Community Councils are
voluntary groups of people who care about their community and want to
make their area a better place to live. They play an important role in
local democracy by representing the views of local people and conveying
these views to a range of organisations. The following Neighbourhood Councils are within, or partly within, the South Edinburgh area: Background
Community Councils
were introduced through the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The
Act defined the purpose of a community council as: “to ascertain,
co-ordinate and express to the Local Authorities for its area and to
public authorities the views of the community which it represents, in
relation to matters for which those authorities are responsible.”
The Local Government
Scotland Act, 1973 empowered all local authorities to assist community
councils, both with funding and administrative support.
Community Councils in Edinburgh
Community council
representatives are elected for a period of three years. Each community
council receives an annual grant from the City Council intended to
cover its administrative expenses.
Community councils
have a statutory right to be consulted on local planning issues. The
City Council’s Planning Division sends out a weekly list of all
planning applications submitted. While there is no statutory
requirement for local authorities to consult them on licensing matters,
community councils are considered as ‘competent objectors’. They may
appoint representatives to attend meetings of the Licensing Board and
speak in support of objections. Full information on all Neighbourhood Councils is available from The City of Edinburgh Council. Also see Edinburgh Association of Community Councils. | 
