National voice, local impact.

What is Community Planning?

The Scottish Government defines Community Planning as a process which helps public agencies to work together with the community to plan and deliver better services which make a real difference to people's lives.

The Improvement Service defines Community Planning as a process "by which the public services provided in the area of the local authority are provided and the planning of that provision takes place". (Local Government in Scotland Act 2003) Local authorities have a duty to initiate, maintain and facilitate this process and Scottish Ministers have a duty to promote and encourage the use of Community Planning.

A number of public sector organisations are statutory partners in Community Planning. These include the local authority, health board, fire, police, enterprise agency and transport partnership. In addition to the statutory partners, Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) typically involve other public, voluntary, community and private sector partners.

Single Outcome Agreement

In 2007, a Concordat between the Scottish Government and Local Government set out the terms of a new relationship - a key element of this is the development of Single Outcome Agreements. The Single Outcome Agreement is the means by which Community Planning Partnerships agree their strategic priorities for their local area and express those priorities as outcomes to be delivered by the partners, either individually or jointly, while showing how those outcomes should contribute to the Scottish Government's relevant National Outcomes. Through CPPs, local leaders work with communities, the third and private sectors to develop the long term vision for the area and work towards that vision.

The Interface is a vital connection between the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) and the Third Sector.