular. Looking ahead, what role sho...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Thank you very much for those answers, panel. I will ask about inequalities. Data that has been collected by the Improvement Service shows massive inequalities between communities in the same local authority area; for example, between Springburn and Maryhill, and Kelvinside a...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

That is perfect. Thank you for those responses. Stuart Graham has touched on the subject of my next question. We spoke about communities of place. The guidance to part 2 of the 2015 act speaks about impacts on communities of interest. People with disabilities have been mentio...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Thanks very much for that.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Thanks for that, David. I will move on a wee bit. We heard from the previous panel about the lack of data, but we have some data. Data is collected by the Improvement Service, which shows massive inequalities between communities in the same local authority areas, for example,...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

I have one final question, convener. Kirsty McNeill spoke about this a bit earlier. As well as communities of place, the guidance on part 2 of the 2015 act referred to impacts on communities of interest. What evidence is there that community planning partnerships are identifyi...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Thanks for that. Ruth Whatling, do you have anything to add?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Peter, do you want to add anything?

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Good morning. Last week, we heard that inequalities can be a moving target and that a lot has changed over the past eight years. What are the biggest challenges that your communities currently face? How do you prioritise the challenges and decide which ones the community plann...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

I will move on and ask my next question, which Shaw Anderson has touched on. The 2015 act places a duty on community planning partnerships to tackle socioeconomic inequalities. To what extent can CPPs and their partners tackle the causes of those inequalities and not just deal...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Good morning, panel. I want to touch on the challenges that communities face. We heard last week that inequality can be a moving target and that lots has changed over the past eight years. What are the biggest challenges facing your communities at the moment, and how do you pr...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

That brings me on nicely to my next question. I will maybe get some further information from you here. The 2015 act puts a duty on CPPs to tackle socioeconomic inequalities. To what extent can CPPs and their partners tackle the cause of socioeconomic disadvantage and not just ...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Good morning, and thanks very much for coming. How can CPPs ensure that all communities, including deprived and marginalised communities of interest, have a say in the design, delivery and evaluation of local services? I put that question to Mark McAteer first.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Would you like to add anything, Dr Escobar?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

That is really interesting. Forty years—who would have thought it? I move to my second question. We have heard that there are few community participation specialists left in local authorities, which leaves a gap in expertise. Do community participation professionals have the ...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Thank you for that.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Thank you very much. I am done now, convener.

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Good morning, convener and panel. We have heard that inequalities are a moving target and that a lot has changed in the last eight years. What are your organisations’ roles, as community planning partners, in helping to tackle inequalities? May I ask that of Mark first, please?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Does anyone else want to come in?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

I have one follow-up question. This subject was touched on in response to the last question. The 2015 act places a duty on CPPs to tackle socioeconomic inequalities. To what extent can CPPs help to prevent inequalities rather than deal with their consequences? I will go first...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Good morning. Scottish Enterprise’s submission states that its customer base is the business community. How well are businesses engaging with CPPs, and what more can be done to ensure that small and large businesses can help to identify and meet local priorities? I will go to ...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Does anyone else want to come in? The question was probably more specifically for Derek.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

My next question builds on that. What role do the enterprise agencies and Skills Development Scotland have in promoting fair work at a local level? Do you have examples of where the agencies have influenced CPPs or LOIPs? I will go to either Sharon McIntyre or Dave McCallum on...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment Act 2015)

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

I am a regional member for Glasgow.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Good morning, everyone. I am sorry that I am not there in person. I am looking at the inequalities and challenges that are faced by local communities. We have had witnesses in previous evidence sessions describe the challenges that they face, especially in relation to the fire...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

There are a couple of bits that I would still like to ask about. Everyone has mentioned the cost of living crisis, but do any of you have any evidence or experience of community planning reducing inequalities? 10:45

Annie Wells (Glasgow) (Con) Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Good morning. I would like to look at the health and educational inequalities that communities are facing. What role do community planning partnerships have in tackling those issues? I will go to Craig McArthur first.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Thanks very much for that. Alison McGrory, do you have anything to add?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Perfect. Alison MacLeod, do you have anything to add to that?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Thank you very much for that. I have just one more question. The submission from Glasgow Clyde College says that, previously, staff from the CPP visited community projects but that that no longer happens. I wondered whether, in your respective areas, CPPs ensure that all voice...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

I do not know whether Alison McGrory wants to come in next.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Thanks for that. Craig, would you like to come in on that, please?

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Thank you very much.

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

Good morning, panel. We know that participation and engagement are hugely important when it comes to community planning. What more should be done to ensure that marginalised communities, including communities of interest, have a voice in the community planning process in every...

Annie Wells Con Committee

Community Planning Inquiry (Post-legislative Scrutiny of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015)

We have been hearing that as well. Does Councillor Heddle have anything to add to that from his local point of view?

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Committee

Local Government and Communities Committee (Hybrid) 16 September 2020

16 Sep 2020 · S5 · Local Government and Communities Committee

Item of business

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (Parts 3 and 5) (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Wells, Annie Con Glasgow Watch on SPTV

Last week, we heard about the idea of having a named community empowerment contact or champion in each public authority, especially in authorities that are sometimes hostile or obstructive, as Gail Ross touched on. What are your views on that recommendation?

In the same item of business

The Convener SNP

Under agenda item 2, the committee will take evidence on the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. This is the second evidence session of the committee’...

Dr Calum MacLeod (Community Land Scotland)

Thank you for the opportunity to speak in this session. Community Land Scotland’s members include almost 100 prospective and actual urban and rural landowner...

Angus Hardie (Scottish Community Alliance)

I agree with everything that Calum MacLeod has said. In essence, it is about communities having more control over the decisions that shape their future. Alb...

Colette McGarva (Community Development Alliance Scotland)

Community empowerment has always been one of the key aims and objectives of the Community Development Alliance. It helps to strengthen our nation, so it is f...

Douglas Westwater (Community Enterprise)

I could not agree more with my colleagues, in a theoretical way, but perhaps I come from a different perspective. Your question was about wellbeing. We work...

The Convener SNP

How can those concepts be measured? Has there been any noticeable change since the bill was enacted in 2015?

Colette McGarva

As we said in our submission, the more that community planning partners can evidence how they are involving communities in decision making, the better it is ...

The Convener SNP

How do you measure the impact that the community planning partnerships, for example, are having? How do you measure that those concepts are successful?

Colette McGarva

We need to highlight and showcase examples of good practice. For example, East Ayrshire Council has always been viewed as an example of good practice in CPPs...

The measurement issue is critical, but there are different elements to measure. We need to bear it in mind that there is both measurement of the processes th...

The Convener SNP

In the interests of democracy I will not abuse my position as convener, so it is time for me to pass over to my deputy convener. I am sure that the issues of...

Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

Colette McGarva made a point about best practice and good practice. How is that shared across local authorities and what evidence have we got about how other...

Colette McGarva

All the community planning partners should be aware of their performance management frameworks and reporting mechanisms for scrutiny. For example, there are ...

Sarah Boyack Lab

Does any other witness want to comment on the sharing of best practice between public bodies? Last week, we focused a lot on local government, but what about...

Douglas Westwater

We probably need to shine a light on that work. There is a large number of good-quality case studies. We have worked on projects with Police Scotland and For...

Sarah Boyack Lab

I have focused so far on local authorities and public bodies, but what evidence do you have about the extent to which communities understand their rights und...

The short answer is that we do not have a systematic evidence base at the moment. Certainly, we need to consolidate and develop the evidence base because, as...

Sarah Boyack Lab

I think that Angus Hardie wants to come in.

Angus Hardie

Yes—thank you. I am not sure whether communities have got a good sense of the potential opportunities that the 2015 act provides—it is difficult to read. Wh...

Sarah Boyack Lab

That is useful feedback. Is there a difference between the use of participation requests and asset transfers? Is there a breakdown between urban and rural ar...

Angus Hardie

There is more awareness of asset transfer in the sector and the appetite for such activity is definitely more vigorous. That is partly because of the ecosyst...

The Convener SNP

I apologise to Colette McGarva, but we have to move on.

Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

Good morning, panel. Some concerns have been expressed about the capacity and the confidence that communities have, especially where they feel less empowered...

Douglas Westwater

That is a really interesting question. We are more of a support agency, so we work directly with organisations all over Scotland. We work with approximately ...

Inaudible.—what Douglas Westwater has been saying, but I add that, if we are going to engage with more disadvantaged communities, we need to commit the resou...

Colette McGarva

I think we all agree with that. To me, the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 should be seen in conjunction with the Equality Act 2010 because, tradit...

Angus Hardie

Over the past 20 years or so, there has been a real shift in how we, as a country, support communities. Back in the day, there used to be an army of communit...

Alexander Stewart Con

To follow on from that, we have also heard evidence of real concerns about public bodies not publishing reports on participation requests and asset transfer....

The data absolutely indicates that that is the case. As I said, the figure of 64 per cent returns in the first year, which was 2017-18, dropped to 43 per cen...

Colette McGarva

To add to Calum MacLeod’s point, I say that the approach is variable at a regional level, because some regions have asset transfer policies and community eng...