Democracy Matters: route map to reform
This route map lays out reform proposals for empowered community decision-making and the work needed to deliver it.
What this could achieve
The reforms we are proposing will help to make it easier for people to understand and exercise their democratic rights and to participate in local decision-making – building trust in public services and our democratic processes, and ensuring that people currently disengaged by or excluded those processes are able to participate and have their voices heard.
It will also respect and build on the existing work and capacity of communities, such as plans that have already been co-designed and have had significant time and money invested in them. Over time this will enable our towns, villages and neighbourhoods to lead and take greater ownership over more local decisions and resources to the benefit of everyone in the community, as well as to ensure the potential of our communities is driving faster improvements in the quality of life across every part of Scotland.
It will make sure that communities have more inclusive and representative democratic structures; that local decisions are taken in line with what local communities want and need; provide a process by which public bodies locally can align their delivery and their priorities with the priorities set by communities; and make better use is made of available resources across the system.
It will also aim to simplify the system and make it easier for those delivering across the public sector to work effectively with communities including to support the inclusion of diverse perspectives in co-design processes potentially leading to a reduction in burden created by statutory consultation requirements. The reforms will help to enhance the range of voices that are heard in local decision-making processes and enhance the democratic wellbeing of our communities.
We recognise that different local areas, partners within the public sector and communities will be in different stages of readiness for these changes, and this will shape the approach we take to reform, noting what already works well and applying an “even better if” approach.