Researchers examined the experience of community engagement activity across Scotland, in order to establish a baseline for measuring progress by the Scottish Executive against targets for community engagement.
Source: ODS Consulting, Evaluation of the Effective Engagement of Communities in Regeneration: Final baseline report, Communities Scotland (0131 313 0044)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
Researchers examined approaches to evaluation in community regeneration in Scotland. It was essential that future evaluations should establish clear central or common guidance and detailed advice on identifying baseline, input, and outcome indicators (and crucially, agreed proxies to be used where there were gaps in information) at or before the start of the programme.
Source: Ronald McQuaid, Malcolm Greig and Colin Lindsay, Approaches to Evaluation in Community Regeneration, Communities Scotland (0131 313 0044)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
The final report was published of an independent review committee on local government finance (chaired by Sir Peter Burt). It made proposals for a local property tax based on up-to-date property values. Assuming that the same amount of money would be raised as under the existing system, almost half of households would pay less and two-thirds would pay the same or less. The committee rejected all other options for local domestic taxation.
Source: A Fairer Way: Report by the Local Government Finance Review Committee, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | Committee press release | SE press release
Date: 2006-Nov
An article examined the delivery of housing association rented homes in rural Scotland, and whether deficiencies related to policy weakness or implementation problems.
Source: Madhu Satsangi, '"The best laid plans "? An assessment of housing association provision in rural Scotland', Policy & Politics, Volume 34 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined a range of support service models intended to help prevent homelessness, or to resolve homelessness when it did occur, in rural and remote rural areas in Scotland.
Source: Mark Bevan and Julie Rugg, Providing Homelessness Support Services in Rural and Remote Rural Areas: Exploring models for providing more effective local support, Communities Scotland (0131 313 0044)
Date: 2006-Sep
A report examined the role of post offices in rural communities in Scotland.
Source: Vikki Hilton, Three Case Studies of the Role of the Post Office within Rural Communities in Scotland, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jul
An audit report said that community planning partnerships in Scotland had made progress, but needed to do more to show how their work was improving public services. It also said that their complex remit made it difficult for them to achieve their aims, and called on the Scottish Executive to support community planning more effectively.
Source: Community Planning: An initial review, Audit Scotland for Accounts Commission and Auditor General (0131 477 1234)
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release | COSLA press release
Date: 2006-Jun
An article said that rural policy in Scotland continued to be dominated by agriculture, and emphasized maintaining small farmers. There was, however, some evidence of a broadening of the agenda.
Source: Michael Keating and Linda Stevenson, 'Rural policy in Scotland after devolution', Regional Studies, Volume 40 Number 3
Links: Article
Date: 2006-May
A report examined the priorities of rural communities in Scotland for local service improvement, in terms of both access and quality.
Source: Accent Scotland and Natasha Mauthner, Service Priority, Accessibility and Quality in Rural Scotland, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-May
An article examined 'strategic' working within local regeneration partnerships in Scotland. It highlighted tensions between the goals of delivering services and co-ordinating the activities of partner agencies, and called for a more realistic approach to what could be expected of local partnerships.
Source: Suzi Macpherson, 'Promoting 'strategic' working within area-based and thematic social inclusion partnerships in Scotland', Local Economy, Volume 21 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-May
An article examined the potential impact of revaluing council tax bands in a sample area of 11 local authority areas in Scotland. While improving equity, a revaluation was found likely to create more disruption to local government, personal finances, and the housing market than revaluations within a tax system based on capital values.
Source: Colin Jones, Chris Leishman and Allison Orr, 'The revaluation of council tax bands: more than rearranging the deck chairs', Policy & Politics, Volume 34 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Apr
An article examined the extent to which public participation had developed in Scottish councils. It explored the challenges of building both 'consumer' and 'citizenship' consultation processes, and the possible tensions between participative forms of governance and improved strategic and corporate management.
Source: Mark McAteer and Kevin Orr, 'Public participation in Scottish local government: strategic and corporate confusions', Public Money and Management, Volume 26 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Apr
A report by a committee of MSPs said that deprivation policies had existed in varying guises over many years: but there were still too many areas in Scotland characterized by concentrations of multiple deprivation. Although there had been regeneration success stories, in other areas change had been limited or partial. It called for the establishment of a single fund to combat deprivation.
Source: Cross-cutting Expenditure Review of Deprivation, 5th Report 2006, SP Paper 536, Scottish Parliament Finance Committee, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SP press release
Date: 2006-Apr
An audit report said that Scotland s councils were facing major challenges and pressures, and called on them to further increase their pace of change and improvement.
Source: Overview of the Local Authority Audits 2005, Audit Scotland for Accounts Commission and Auditor General (0131 477 1234)
Links: Report | Audit Scotland press release
Date: 2006-Mar
The Scottish Executive began consultation on rural development strategy over the period to 2013.
Source: Rural Development Programme for Scotland 2007-2013: The Strategic Plan, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Consultation document | SE press release
Date: 2006-Feb
A policy statement by the Scottish Executive on regeneration included a commitment to work more closely with the private sector to remove barriers to action and bring a more strategic and focused approach.
Source: People and Place: Regeneration policy statement, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Statement | Summary | SE press release | COSLA press release
Date: 2006-Feb
A report by a committee of MSPs said that collection of the proposed Scottish service tax would raise serious practical problems. (The tax would replace the council tax in Scotland with an income-based tax.)
Source: Stage 1 Report on the Council Tax Abolition and Service Tax Introduction (Scotland) Bill, 1st Report 2006, SP Paper 488, Scottish Parliament Local Government and Transport Committee, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SP press release
Date: 2006-Jan
An official report proposed abolishing allowances for local councillors in Scotland, replacing them with a new remuneration package including: an annual salary for basic councillors of 15,452 set nationally; higher salaries for a limited number of senior councillors, set by councils within a national framework; and salaries for council leaders ranging from 30,905 to 51,508 set nationally.
Source: Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee, Review of Remuneration Arrangements for Local Authority Councillors, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: Report | SE press release
Date: 2006-Jan
