Community Councils

Community councils play an important role in helping to develop and maintain the positive qualities of a local place.

They are local, voluntary organisations made up of members of the community who act on behalf of people in the local area.

Community councils are the most local tier of the statutory representation structure in Scotland and act as an important bridge between communities and local government. The contribute views and opinions and help to express the needs and challenges of the local area, playing a valuable role in local democracy and positive engagement with communities.

Scotland has around 1200 active community councils, each of which is run by local people who care about their place. Local authorities have statutory oversight of community councils and are required to consult community councils about planning applications and licencing matters.

communitycouncils.scot

communitycouncils.scot is a helpful Community Councils website, developed and managed by the Improvement Service on behalf of Scottish Government. The site contains useful information on roles and work of community councils, as well as containing useful resources and support.

Access the community councils website

Guidance for Community Councils

The Scottish Government has published a range of helpful guidance documents for community councils.

The guidance is endorsed jointly by Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC)

Access the community councils guidance here