Better local democracy can benefit social enterprises and charities
Posted: 15 April 2026, in News
Democracy is a bit of a vague concept to many people.
We often associate it with elections, parliaments and politicians.
However, democracy is something that also happens at a very local level, in towns, villages and islands all over Scotland.
Our local community is of course the place where social enterprises, cooperatives, charities and development trusts connect with people on a daily basis.
The local authorities we all deal with are often an enabler of community development, regeneration and investment in charities and social enterprises.
They can also sometimes be a barrier and can stifle or place roadblocks in place of development.
Whether that’s in procurement, funding, energy or the use of Council land and buildings, there’s still huge potential to unlock.
One of the new, key tools for this is certainly Community Wealth Building, where Scotland is leading the way.
However, the local governance review and Democracy Matters is something that may not be on the radar for many people.
This is something that our allies in the Scottish Community Alliance have been working hard to improve, over a lengthy period of time.
One of the key reasons for the review, as many folk understand only too well, is our missing tier of actual local government in Scotland.
With just 32 very large authorities, Scotland is an outlier in Europe.
For comparison, Denmark has almost 100 local authorities, while Norway has over 350 – both with a population almost exactly the same as Scotland.
We do have our Scottish Community Councils, that are too often overlooked. Their dedicated work across urban and rural Scotland is varied and impressive.
But to really drive forward local democracy, significant reforms are required.
How do we embed all local voices into decision making? How do we ensure that under-represented groups are heard and not just the usual suspects?
This could mean not just elections but also direct “jury service” style reforms. People could be chosen fairly from the local area to sit on bodies – so that councils actually look like the communities they serve.
The impact of all this could be truly empowered, more engaged, active and happier people in every local area.
In turn this would positively impact social enterprises, cooperatives, charities and community owned organisations, with better outcomes for the people they help.
Crucially, a better local democracy could also significantly improve local economies, driving regeneration and small business growth. It’s this aspect that we need to examine in greater depth.
There’s radical potential to change how and who makes decisions in our streets and neighbourhoods.
We need more social entrepreneurs and charity leaders to understand how this unique opportunity could positively impact their work.
I’d urge anyone reading this to engage with the Democracy Matters initiative and talk to their colleagues, friends, family, local Councillors and MSPs about it.
This is something that affects every one of us, not just as social enterprise and charity leaders but as citizens of Scotland.
Duncan Thorp, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Social Enterprise Scotland
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