Community Wealth Building & Democratic Participation Workshop - 2026

On 15 September 2026, SCDC hosted an interactive online workshop which explored Democracy Matters and Community Wealth Building, which are two key developments driving Scotland’s growing shift towards community-led development, democratic renewal and local empowerment.  

The event was open for anyone involved in community development, regeneration, participatory budgeting, planning, community empowerment or public service reform.

Participants discussed how these emerging agendas mean for communities, practitioners and organisations across Scotland, including how the agendas might influence and contribute to tackling inequality, strengthening local democracy, supporting place-based approaches and increasing community participation. 

The event featured expert input from the Scottish Government’s Community Wealth Building Team and Local Governance Team. 

 

Community Wealth Building

Community Wealth Building (CWB) aims to ensure communities have greater influence over their local economies and benefit more from the wealth they help create. The session included a presentation on the background to CWB from SCDC and a presentation from the Scottish Government’s CWB Team.

View the presentations, transcripts, participant Mentimeter responses and Q&A discussions below:

Democracy Matters

Democracy Matters focuses on how power and decision-making can be shared more effectively with communities. The session included a presentation from SCDC about our involvement in Democracy Matters and Community-led Planning, and a presentation from the Scottish Government’s Local Governance team.

View the presentations, transcripts, and Q&A discussions below: