Jackie Weaver, who rose to fame as a member of Handforth Parish Council in 2021, will give evidence to The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government committee.
This will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of community councils in Scotland when two panels of witnesses will give evidence.
Ms Weaver will give her account of managing the virtual meeting of the parish council which then went adrift and became a must watch on social media. Appropriately, she will attend the meeting remotely.
The Committee will also hear from a panel of community councillors representing Edinburgh, Shetland, Aberdeenshire, West Lothian, Moray, Clackmannanshire and Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire who will provide evidence in a roundtable format.
The session is part of the Committee’s ongoing work looking at the Scottish Government’s Local Governance Review which aims to reform the way that Scotland is governed to give greater control to communities.
Commenting ahead of the meeting, Committee Convener, Ariane Burgess MSP said: “Fifty years on from the establishment of Community Councils, it’s important that we recognise and celebrate the contributions that individuals and groups involved make to their communities.
“We also hope this session can contribute towards shaping the Scottish Government’s Local Governance Review, ensuring communities continued to be empowered and supported to do so in the decades ahead.
“The Committee are looking forward to welcoming Jackie Weaver and Community Councillors from all over Scotland to share their experiences of community involvement in decision making, and their views on how this can be improved.”
LIST OF PEOPLE ATTENDING
The Committee meeting on 23 May will take evidence from two panels of witnesses, with Jackie Weaver appearing remotely.
Community Councils: The Committee will take evidence from—
Brian Davey, Communications Officer and Emma Swift, Communications Officer, Improvement Service;
Dr Oliver Escobar, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, University of Edinburgh;
Andrew Paterson, Policy and Research Officer, Scottish Community Development Centre;
Jackie Weaver, Chief Officer, Cheshire Association of Local Councils;
and then from—
John Bachtler, Chair, Cambuslang Community Council;
Debra Duke, Community Council Liaison Office, Moray Council;
Steve Kerr, Chair, Edinburgh Association of Community Councils;
Alastair Kennedy, Chair, Joint Community Councils of Moray;
Shayne McLeod, Vice Chair, Association of Shetland Community Councils;
Bill Pitt, Chair, New Aberdour, Tyrie, and Pennan Community Council;
Donald Stavert, Treasurer, Joint Forum of Community Councils in West Lothian;
Ewart McAuslane, Treasurer, Tillicoultry, Coalsnaughton & Devonside Community Council.
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