Open Government - public participation strategy: advice
This report on advice to inform Scotland's Open Government public participation strategy is based on the findings of the Covid Public Engagement Expert Advisory Group. It considers public engagement in the form of information receiving, compliance with guidelines, and political and community engagement.
Recommendation 7
Reduce bureaucracy not just for voluntary organisations but for local authority
With less funding available and more competition for funding bids, having the knowledge or expertise to apply for funding or knowing what funding is available is challenging.
Those in the third sector who may have previously been competing for funding have had to work together as part of the Covid response. Joined up responses have been most effective. This has led to stronger bonds between local authorities and the third sector, including the community hubs set up in response to emergency needs across localities. For instance, Inspiring Scotland’s Link Up programme report that they were able to persuade local authorities to let communities undertake some roles, ‘forgoing bureaucracy and red tape’ in favour of trusting communities thus freeing staff up for other things.[11] Furthermore:
Local authorities were (and are) concerned to support local businesses and we heard that many were able to deliver grants to business in a matter of days or weeks, whereas generally it would have taken months. One area talked about how existing good relationships between the Chamber of Commerce, the town and local authority meant the latter released the £10,000 and £25,000 Small Business Grant Fund payments to local businesses prior to the money reaching the council from the Treasury (Coutts 2020: 22).
This was not the case all over Scotland however.
According to John Beaton the bureaucratic landscape of participatory democracy is quite crowded now, Community Partnerships, Locality Groups, Local Place Plans (all from different pieces of legislation). He believes that participation should alleviate this problem. For instance, the SCDC's Community Channel online helps the public navigate it.
Action:
- Consider where barriers were removed from local authorities and community groups and decide whether it is necessary to reintroduce them.
- Reduce bureaucratic form filling and replication
- Signpost where help and training is available
- Trust people to do their jobs and actively encourage and facilitate partnerships between local authorities, third sectors and communities
Contact
Email: doreen.grove@gov.scot
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