Thursday, June 07, 2012

Community buy outs - Could they work in Nairn?

Newsnet Scotland gives interesting details this morning of a forthcoming Scottish Government Consultation:

"Ideas being explored in the consulation include extending a right to buy similar to the one enjoyed by rural communities in Scotland to larger towns and cities. This could allow people in urban Scotland to follow in the footsteps of recent successful community buyouts such as the former airbase at Machrihanish in Argyll.

The consultation also considers whether communities should have a right to ask to take on unused public sector assets such as school and health centres, and how communities can be more involved in making decisions on local budgets, helping public sector organisations identify the needs and priorities in an area and target budgets more effectively - an idea first piloted in Brazil and used in a number of European cities." More on the Newsnet Scotland site. 

This type of thinking is broadly along the lines of what NICE have talked about in the past and are (perhaps) still talking about although there has been very little information on their website recently. The problem we have in Nairn is that an organisation like NICE may not be able to receive the backing of the community, witness how they came down on one side of fence on the controversial bus station flats. A move that was divisive and angered some members of River CC. 

Could we move forward and influence budgets etc on the level of the community councils? This would be very hard given the different geographical make up of the Councils. If the three town CCs were given 2 seats on a decision making committee as one Community Councillor recently suggested then it would result in a democratic imbalance in the town. The West has around 1,000 voters while River CC has nearly 5,000. Such a move would mean that the West Enders would have five times more say in decisions then folk in the River CC area.

We are basically cursed with the bizzare lines drawn on the CC map by a civil servant over 35 years ago. The only way we can really move forward as a community would be with a Royal Burgh of Nairn Community Council. That option too wouldn't come easy, there would need to be a ballot for all Nairn voters with the question: "Do you want to see a single Community Council for the town of Nairn. Yes/No." 

7 comments:

7:84 said...

Could the community not buy Sandown and keep it as an open space... whoops it's already ours, shame the landlord is Highland Council and not the people of Nairn

At this rate we'll be needing a new community centre soon and its not as though we've paid for this one

peas and lurv said...

Your constant call for The Royal Burgh of Nairn seems to happen during utopian moments when you forget that some of the West community councillors are deeply unpopular with other Nairn community councils, and any coalition is as likely as major parties joining together, even if Highland Council has seen this happen!

Dem O'Cracy said...

The Gurn wonders, "Could we move forward and influence budgets etc on the level of the community councils? This would be very hard given the different geographical make up of the Councils. If the three town CCs were given 2 seats on a decision making committee as one Community Councillor recently suggested then it would result in a democratic imbalance in the town. The West has around 1,000 voters while River CC has nearly 5,000. Such a move would mean that the West Enders would have five times more say in decisions then folk in the River CC area.

Some care is needed in invoking democracy and quoting figures. Fair play works both ways. It's worth noting that River CC - because it has more constituents - now has a much bigger annual Council grant to spend on admin and local projects (River £2687, Suburban £2024, West £1186). Yet I don't recall River chipping in twice as much - or five times as much - as other local CCs to the recent food-parcels fund....

"We are basically cursed with the bizarre lines drawn on the CC map by a civil servant over 35 years ago. The only way we can really move forward as a community would be with a Royal Burgh of Nairn Community Council.

Quite so. But this needs the CCs to consent to an amicable merger (and there is no sign of a shift in River CC's position). Or it needs the Council as the responsible authority to to facilitate a ballot and make the necessary regulatory changes. But HC officials continue to resist this. Will our new Councillors give a lead?

Unless such changes happen, a single CC looks like a futile hope, and Nairn will continue to be divided and to miss opportunities as a result.

Graisg said...

@ peas and lurv

A Royal Burgh Community Council would be a new body and would need new elections, all existing councillors on the three councils would be free to try their luck on getting onto the new one if they were so minded.

Brother Lee Lurv said...

@ peas and lurv

You may be right that ".....some of the West community councillors are deeply unpopular with other Nairn community councils."

Probably also true that some of the River community councillors are equally unpopular - for the same, or opposite, reasons!

Anonymous said...

I can't think of any other community as small as Nairn that would sustain three CCs it's plain ludicrous. If the three existing CCs were wound up and elections held for a single CC then the make up would perhaps reflect more accurately the wishes of the people of Nairn.

A strong chair would steer the disparatevoices into doing what's best for the town rather than bickering and poin-scoring

Anonymous said...

One CC for the Town, that represents everyone. I feel too many people are trying their best and duplicating the work others might be doing. As a Tax Payer I want value for money, and feel three CC are not value.