Eskbank and Newbattle Community Council:
Officials:
- Chair: Brian Wailes – chair@EskbankNewbattleCC.org
- Treasurer: David McNeill – treasurer@EskbankNewbattleCC.org
- Secretary: Robin Barclay – secretary@EskbankNewbattleCC.org
contact us routinely at mailbox@EskbankNewbattleCC.org
About community councils (in Scotland)
A Community Council (CC) is a voluntary organisation set up by statute by the Local Authority and run by local residents to act on behalf of their community. They are non-party-political and non-sectarian and must represent all people in the area without prejudice.
The main role of a CC is to channel and represent the opinion of the local community on matters that affect them and to become involved in, and support, local issues and projects. It has a special role in the planning process and has the right to be notified of and respond to planning applications relating to the community, providing a local view to be considered on applications. CCs should contribute to the preparation of strategic development and local plans.You can find out a lot more about Community Councils in Scotland here (link).
CCs also facilitate a wide range of activities which promote the wellbeing of their community. They bring local people together to help promote and protect community identity and to positively make things happen. CCs are the strongest means of becoming involved in the local community and all local authorities in Scotland encourage citizens to become involved.
Eskbank and Newbattle Community Council (ENCC) represents the area within the ward boundary shown in black on the map opposite.
CCs must adopt a constitution stating their title and dealing with such matters as office bearers, finance, frequency of meetings, standing orders and the method of election of members. All members of the community council are equally responsible for the community council’s decisions. A community council may co-opt additional non-voting members. CCs can complement the role of the local authority but are not part of it. In Scotland, CCs are dependent upon local authority funding, which is usually received for running costs only.
Useful documents (links):
ENCC Constitution (December 2015)
ENCC candidate nomination form PDF or WORD
Midlothian Council Community Council Scheme Handbook (2014)
Midlothian Council Community Councils code of conduct
Midlothian Council Community Council complaints procedure
We can be contacted by email at mailbox@eskbanknewbattlecc.org or through the form found on our Contact Us page here. We will try to respond as quickly as possible.