Introduction
The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 aims to ‘provide a framework that will empower community bodies through the ownership of land and buildings and strengthen their voices in the decisions that matter to them’. (CEA 2015 explanatory note). There are 12 parts to the Act; 2 of which are Asset Transfer Requests and Participation Requests. These came into effect in January and April 2017, respectively. Asset Transfer Requests allow community groups (Community Transfer Bodies) to request to buy or hire buildings or land owned by public sector bodies (Relevant Authorities). Participation Requests give community groups (Community Participation Bodies) the right to request to be involved in improving the services of public sector bodies (Public Sector Authorities).
This report aims provide guidance to Public Health colleagues in Health Boards regarding how to maximize on the opportunities that the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 presents and to inform the role of Public Health Scotland.