Local Government in Scotland Act 2003

15 Community planning

(1) It is the duty of a local authority to initiate and, having done so, to maintain and facilitate a process (in this Act, called “community planning”) by which the public services provided in the area of the local authority are provided and the planning of that provision takes place—

(a) after consultation—

(i) among all the public bodies (including the local authority) responsible for providing those services; and

(ii) with such community bodies and other bodies or persons as is appropriate; and

(b) after and by way of such co-operation among those bodies and persons as is appropriate.

(2) It is the duty of a local authority to—

(a) invite; and

(b) take suitable action to encourage,

all other public bodies the functions of which are exercisable within the area of the local authority and such community bodies as the local authority thinks fit to participate appropriately in community planning.

(3) Where it appears to two or more local authorities to be in the interests of persons within their respective areas that any public service provided in both or all those areas be provided as if those areas were combined, those authorities may perform their duty under this section together and in such a case the references in this section to the area of a local authority are to be taken, in relation to each of those authorities, as references to those areas as if combined.

(4) In this section—

• “community bodies”, in relation to a local authority, are bodies or other groupings, whether or not formally constituted, established for purposes which consist of or include that of promoting or improving the interests of any communities (howsoever described) resident or otherwise present in the area of the local authority; and

• “other public bodies” means—

  (a)

  public authorities or bodies;

  (b)

  bodies which, not being public bodies, have functions of a public nature or engage in activities of that nature;

  (c)

  persons or office-holders who have such functions or engage in such activities,

  but does not include any of the bodies referred to in section 16(1) below.