1. Getting in on the Act for community food!
Introduction to The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015

2. Welcome Andrew Paterson, Policy and Research Officer
CHEX (Community Health Exchange)

3. The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015
Empowering communities through…
- ownership or control of land and buildings
- strengthening their voices in decisions about public services
Builds on ‘key pillars’ of public service reform
- participation
- partnership
- prevention
- performance

4. Task as we go Think about and write on post-its:
Any community food projects that could benefit
Which part of the Act would they use?
What would they use it for?

5. What’s in the Act? National outcomes Asset transfer
Allotments
Common good property
Asset transfer
Non-domestic
rates
Participation requests
Participation in public decision making
Supporter
involvement in
football clubs
Delegation of forestry
Commissioners’ functions
Community rights to buy land
Community planning

6. Influencing services and decisions
Part 3 - participation requests
Part 2 - community planning

7. Participation requests
A community body (or group of people in a community)
‘Community participation body’
can ask to start a discussion
‘Outcome improvement process’
with organisations in charge of public services, such as hospitals, schools and transport
‘Public service authorities’
about how to improve outcomes of these services

8. Can be made to… Local authorities Health Boards Colleges
National Park Authority
Police Scotland
Scottish Enterprise (or HIE)
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Scottish Natural Heritage
Regional Transport Partnerships

9. Community planning Community Planning Partnerships must:
involve community bodies at all stages of community planning and support them to do this
have a focus on tackling inequalities
Produce Local Outcome Improvement Plans and locality plans

10. Land and buildings Part 4 – community right to buy land
Part 5 – asset transfer requests

11. Asset transfer?
A community body can…
Request information on any public asset that interests you
Request the transfer of a public asset
Acquire that asset if the public body cannot offer a good reason not to
Appeal any adverse decision
Public benefit to be considered as well as financial aspect.
Not just ownership - can also request to use or lease.

12. Can be made to
Local authorities
Scottish Ministers (including agencies such as Forest Enterprise Scotland
and Transport Scotland)
Crofting Commission
Further Education colleges which are incorporated colleges
Health Boards, both regional and Special Health Boards
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Historic Environment Scotland
National Park Authorities (Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and Trossachs)
Regional Transport Partnerships
Scottish Canals
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Police Authority (who own all land and buildings used by Police Scotland)
Scottish Water
All must create and maintain publicly available lists of every asset they own

13. Food growing Part 8 – Duties on local authorities to:
Take reasonable steps to meet demand for allotments
Develop food growing strategies
- Identify land for allotments and
community food growing
- Consult Grow Your Own groups?

14. Example – Families into Sport for Health (FiSH)
Currently no indoor recreational spaces available on Sundays in Lewis and Harris due to religious considerations.
Last year the group submitted a participation request to Western Isles Council around improving weekend access to indoor sports facilities.

15. Getting the outcome right
Form was initially rejected on basis that hadn’t properly specified an outcome
Resubmitted form with following outcome:
“improved and equitable access to recreational facilities for the health and wellbeing of families, especially children.”
Council agreed to request in Feb 2018

16. Process said group would be consulted by subgroup of Community Planning Partnership.
Had at least one meeting with different partner agencies.
FiSH giving feedback on Outer Hebrides Community Activity Strategy.
Latest update…
Group feels PR has progressed their campaign and are working on different fronts. They are realistic about speed things will change.

17. Discussion How can community-food projects benefit?
More widely, how can the Act benefit everyone?

18. Thank you! Will send slides and links to further info
Please feel free to get in touch
Join CHEX!