“… the Community Empowerment Bill is a means for communities to take their own actions, with access to all the resources available to them to develop their local economies, environments and cultures… it will provide Scotland’s community councils with a new role in relation to the common good…recognizing the place of local democracy, which can be a critical enabler of community…”
from the Ministerial Foreword to a recently tabled bill that will strengthen the roles of Community Councils Derek Mackay – Minister for Local Government and Planning
Formed in February 2004, the Glasgow Community Planning Partnership (GCPP) is a community board system whereby the public, private, community, and voluntary sectors work together to develop a shared vision for improving the public services implement it.
Alcohol, youth employment, and vulnerable people have been identified as the three key priorities to attain equality in the City. The GCPP is a hierarchal organizational structure with a Strategic Board at the top, supported by an Executive Group of senior officers.
Reporting to the Strategic Board is a city-wide group – Safe Glasgow Group – that examines the new arrangements for Police and Fire and Rescue Services in Scotland. There are three Sector Community Planning Partnerships overlapping the three strategic planning areas (North West, North East, and South).
The 21 Area Partnerships report to the Sector Partnerships and the boundaries correspond with those of the 21 electoral wards. The GCPP receives grant funding through the City’s Integrated Grant Fund, which has approved £38 million (more than $51 million CDN) over the next two years.