Council review hears conflict claim

Groups set up to decide how funding should be distributed on behalf of communities across Perth and Kinross are undermining the work of community councils, it has been claimed.

Independent councillor Mike Barnacle made his feelings known about the five‘Local Action Partnerships’currently operating across the region at last week’s full council meeting where members considered a paper containing the findings of an independent review of how the groups were working.

The paper before members said the review recognised the LAPs had encountered“challenges”along the way since they were established two years ago but had achieved“a deepening understanding of the complexity of hidden deprivation and inequalities”across Perth and Kinross.

The report also said the review had found the LAPS had seen“success in steering participatory budgeting”as well as“discussions taking place ... on how to widen participation and reduce inequalities”and“community representatives taking on new leadership roles”.

But Councillor Barnacle said some of the statements made in the report bore “little relationship”to what was said to him during a conversation he had with one of the authors of the independent review and went on to point out the paper failed to consider alternatives to LAPs as a way to devolve decision making to communities.

He said:“It is my view that action partnerships have been driven forward by officers to cover areas open to question, moving beyond purely participatory budgeting, to address perceived inequalities.

“It appears to me there is a distinct conflict with elected community councils and an undermining of their roles. This must be addressed.”

He went on:“Kinross-shire is a former county in its own right. It should, in my view, have its own devolved area forum, comprising elected members and community council representatives.”

And he concluded:“It’s not clear how membership [of LAPs] is decided and regulated and that also needs to be addressed. I hope it can be done through a review rather than an amendment here.”

But moving the paper council leader Murray Lyle declared:“I would highlight the dedication of all our partners to making the LAPs work, which has led to a far stronger and shared understanding of inequalities across Perth and Kinross and, correspondingly, our commitment to tackle these inequalities.

“In particular, I would highlight the need to develop our own roles as councillors and democratically elected representatives in a fast changing world. Also, the need to consider how the governance of LAPs can best support the many different communities and neighbourhoods we have in Perth and Kinross.

“The report gives us a sense of where we are now and where to go next. I would ask you to note the Scottish Government and COSLA have launched a joint inquiry into the future shape of local democracy across Scotland.”