Welcome to All Things Scotland
This week, LGIU Scotland reviews useful resources, everything local government related in Holyrood and relevant new reports.
LGIU’s Alice Creasy’s was in conversation with Glasgow City Councillor Holly Bruce and discussed feminist town planning and what that process would look like in action across Glasgow. Make sure you check out the full conversation here.
LGIU Scotland
Shale fracking: a moment in the sun or banned forever? This briefing overviews the topic of UK shale fracking in order to provide our readers with all of the relevant information required to construct an independent opinion on this matter.
In Conversation With Cllr Connor McManus About Tackling Gender Based Violence at Midlothian Council. In honour of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence global campaign, we spoke with Midlothian Council’s Equalities Champion, Cllr Connor McManus.
Housing and planning round-up November 2022. The latest round-up of housing and planning news in the UK includes, as usual, government announcements, statistics, major reports and ongoing consultations.
In Conversation With Alan Russell at Renfrewshire Council. A year into the post of Chief Executive of Renfrewshire Council, LGIU Scotland was in conversation with Alan Russell about Alan’s personal and organisational reflections on the challenges, opportunities facing Renfrewshire Council.
The Week in Scottish Local Government
Local Government
COSLA Plan 2022-2027: Our vision and priorities for Local Government and Communities across Scotland
This week, COSLA launched a new 5 year strategic planning to ensure Councils return to their rightful place at the heart of the governance of Scotland. Some of the priorities covered include Strengthening Local Democracy, Supporting the Most Vulnerable in our Communities, and Delivering on a Just Transition to Net Zero. You can find the full plan here.
#FollowMe A social media guide for community councillors
Written by communications expert Dan Slee, the Improvement Service’s guide is designed to provide community councils with an introduction to using different social media channels, plus advice on good approaches and strategies that can be used by all community councils.
Housing
Private Sector Rent Statistics, Scotland, 2010 to 2022
This publication presents statistics on average private sector rent levels in Scotland by Broad Rental Market Area and size of property, for the years 2010 to 2022. Showing how average rent in Glasgow and Edinburgh has increased by more than 50% since 2010, make sure to check out this LGIU briefing on the case for the funding of the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) to sit with elected bodies. It explores the problems of affordability, planning and funding.
Society
A Design Based Approach to Understanding and Tackling Rural Child Poverty
Holding a series of workshops to build and strengthen relationships between peers and colleagues working in child poverty at a local and national level, the Improvement Service’s final report summarises the findings of these sessions and makes nine recommendations, including sharing good practice across Local Government, acting upon the cost of living crisis in rural areas and ensuring that lived experience forms part of the response to rural child poverty.
Digital exclusion
Last weekend, the Guardian showed that invisible digital barriers leave many unable to do basic things such as pay online, contact your GP or even park. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has written to the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, seeking a meeting on the future rollout of the R100 Fibre Broadband Programme and the current connectivity crisis experienced by the community of Uig, on the Isle of Lewis.
To find out more about digital exclusion, this LGIU briefing uses case studies from Glasgow to look at how local governments can widen digital skills through faster internet speeds and the wider availability of information and communication technology.
Economy
Delivering Scotland’s circular economy Proposed Circular Economy Bill: consultation
The overall aim of this report is to provide a robust analysis of the responses to the consultation on proposals for a Circular Economy Bill. With the consultation producing interesting proposals for local authorities, you can find the full report here.
Measuring success in terms of the broader collection of outcomes that the economy can deliver for its people, this policy briefing from the Improvement Service illustrates how economic growth should be viewed as benefiting the people who are part of that economy.
To gain an international perspective on this concept, check out this LGIU briefing of Australia’s wellbeing framework for a global context.
Stay tuned
Next week, LGIU Scotland will bring you two final in-depth policy round ups for 2022 , firstly we cover all the vital new reports from housing to social attitudes, health inequalities, energy to planning and secondly health and social care round up. In the meantime, check out the LGIU Scotland page for more local government resources, research and reach. December content will be finance all the way to Christmas with coverage and analysis of both UK and Scottish Government budgets.
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