Decision role for residents

Partnerships plan

Residents are to be more involved in local decision- making under plans intended to overhaul North Lanarkshire’s local area partnerships.

The proposals, to go before the policy and resources committee tomorrow, include consulting the committees on major planning applications, i nt roducing flex i b l e meeting times and venues and developing their social media presence.

Coatbridge and Airdrie each have local area partnerships ( LAPs ) , comprising councillors, community members and police, fire, health and voluntary sector representatives, who meet quarterly to discuss issues relating to the respective towns.

A residents’ survey identified the opportunity to discuss major planning applications at partnership meetings as the top priority, along with discussing housing investments or school reports.

Tomorrow’s proposed action plan also includes the introduction of a “community input” agenda item for meetings, use of a workshop format and possible developments such as electronic voting and participatory budgeting.

Airdrie North councillor Andrew Spowart , the transformation committee convener, said: “It’s clear there is a need for a major overhaul; our residents have higher expectations of being allowed to play a more pivotal role in local decisionmaking.

““I think these represent a quite radical shift in emphasis; LAPs put very real power in residents’ hands.