The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 helps to empower community bodies. This might be done by ownership or control of land and buildings, or it might be by strengthening their voices in decisions about public services.

Part 3 of the Act allows Participation Requests. Participation Requests let a community body enter into dialogue with public authorities on their terms; this might be about local issues and local services. Where a community body believes it could help improve an outcome that public services deliver, it is able to request to take part in a process.

Part 5 of the Act gives community bodies a right to request to buy, lease, manage or use land, and buildings, belonging to Scottish public bodies, where they think they can make better use of that property.

Police Scotland reports on these duties on behalf of the Authority. Participation requests are published on the Community Empowerment Reports section of Police Scotland's website.

Although the Authority is the body that owns or leases assets, most of the estate is operated by Police Scotland: therefore, Police Scotland deals with asset transfer requests.

On Police Scotland’s website there is a list of assets owned or leased Police Scotland's website also gives information about asset transfer requests: requests received and decision notices. Police Scotland publishes an Asset Transfer Requests Report each year: annual reporting.

Islands (Scotland) Act 2018

The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 is intended to improve outcomes for island communities in Scotland. It puts in place a framework of measures. Its measures reflect the unique challenges faced by Scotland’s island communities.

The National Islands Plan, developed by Scottish Ministers, provides a framework for action to make meaningful improvements in outcome.

The Authority is required to have due regard to island communities, when carrying out its function. We are required to undertake an impact assessment when developing, re-developing and delivering a policy, a strategy or a service – if any of those might have a significantly different effect on an island community, compared with other communities.

The Authority must report annually on how it has complied with this duty. The report must explain any impact assessments carried out, and any other steps taken to comply with the duty. See ‘Related Content’ below for reporting from 2020-22.