Community Planning is a process which helps public agencies to work together with the community to plan and deliver better services which make a real difference to people’s lives.

The aims of Community Planning in Scotland are:

• making sure people and communities are genuinely engaged in the decisions made on public services which affect them; allied to
• a commitment from organisations to work together, not apart, in providing better public services.

There are two further key principles in addition to the two main aims outlined above:

• Community Planning as the key over-arching partnership framework helping to co-ordinate other initiatives and partnerships and where necessary acting to rationalise and simplify a cluttered landscape;
• the ability of Community Planning to improve the connection between national priorities and those at regional, local and neighbourhood levels.

The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003

Although Community Planning is not a new concept, it was given a statutory basis in the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003.  The Act places duties on:

• Local authorities – to initiate, facilitate and maintain Community Planning;
• core partners – Health Boards, the Enterprise Networks, Police, Fire and Regional Transport Partnerships – to participate in Community Planning; and
• Scottish Ministers – to promote and encourage Community Planning, including local participation by Communities Scotland in Community Planning Partnerships.

Overall Structure

Key Features

• Community need is the central focus
• The Community Planning partnership corresponds with the Local Authority boundary.  The Community Plan (or a similar document) sets out strategies, projects, responsibilities and outcomes.
• Linked with the overarching Community Planning Partnership are themed partnerships e.g. Health and Wellbeing, Community Safety, which carry out the day to day work.
• The overarching Community Planning Partnership is supported by local or neighbourhood partnership structures where required.

Community Planning Partnerships bring together key participants and so can act as a bridge to link national and local priorities.  This should be a three way process whereby local or neighbourhood priorities influence the priorities of the CPP, CPPs coordinate delivery of national priorities in a way that is sensitive to local needs and circumstances and can also influence direction and priorities at a national level.

Community Planning in practice

The Local Government in Scotland Act is not prescriptive about how Community Planning should be carried out, recognising that what is appropriate will depend on local circumstances.

Community Planning Partnerships are operating in all 32 local authority areas, with a range of partners.  In addition to those with a duty to participate, agencies and others such as Jobcentre Plus, Further and Higher Education institutions, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Scottish Water, business representatives and the voluntary sector are involved in a number of partnerships.  The Local Economic Forum, organised in each Local Enterprise Company area, is the economic development arm of the Community Planning.  Below the high level partnership there are usually a number of themed groups and sub groups which deal with the practical business.  In many cases, these themed groups incorporate pre-existing partnerships such as the Community Safety Partnership.  Many Community Planning Partnerships are now putting in place arrangements for local or neighbourhood Community Planning.  Some are making use of existing structures to do this, for example Community Councils or Local Rural Partnerships, while others are putting in place entirely new arrangements.  The Document Library contains more information on current practice in Community Planning and here you can find the latest documents added to the library.

Further information

Further information is available through:

• The Community Planning Statutory Guidance, which gives advice about what is intended by duties e.g. reporting, enforcement, engagement, equal opportunities, etc.
• The Community Planning Advice Notes, which give more detail and good practice examples on the following subjects:
  • National Framework: National Priorities
  • Partnership Models and Structures
  • Involving the Private Sector
  • Effective Partnership Working
  • Effective Community engagement
  • Building Organisational Capacity
  • The Role Of Elected and Board Members
  • Information Sharing
  • Performance Monitoring and Management
  • Engaging Children and Young People in Community Planning