A COMMUNITY Council in Edinburgh has sounded the alarm on its future as it struggles to find the required number of members to operate.
THE Corstorphine & Gyle Community Council (CGCC), which represents a small constituency in the west of the city, including Gogarloch, Edinburgh Park, and The Gyles, and was only formed last year, has been hit by a spate of resignations and now only has two members.
This is well short of the six they require to effectively operate and engage with city council chiefs and police.
They have put together a “last-ditch effort” to encourage volunteers, highlight the opportunities that community councils offer, and save the community council from winding up.
Tommy McLean, one of the CGCC’s only remaining members, and a fixture in local community organisations, says it would be “a great loss” to the area if the community council disbands.
He said: “What we would lose is one of the direct avenues of communication between the community and the [City of Edinburgh] Council.
“The council has the legal responsibility to keep community councils informed of local developments and local planning applications, and is required to put these to the community council for consideration.”
The CGCC was formed after a restructuring of Edinburgh’s community council scheme.
It was decided that the Corstorphine area required a boundary shakeup because of population and demographic shifts, and three new community councils were split off from the large Corstorphine CC and the defunct Drum Brae CC.
While the Corstorphine & Clermiston and Corstorphine East & West Craigs CCs have had a smoother time finding their feet, Corstorphine & Gyle has struggled to establish itself.
Mr McLean explained: “The Gyle CC is the smallest of the three in Edinburgh, with a population of around 7,000, which is pretty small within an urban community.
“We started with that number and reached the minimum number of elected councillors at last year’s elections.
“It has been a bit of a struggle all along, because we really needed more people involved.”
Mr McLean added that the previous committee had been “working very hard on a number of issues”, but due to “a variety of reasons” some had resigned.
Mr McLean and the Corstorphine & Gyle CC have put out a call for volunteers to take up office and retain the crucial link to the local authorities.
Attendees at the CGCC’s information session will have the opportunity to learn what the community council can do for the area and how they may be able to help provide local representation.
Mr McLean’s warnings if the requisite number of members is not reached were stark: “All positions are available. We need a chair, a secretary, and we need office bearers as well.
“If we don’t get enough people, we will be disbanded.
“This is our last-ditch effort to raise awareness of the local community council; there’s a need for more people to become members, otherwise the community council will close.”
Community councils are a crucial link between local communities and city authorities and are statutory consultees on planning applications.
If the community council is wound up, the area may lose this influence and struggle to have its voice heard on planning.
Mr McLean explained: “You always have the opportunity to comment and be listened to on planning developments.
“City of Edinburgh Councillors attend meetings, so it gives you direct contact with them, and a positive development for the three Corstorphine Community Councils is that we now have regular meetings with the area commander for the police.”
There has, however, been extensive criticism of the funding model for community councils, and calls for The City of Edinburgh Council to grant community councils more powers and funding to encourage people to get involved and empower local communities.
Early last year, seven community councils across the city were forced to shut down after receiving insufficient nominations for members.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Euan Davidson, who represents the Corstorphine/Murrayfield ward, encouraged locals to consider getting involved to prevent the loss of another community council:
“I would encourage everyone to consider joining the community council.
“The closure of Corstorphine & Gyle Community Council would be a sad loss to our community.
“It is such an important part of our local democracy and standing up for our local area. Anyone interested should contact the council.”
A meeting of the Corstorphine & Gyle Community Council will be held at 7pm on Wednesday 22 July 2026 in the Lennon Rooms, St Thomas Church, 75–79 Glasgow Road.
The meeting will serve as an information session and is designed to help residents understand what a community council does, what participation involves, and the different ways people can contribute to local decision-making and community life.
- This article or a part of it is provided by the news agency Deadline News Limited and published here with permission.
- Contact Deadline News Limited if you would like to use any or all of this article.
