Democracy Matters phase 2: analysis of responses

4. Encouraging participation and community engagement

Many questions in the consultation paper and community conversations focused on how to increase participation in local democracy. This section presents multiple themes evident in responses and conversations about whether and how to incentivise participation, removing barriers to participation, and the types of events or activities that could increase community engagement.

Incentivising participation

Question 5b asked participants to consider how people could be incentivised to participate in decision-making. While this followed questions about representatives, many participants considered the question more generally and reflected on how the wider community and elected and selected representatives could be encouraged to participate.

Question 5b: What would incentivise other people to take on/be part of decision-making?

Demonstrating evidence of change

Many participants thought that people would feel incentivised to participate in community decision-making if they believed their actions would have an impact. Participants noted the importance of seeing progress or change happening in their community. Some suggested that greater education and instruction on how democracy works and how leaders can contribute to their communities may show people they can have an impact. Others noted that lack of participation and apathy could stem from a sense of hopelessness or inability to make impactful changes. They suggested that participation would improve if community members felt empowered to make the changes they need and want and then saw evidence that their involvement informed change.

"Make it simple. Demonstrate how it works by showing results. Listen to people and what they have to say." – Individual

"Really important that communities see actions, not words. We are too fed up with too many groups, all discussing things but not actually doing what they say is good practice! It's too disheartening to be part of groups who all talk about what needs to be done but actually don't put those things into practice." - Cutting Edge Theatre

"The main incentive therefore needs to be evidence of actual change for the better at a local level because of new decision-making powers. The current apathy is not the fault of individuals but is a result of disempowerment and disengagement as current processes seem to not result in the changes people would like to see, and a system which renders people too busy struggling to make ends meet and care for their families to have time to be as involved in their communities as they'd like. Creating a virtuous circle of good, accessible, decision-making processes and tangible change will strengthen the incentive to participate." - DTAS

Reducing barriers to participation

Participants frequently highlighted several barriers that hindered or prevented community involvement in community decision-making. They suggested that creating the right conditions to encourage engagement was a key feature of effective dialogue. In both responses and facilitated conversations, participants noted that participation barriers needed to be addressed, especially for groups that are typically under-represented such as those listed in the analysis of Questions 3 and 4a, and that support should be given to community groups. They suggested that a concerted effort was needed to overcome apathy and cynicism in many communities.

Several highlighted barriers such as the time commitment, access to the location, the language of the published material, and the secondary costs associated with taking part due to transport, childcare, or loss of work hours. Many participants suggested that local representatives should be paid to negate some of the costs of participating. Participants in a conversation hosted by LEx Scotland highlighted the need to address barriers caused by poverty and ensuring people on benefits were not sanctioned if paid for their input. Participants noted that financial support could also incentivise engagement; examples included paying people, providing vouchers to cover the 'gift of time', covering expenses including care costs, and allowing paid time off work.

"Elected members are remunerated, whereas community councillors are not. In terms of possible incentives, is there a suggestion that remuneration would be offered to any new local decision body? Clarity on this would be helpful." – Argyll and Bute Council

Other forms of support suggested by participants to overcome barriers included offering childcare or paid carers, providing transportation to meetings or events, holding events in accessible facilities, and scheduling meetings and events different times or locations and in various formats. It was felt this would allow people to contribute in ways most suited to them and facilitated more diverse representation according to those attending the Dumfries facilitated event. Others emphasised the importance of translation services and easy-read versions of documents to improve accessibility. Participants in the facilitated conversation in Pitmedden cited the Army Reserves as a good example of people being given time off work to perform a vital service, and suggested providing time off work for community involvement should be viewed in the same constructive way.

"Providing childcare services and flexible meeting times can be instrumental in encouraging young mothers' participation in decision-making processes… Providing transportation and accessible support for members with disabilities is crucial to ensuring equal access to all individuals. In addition, it is imperative to ensure that those who require such support have access to an interpreter to facilitate communication. These measures align with a commitment to promoting inclusivity and diversity in all aspects of community decision-making." - One Page Miracle/ Community Conversation hosted by Bullying Recovery and Awareness CIC Conversation

North Lanarkshire Partnership Strategic Leadership Board highlighted that the Council's Equalities Board was undertaking work to examine barriers to participation for equalities groups to establish a baseline of information to identify improvement actions to increase participation. After that, awareness raising and development work would be delivered through Community Boards to identify and agree improvement actions.

"All documents should be available in plain English and in formats that suit the needs of all members of the sensory loss community. Information should also be available in signed video clips, but these clips should not include too much abstract information. BSL needs context and background. Sharing of information in the Deaf community is best done face to face with interaction." – Conversation hosted by Forth Valley Sensory Centre

A few participants also stressed the importance of creating a welcoming atmosphere and using language people understood. Participants in the Making Rights Real event felt participation in decision-making could be improved by embedding testimonials at the root of decision-making, ensuring people's stories would be heard. Members of Community Wellbeing Collective called for empathy, love and unity to help shift mindsets.

"We also felt that it was important that this structure embedded practices that ensures all members of an association feel included, safe, without fear and that able to contribute directly to decision-making". – Conversation hosted by Glasgow Allotments Forum

"Another key value is the importance of interrogating and building shared language. In one conversation, participants shared that even when they were invited to a local Health and Social Care board as a third sector organisation, the language and jargon used was highly exclusionary and they neither felt welcome nor included despite being 'at the table." – Conversation hosted by Science Ceilidh

Approaches to community engagement

Across the consultation questions and facilitated conversations, participants considered and suggested a range of approaches which could be used to reach, engage and involve community members. The need for a range of flexible and inclusive approaches was frequently highlighted. Question 7 addressed the value of community events and is covered later in this chapter.

Question 8: What other mechanisms would help achieve high levels of community participation in local decision-making processes?

Use a flexible range of approaches

Participants provided many ideas about approaches to increase participation in community decision-making processes. Their wide-ranging suggestions included face-to-face engagement, digital or online methods, voting and other forms of democratic deliberation such as citizen's assemblies or jury-service type models. The Electoral Reform Society noted citizens' assemblies allowed in-depth discussions to be held over perhaps several blocks of two-day sessions, that could be reconvened to assess progress and provide a report.

In several facilitated conversations participants discussed sortition or Citizen Assemblies and highlighted the need to ensure accountability and impartiality. Members of the conversation hosted by Forth Valley Sensory Centre felt citizen juries were a good idea, while Ythan Community Council thought they could add another layer of bureaucracy which slowed progress.

"They allow people to understand each other, while not always agreeing, and effectively counter the divisive nature of party and council chamber politics and the impact of social media polarisation. They tend to produce a set of proposals that citizens feel they own and are proud of, and the assembly see themselves as champions of." - Electoral Reform Society

Other themes included providing a variety of ways to contribute to allow people to choose to engage with the methods that suited them, going to where people were via community outreach, using a paid facilitator, and building capacity amongst decision-makers.

Digital participation

Participants frequently supported using digital methods to engage people in local democracy. Specific examples included using social media, webinars, online surveys and voting, online noticeboards, blogs and vlogs, and websites. A few suggested a shared online platform or website could be used to promote local organisations and bodies, showcase projects or groups and share knowledge. Online voting was felt to have the advantage of anonymity, though a few raised privacy and security concerns. However, those in the conversation hosted by Mull Community Council thought older people would prefer phone calls to online communications. Some participants also suggested using of digital platforms and voting apps to enhance accessibility.

"Set up a local democracy website so that local Councillors and Community Councillors need to give a 250-to-500-word statement about why they are standing. Have Community Council meetings online and have them recorded on the local democracy website. Give the website the functionally to allow Councillors and Community Councillors to post videos every six months. Create a requirement that committee papers are uploaded to the local democracy website at the same time as they are published on the Council website." – Individual

Outreach and face-to-face engagement

Targeted approaches, through engaging in youth and community outreach, were often highlighted by participants as a valuable mechanism to engage groups in community decision-making. A range of venues where this could occur were suggested, including libraries, schools, places of worship, community centres, care homes, clubs and societies, allotments, and retail centres. These were seen as taking the debate directly to people, who may not have the time or ability to participate otherwise. It was highlighted that venues perceived as too formal, such as offices or public buildings, could be off-putting for some. Participants in the facilitated conversation in Rutherglen suggested being creative with available spaces and discussed an event held in an underpass connecting two different communities, which was very well attended despite being held in a space traditionally avoided.

"The role of faith institutions locally can be utilised to inform locals about issues relevant to the decision-making processes e.g., decision-making bodies can collaborate with faith groups to facilitate information sessions and discussion groups etc." - Conversation hosted by BEMIS

Face-to-face opportunities to participate were also commonly mentioned, with suggestions these could include town hall gatherings, seminars, focus groups, door-to-door discussions, and meetings. For instance, Social Enterprise Scotland noted social enterprises often offer volunteering opportunities, workshops and events that can encourage participation and develop skills related to active citizenship such as project management, public speaking and leadership. Participants in the Ripple Project's hosted conversation thought door-to-door contact was the best way to ensure everyone was represented.

For some participants, the physical presence of elected representatives in the community was important. A few suggested holding regular open surgeries or question-and-answer sessions to allow community members to speak to their representatives directly. One suggested open surgeries be tied to community event days. Others wanted representatives to have an office within the community where they could be found if needed. Similarly, participants in a few facilitated conversations suggested a requirement that representatives publicly present themselves, their views and how they plan to vote on any pertinent community matters so that the community has a chance to understand who is representing them. Participants noted that this would allow representatives to be held to account and their work on behalf of the community to be more visible.

"They should have an office in their community which they are by-law required to spend 40 hours a week, where they can work through digital and physical means to improve the community they work for. With keeping a physical presence in an easily accessible office for the public it ensures that they are held accountable and the community knows there is somewhere they can go if they seek change for something." - The Feel Good Womens Group

Participatory budgeting

Some, including the Language Hub and Aberdeen City Council, viewed participatory budgeting as a helpful way to involve community members in setting budget priorities and determining local provisions. This is a democratic process where citizens decide how to spend part of a public budget. The Corra Foundation highlighted that they had allocated £5 million in 2022/23 via participatory grant-making approaches and provided various examples of this.

Conversely, some concerns around participatory budgeting approaches were noted. Participants in the facilitated conversation in Dumfries felt that the competitive nature of the process causes projects and organisations to pitch against each other. This puts communities in the position of having to make 'the worst possible choices', for example, whether to fund a food bank or a women's aid refuge. 'Participatory strategizing' was suggested as an alternative, where people vote for priorities, rather than one specific project over another. However, other consultation participants noted that communities voting on issues could be inequitable as it may result in the biggest or most popular groups receiving more funding.

Other types of engagement

Other approaches mentioned less frequently included creative methods such as theatre, music and storytelling, using local media or newsletters and running projects co-designed with communities. Creative Lives noted the wider benefits of creativity on people's lives, arguing the Culture Strategy for Scotland and its action plan could usefully work to "strengthen, transform and empower through culture". Participants in the Dumfries facilitated event noted that humour could also help people engage, citing TV programmes such as 'Have I Got News for You' as a good way to introduce people to topical issues. The Children's Parliament suggested a 'Democracy Day' where children learnt about and were involved in voting processes. They viewed this day as a special, celebratory occasion that could create improved and happier communities. They also advocated for pupil Councils or Parliaments that are fair and equal in their approaches and where ideas are taken seriously and raised with school and community leaders e.g. headteachers sharing ideas at community council meetings.

"If we learn more about voting, children will be able to make informed decisions." – Children's Parliament

Gradually increase involvement

Building confidence over time or adopting a step-by-step approach to involving people were also suggested as ways to enhance community participation in local democracy. Involving people at an early stage of a process, such as when designing events or plans or providing easy small ways to take part initially, could help increase motivation to become more involved. As noted earlier, a few suggested it could be helpful to educate children and young people on how to become involved in local democracy and provide them with tools to do so. Developing relationships, offering training, services or volunteering opportunities and apprenticeship-style placements were suggested to encourage engagement over time.

Community events

Question 7 specifically asked participants to reflect on the value of community events.

Question 7: Are community events a good way to involve local people in scrutinising progress and setting future direction?

Participants generally agreed that events could allow a large selection of views to be heard. In explaining their support, they noted that events were less formal than committee meetings and created a way for people who did not usually participate to become involved.

Some described community events they were already running. A range of community event types were suggested, including multicultural celebrations, fairs, children's workshops, barbeques, music events, outings, cultural or sports events, art classes, road shows, open meetings, festivals, galas, street parties and coffee mornings. SYMBL CIC and others called for more events for young people organised by young people.

"RTPI Scotland encourages and supports the implementation of public engagement through community events. The Place Standard Tool, jointly designed by NHS Health Scotland, the Scottish Government and Architecture and Design Scotland, is a staple of contemporary community-led planning in Scotland and relies heavily on community events." - Royal Town Planning Institute Scotland

Benefits of community events

Community events were described as helpful ways to improve knowledge and understanding of community members, build cohesion and provide accountability. Participants noted that events provided a forum for people to learn more about their communities and issues affecting them and collaborate to devise solutions.

"Bringing people together in a face-to-face community venue setting to review past progress and discuss future plans is an ideal. Robust academic research indicates faceto face meetings are much better for supporting collaboration, mutual understanding, engagement and relationship-building than video calls." - SURF

Events were also felt to create a sense of involvement, shared identity and help develop relationships. Those in the conversation hosted by One Page Miracle/Community Conversation by Bullying Recovery and Awareness CIC felt events were an excellent platform for people to come together, foster a sense of belonging, make friendships, exchange ideas, identify ongoing issues and propose solutions to address them.

Maximising attendance

Several participants felt that events would be well-attended if they were effectively managed and designed, fun, engaging, collaborative and well-advertised. The need for events to be welcoming and accessible was also highlighted. To incentivise attendance, Eat Sleep Ride CIC suggested that events should be like those people would usually go to. They gave examples of a meal shared with others, or the use of music or sports, as ways to help put people at ease. Other suggested approaches included using a skilled facilitator, focusing on single issues, enabling participants to consider the issues in advance, avoiding adversarial or negative discussions and striking the right balance between being informal enough for people to attend but formal enough to make decisions.

Some cautioned that events must be purposeful for communities to see their value. They shared examples of poor consultation approaches that diminished credibility and dampened community enthusiasm. These included valid concerns being ignored, 'tick box' exercises designed to produce the desired outcome, or the loss of valued community support or services despite campaigning by local people.

Disadvantages of community events

Some were not in favour of using community events in decision-making processes, arguing they were not representative, could lead to conflict or that people may not have time, or want, to attend, particularly if they did not already feel part of their community. West Lothian Council preferred the use of constituted groups such as Citizen Assemblies, arguing that community events were not appealing to most people, nor transparent.They also cautioned, along with others, that running community events required resources often not currently available.

"I believe they do not reach enough people in the community. For example, young people or ethnic minorities (dependent on location) do not often attend community events either due to lack of interest or other factors." – The Feel Good Womens Group