On Board - A guide for Board Members of Public Bodies in Scotland (April 2015)

Community Planning

Community Planning is now firmly established at the heart of public service reform. It involves public services working together and with the local community to understand the different needs of communities in their area in order to resource services which make a real difference to people's lives.

Community Planning Partnerships

Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) bring public service providers (local authorities, NHS Boards, police and fire services, and other participating public bodies) together with communities and the third and private sectors to understand local needs and opportunities, agree locally shared priorities, and develop and deliver a shared plan to improve local outcomes for local people. There are 32 CPPs in Scotland, each one covering a local authority area.

Single Outcome Agreements

The Single Outcome Agreement is a CPP's plan to improve local outcomes. It sets out how the CPP will work towards improving outcomes for local people in a way that reflects local circumstances and priorities, within the context of the Scottish Government's Purpose and National Outcomes as set out in the National Performance Framework. They also take account of a number of national policy priorities, including economic recovery and growth; employment; safer and stronger communities; and addressing health inequalities.

Each Single Outcome Agreement is approved by the partners in the CPP and signed off by Scottish Ministers and the local council leader.

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill, which is currently being considered in the Scottish Parliament with a view to becoming an Act in the summer of 2015 proposes a new legislative framework to strengthen community planning. It changes the statutory purpose of community planning, making it explicitly about how public bodies work together and with the local community to plan for, resource and provide services which improve local outcomes in the CPP area. It applies community planning duties to a number of additional public bodies, and also proposes new duties for governing the CPP on a defined set of public bodies. Bodies which are not covered by the Bill should consider pursuing opportunities for partnership working with other bodies, including local authorities, wherever this can support their respective business objectives.