The Review of Non-Financial Support to Community Councils Working Group met to discuss how the council can better support community councils with non-financial matters. The group considered proposals for secretarial support, community council networks, and the next steps in a public consultation.

Review of Non-Financial Support to Community Councils

The working group was scheduled to discuss the ongoing review of non-financial support provided to community councils. This review aims to identify ways the council can assist these local bodies with their operations and functions.

Secretarial Support for Community Councils

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing potential support for community council secretarial duties. The report pack indicated that the group would consider a draft list of secretarial functions and explore areas where the council could offer assistance. This support might include guidance, templates, or officer advice on tasks such as maintaining websites, public communications, and data protection considerations. The group was also scheduled to examine options for supporting minute-taking, including the potential use of templates for minutes, action trackers, and forward planners. Furthermore, discussions were planned regarding records management, archiving, and the maintenance of asset registers, particularly for community councils that hold equipment or property.

The report pack suggested that any support offered should be optional and non-prescriptive. It was also noted that officers would explore the preparation of guidance on website management and data protection, compile a list of generic contact details for council services and public sector agencies, and consider options for meeting recording and minute-taking arrangements. The potential inclusion of template options within consultation material was also on the agenda.

Community Council Networks

The working group was also scheduled to consider options for the future structure of community council networking. The report pack indicated a preference for a Borders-wide model, focusing on bringing community councils together for information sharing and joint sessions. The group was expected to discuss the rationale for this approach, including the practical difficulties and variable participation experienced with previous locality-based models. The proposed Borders-wide network would likely involve two larger meetings per year, with breakout sessions organised around shared interests or current issues. The importance of flexibility within this model was also to be considered, with the possibility of additional sessions if a clear need arose. The report pack highlighted that any network should be community council-led, with officer support to facilitate arrangements.

Consultation and Next Steps

The meeting was scheduled to review the progress of a public consultation on support for community councils, which was due to run from 5 June 2026 to 3 August 2026. The group was expected to discuss the analysis of consultation results and the agreement of recommendations to be made to the Executive Committee by 11 August 2026. The drafting of a report and its submission to the Executive Committee on 8 September 2026 were also outlined as key next steps.

The working group was also scheduled to discuss the arrangements for an informal online meeting held on 21 April 2026, which was intended to review and refine consultation material. The decision to hold the 2 June 2026 meeting in person at Council Headquarters was also noted.

The meeting was scheduled to be held at Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells. The attendees included Councillor Caroline Cochrane, Chair of the Working Group, alongside other councillors and community representatives. Enquiries regarding the meeting could be directed to Declan Hall, whose contact details were provided.

The agenda for the meeting can be found in the Agenda frontsheet, and the full reports pack is available here.