ER community council review moves forward

Proposed rules on how community councils are set up and run have been published on East Renfrewshire Council’s website, inviting residents to have their say.
By Gillian Loney
Published 9th Oct 2014, 22:00 BST

Around 1,000 locals gave their opinions on the future of community councils in East Ren for a new agreement to be drawn up between the local authority and community groups.

The results from stage one were published on the council’s website on Monday (October 6), and anyone interested is asked to share their feedback for the next stage, before a closing date of January 
5.

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Further opinions will be used to create a final Scheme of Establishment, intended to improve the operation of community councils, and support between the local groups and ERC.

Councillor Mary Montague, convener for community services and safety, said: “The stage one consultation enabled us to gain the opinion of a wide and varied section of our community.

“Some priorities highlighted by those who shared their views show that locals are keen for community councils to be more representative of their community, more visible to residents and to link closely to natural communities.

“Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts.

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“What you told us is giving us a real opportunity to improve the way community councils operate and how they perform, and it will help strengthen relationships between the community councils and East Renfrewshire Council.”

Speaking in July, ERC leader Jim Fletcher said that “every step should be taken to remove barriers that prevent more people from getting involved — especially young people, women and those from an ethnic minority background”.

The draft Scheme of Establishment is available to view at getinvolved.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk, where residents are able to share their views for stage two.