From social engagement to civic action – how can local government engage citizens in democracy and delivery? What can communities do for themselves with the support of local public bodies?
In this opinion piece, Dr Ed Wensing reflects on the lessons for local governments from the recent destruction of the historic rock shelters at Juukan Gorge and argues that local government needs to be more aware of Indigenous peoples’ rights and interests, regardless of how well the law currently provides protection.
LGIU Scotland’s Kim Fellows speaks to Cllr Gavin Corbett, Green councillor for Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart in Edinburgh, about Covid-19, tourism, canals, and how we might be heading from the ‘Covid-19 frying pan’ to the ‘climate change fire’.
The UK is committed to reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. This will require significant changes to the way we live, and present difficult decisions for central and local government. The Climate Assembly UK brought together ordinary citizens to debate the issues and suggestion of policy solutions.
A new points based immigration is coming to the UK soon. What effect will that have on labour shortages in critical service areas like care or tourism outside of major cities? Could a New Zealand-style system be part of the answer? Cameron Boyle from the Immigration Advice Service explores the issues.
This write-up outlines the key discussion points from LGIU’s second webinar in our Post-Covid Councils series, Place and Community, which took place on Tuesday, 15th September.
As we look to the future of our streets, fairer reallocation of space is a priority shaping towns and cities across the UK. In the context of Covid-19 and the competing claims to street space it adds, how can we plan our streets to ensure they represent the needs of communities while contributing to a…
Place and Community is the second pillar to be launched of the LGIU’s Post Covid Councils project. The theme is fundamentally about relationships – relationships between place, local economies and people, and between place, people, communities and equality.
How do we move from talking about the inequalities in our communities – and where they intersect – to action? And what is the role for both local government and communities as part of a post-Covid recovery process, writes Hannah Ormston from the Carnegie Trust.
Increasingly, local projects have bought land and properties from large estates to individual buildings on behalf of their communities. If Scotland is to deliver on a wellbeing economy with sustainability and fairness at the heart of recovery, land use is an important cornerstone.
Cllr Vaughan Moody and Cllr Andrew Polson, Joint Leaders of East Dunbartonshire Council, highlight the successes of the Scotland Loves Local campaign and other local initiatives in the region in supporting town and village centres.