People Power: A Guide to Your Local Community Councils

First published in our second print issue, Toni Tochel, a member of Shawlands and Strathbungo Community Council, explains what community councils do and how you can get involved.

Illustration: Rachael Procter

By Toni Tochel

What is a Community Council?

A community council is a group of local residents that act as a bridge between their local community and Glasgow City Council. They both represent residents’ views to the council and help to share information from the council, the Scottish Government and other organisations with the wider community. They work in the interest of the local community to make the neighbourhood a better place to live. Getting involved with the local community council is a great way to participate in local democracy. 

The majority of Govanhill is covered by the Govanhill and Crosshill Community Council, but the area between Victoria Road and Pollokshaws Road is covered by Shawlands and Strathbungo Community Council. 

What happens at the meetings?

If you’re looking for drama on the scale of a Handforth Parish Council meeting then you’re likely to be disappointed, but you can get a lot from participating in the meetings. You get to hear more about what’s happening in the area, put forward your views and have your questions answered. 

There are routine things which happen at every meeting like the police and local councillors’ reports as well as discussion of planning and licensing applications. Community Council members who also belong to other local groups, committees or sub-groups report back so that everyone is updated on a range of issues. 

There is also discussion of the issues that the community council are working on and an update on any actions that are needed to take that work forward such as funding applications. And it is common for outside groups to come and talk to the meetings about initiatives that are going on in the local area or Glasgow more widely.

Regular monthly meetings are currently being held remotely and aren’t open to the public as they usually would be. If there’s an item on the agenda that’s been tabled for a particular resident or group of residents, it may be possible for them to attend so they can give their input. Minutes of the meetings are published afterwards so anyone can read what happened, even if they aren’t able to go along.

How can I get involved?

There are a few ways you can be involved with the community council. The easiest way is to come along to meetings (once they’re held in person again). Dates are advertised online and on posters around the area. The agenda for the meeting is circulated in advance on the respective Facebook pages. 

Although in-person meetings are open to everybody, if you’d like to be able to vote, you need to become a full member. To be elected to the Community Council you need to be nominated by two people who are registered to vote in the area. If there are vacant seats, that’s all that’s required and this can happen any time. If more people want to join the Community Council than there are vacancies, a full election takes place. Community Council elections take place every four years.

Associate membership is an option if you’re interested in being more involved in the work of the council but aren’t eligible for full voting membership because, for instance, you work in Govanhill but aren’t registered to vote here.

Joining a sub-group of the community council is also a great way to get involved. That way you can work with them on an issue that you’re passionate about, without needing to attend full meetings. 

The more people that get involved, the more democratic and representative the community councils are. It’s particularly important for people from under-represented groups to take part so that councils can better serve the whole community. 

If you’d like to get involved, or just want to bring something to your local council’s attention, you can contact them via their Facebook pages or by emailing contact@crosshillandgovanhill.org.uk or shawlandsstrathbungocc@gmail.com. They would be very happy to hear from you.