Evaluation of Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 aims to empower communities through the ownership of land and buildings and strengthening their voices in the decisions that matter most to them. Our project evaluated the impact of Participation Requests (Part 3) and Asset Transfer Requests(Part 5) parts of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act which came into place in 2017.

Our evaluation adopted a range of methods to collect primary data including in-depth interviews, participant observations and a focus group. Secondary data was mainly sourced through the collation of Participation Request and Asset Transfer Requests annual reports produced by relevant Public Sector Authorities. The evaluation aimed to verify:

  • Whether, how and to what extent, is Part 3 Part 5 of the Act being implemented as intended in the legislation and guidance?
  • To what extent does implementation of Part 5 of the Act result in more asset transfers being initiated and assets being transferred to community ownership, control and use, and with what potential contribution to improved access to transferred services and facilities?
  • To what extent does implementation of Part 3 of the Act improve the community–Public Authority engagement, dialogue and relationships, and with what potential contribution to improved public services?
  • What is the pattern of take up and use of part 3 and Part 5 of the Act among different community groups? What are the potential implications of these patterns for local inequalities of outcome?
  • Whether, how, and to what extent do communities feel more empowered as a result of the availability, take up and use of Part 3 and Part 5 of the Act?

Publications: 

Project Lead: Artur Steiner

Project Team: Clementine Hill O'Connor, Carolyn McMillan, Rachel Baker, Cam Donaldson, Simon Teasdale, Angela O'Hagan