Policy Talk
The Alliance operates in two areas: supporting the activities of local people on the ground and this section here - facilitating a national policy dialogue. The shape of the website with its two distinct themes, reflects our dual objectives. This Policy Talk section covers a range of topics, but the overarching aim which informs our priorities, is always the empowerment of communities.
The momentum of our campaign is set by our regular Briefing, Local People Leading, which reports to our supporters the latest `Policy Talk` across the UK.
Public Policy to `strengthen communities` is more advanced in England than in Scotland; over the past few years, a sustained flow of papers have emerged with the determined purpose of passing power to communities. For too long, government in Scotland at both central and local level has been resistant to the call for community empowerment. With the launch of the Scottish Community Empowerment Action Plan in the last Parliament and the shift in emphasis towards community-led regeneration described in the recently published regeneration paper - Building a Sustainable Future - and the proposed Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill, there is now a legitimate expectation that this imbalance will be corrected.