Mouthpiece: We can't afford to lose valued community council members

Published on Saturday 4 July 2009 11:20

IT'S surely a sign of the times that a hot debate is running around whether it is right that political parties should continue to be represented as nominated members of community councils (CCs).

With so much current focus on politics and issues of motivation, trustworthiness and integrity, some ask whether the public is losing its appetite altogether with political agendas.

Community councils, of which there are 41 in Edinburgh, tend to attract unpaid activists who want to work in and for their communities without necessarily tying themselves to political parties. They cite improvement of all public services in their communities and an effective monitoring of planning applications as their priorities.

This is not to say, however, that they cannot and do not work closely with elected councillors and political groups. Some of the best attended and most effective community councils in Edinburgh have excellent working relationships with their elected councillors, MSPs and political party interest groups. They appreciate the boost to their membership and support a "gentleman's agreement" against political agendas.

Others expostulate that this is dangerously disingenuous. Working hand in glove with politicians will always lead to someone toeing the party line sooner or later, they say, bringing pressure on others in the group to "fit in".

What's the carrot that could rot the soup? It's money, says one CC chairman.

Money is already part of the equation and will be increasingly so, say others, who believe that a trickle of influence that could lead to a landslide.

Community councillors already have a say in how money is spent in some areas. "Be careful", warns one CC that has submitted a detailed protest to Edinburgh council. "Define exactly what you mean by 'political party'. Using the current meaning, there are five parties represented in the CEC while the European elections showed 11 parties standing in the Scottish region. What if they all asserted their right to membership of CCs?"

At a recent Edinburgh Association of Community Councils Saturday Morning Question Time, a group leaders panel was grilled by community councillors. Green councillor Alison Johnstone said that "CCs have huge strength in being non-political". But deputy leader of the council, Councillor Steve Cardownie didn't see any reason why the current provision should be changed. He agreed that there could be "dangers" if the opportunity were abused. It would be a shame, he said, if CCs "degenerated into a battleground". He's right there.

If this did happen, CCs could lose the very people that currently make them work so well-committed community activists who have no political agenda. That would be a loss all round.

&#149 Jenny MacKenzie is secretary to the Edinburgh Association of Community Councils