Dilemmas of Community Planning

Abstract

Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) are a central feature of a programme of local government modernization and public service reform in Scotland. CPPs are intended to ensure that local authorities, other local public agencies, the voluntary, community and private sectors develop a shared vision for their area and work in partnership to implement this. CPPs therefore have much in common with similar initiatives in other parts of the UK, such as communities strategies, Local Strategic Partnerships, and proposals contained in the 2007 Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill in England. This article discusses how the development of CPPs relates to devolution in Scotland. It identifies systemic dilemmas, if not contradictions, encountered in implementing community planning in Scotland. Tensions exist reconciling partnership working with local authority leadership; between community planning as an additional or core duty of public agencies; between community engagement and the practical demands of policy making; and between central government direction and local partnership autonomy.

Partnership or Presence? Exploring the Complexity of Community Planning

“…Partnerships fit with the complexity of local governance' (Skelcher & Klijn, 2008: 25). However partnerships not only reflect contemporary complexity, they also contribute to it (Sinclair, 2008). Turning a formal partnership between different organisations into a practical reality is not straightforward, and Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) provide examples of the issues raised by 'the complex art of steering multiple agencies, institutions and systems which are .…”

Divergence in Community Participation Policy: Analysing Localism and Community Empowerment Using a Theory of Change Approach

“…This means that community groups must look very closely at how inclusive and welcoming they are being (Scottish Government and COSLA 2009, 9) Influencing services In terms of influence, the Scottish Government's Community Empowerment agenda is largely focused on 'voice' mechanisms, emphasising the importance of communities having a role in shaping public services (Scottish COSLA 2009, Scottish Government 2012a), and the equal importance of public services becoming more responsive to service users (Scottish Government 2011b), reflecting a perspective that community empowerment is a two-way process (Adamson and Bromiley 2013). This is arguably a continuation of previous Community Planning requirements, but legislative reinforcement through the new 'Right to Participate' (Scottish Government 2014a) reflects concerns that community participation has often been overshadowed by inter-agency partnership duties (Sinclair 2008). …”

The “Pink Pound” in the “Gaybourhood”? Neighbourhood Deprivation and Sexual Orientation in Scotland

“…For over 50 years deprived neighbourhoods in the UK have been subject to specific policy initiatives to try and alleviate their problems (Atkinson & Moon, 1994;Rae, 2011). In Scotland these are targeted through the process of Community Planning, whereby public sector partners come together with community organisations to develop neighbourhood management to ensure resources are targeted at those neighbourhoods that need them most, a policy commitment reiterated in the Scottish Government's most recent regeneration policy statement (Hastings, 2003;Matthews, 2014;Scottish Government, 2011;Sinclair, 2008).…”