I am pleased at any opportunity to draw attention to the National Standards for Community Engagement so I'm hoping that the refresh of these pages to make them more accessible will result in even more people becoming aware of and using the standards.
COSLA supports the national standards - councils and community planning partnerships across Scotland have found them useful in involving community members in decisions about the services that are important to them.
COSLA's short life Community Empowerment Task Group jointly developed the Community Empowerment Action Plan with the Scottish Government. Elected members on this group repeatedly emphasised the value of the National Standards for Community Engagement and the need to ensure that they come to the attention of as many organisations, community groups, and citizens as possible. The promotion of these standards within the Action Plan reinforces the significant contribution which they can play in advancing constructive community participation and empowerment.
Of course there is much more work to be done to ensure that those living in our communities feel both engaged and empowered to effect change about the issues that matter most to them, but continued promotion of these standards can provide a key starting point from which to build based on the principles of accessibility and equal opportunities for all.
Councillor Harry McGuigan