Given that the commission was established by a COSLA beset by internal problems, it’s surprising how progressive and [radical the report is]( http://www.localdemocracy.info/ ). For me the most the refreshing aspects are its tone and focus. Instead of concentrating on tired discussions about structure and operation they’ve taken a real step back, focussed on principles and adopted a positive approach. This keeps the discussion fresh and engaging stops it getting too bogged down in technicalities. The acknowledgement that local democracy is about more than local government and representative democracy is also encouraging. This allows them to start a broader and more interesting discussion about how people can participate in democratic processes without restricting discussions to local government. I’m pleased that participative democracy, where people are directly involved in decision making processes, is a key strand running throughout the report and is clearly considered fundamental to reform. This is something I would also like to see in my own community. However we shouldn’t forget that we’ve been here before with the Christie Commission, so a healthy dose of cynicism may be required. Christie laid out a path for reforming public services yet progress on implementation has been frustratingly slow. How radical the Commission is prepared to be will become clear in the next phase when concrete recommendations and proposals take over from principles. Some serious questions have yet to be answered: Will the numerous vested interests at play accept a radical challenge to the status quo? What influence will the referendum play on the outcomes and timetable for change? How well does this report sit with the political parties’ ambitions? I think the Commission has made an important contribution to the debate around local democracy and should be given credit for producing such a progressive paper. However, until I see the results in my own community and others across Scotland, I will just have to keep hoping these aren’t just more fine words on a page.

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## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored, learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)