Community councils are at the heart of citizen participation processes across Scotland. They often include some of the most active members of their communities: they organise a range of grassroots activities, occupy seats in advisory committees, and are a statutory body in some consultation processes. Nonetheless, some of their critics argue that community councils are not always capable of fulfilling their potential as a mechanism for direct citizen participation at local level.

This event seeks to stimulate an open dialogue about the challenges currently faced by community councils, and the ways in which those challenges may be overcome. The encounter, organised by the Citizen Participation Network, seeks to provide a safe informal space for practice-based conversations that bring together a range of experiences and views.

Jenny Mackenzie (journalist and community councillor in Leith), Vincent Waters (Chair of the Association of Scottish Community Councils), and Lillian Pryde (Democratic Services Officer at East Lothian Council) will get the conversation started by briefly sharing their perspectives.

There will be coffee, tea and muffins. Everyone welcome.

Oliver Escobar | Public Policy Network | oliver.escobar@ed.ac.uk

www.publicpolicynetwork.ed.ac.uk