Community councils are the most local tier of elected representation in Scotland. They are voluntary organisations set up by statute by local authorities and run by local residents to act on behalf of their areas.
The Community Councils Scotland project, managed by the IS on behalf of the Scottish Government, provides information, support and resources for Scotland’s 1,200 community councils and the 10,000+ volunteers who serve as community councillors.
The project runs the Community Councils Scotland website, a Facebook page and a Knowledge Hub group for Community Councillors.
In the past the project has worked to support community councils with digital issues such as help with websites and advice for using social media channels.
The project also delivers a free occasional webinar series with topics ranging from community wealth building to emergency resilience.
The Open University in Scotland has also worked with the project to provide community councils with a dedicated portal providing a suite of free training modules tailored to the needs of community councils in Scotland.
The project also supports rural and islands community councils working in partnership with Scottish Rural Network to deliver webinars with community councils to highlight their work and share information.
The community councils project also provides a national network for Community Council Liaison Officers based within local authorities and facilitates a blend of face-to-face and online events with information on relevant topics such as planning and local governance.
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Scottish Community Councillors Development Network
A friendly group aimed at enabling community councillors to share questions, ideas and good practice about running a community council. The group is open to anyone with an interest in community councils.
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Scottish CCLO Development Network
A professional community of practice for Community Council Liaison Officers (CCLOs) and their colleagues.