SCDC: Communities should have a significant say in how renewable energy funds are used
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 11th June 2025
SCDC has called for community priorities to be placed at the heart of how community benefits from renewable energy projects are used in Scotland.
Community benefits schemes are additional, voluntary funds that renewable energy developers make available to communities, enabling them to share in the benefits that projects bring. The Scottish Government's recent consultation focused on draft Good Practice Principles for developers who want to set up community benefit schemes.
In our response, we argue that communities should have a significant say in how these benefits are used - in other words, governance and decision-making models should ensure that restrictions do not come from developers.
We have also set out the importance of communities being involved at the earliest stage possible, with high-quality engagement practice ensuring a diverse range of voices are heard.
Equity and transparency are crucial to ensuring all communities benefit from funding - not just wealthy and high-capacity communities. This means providing support to build the knowledge, skills, and confidence of communities and local partners, increasing their ability to negotiate fair community benefit settlements.
In addition, the Good Practice Principles should be unambiguous that community benefits should be distributed in a way that addresses inequality, supporting a just transition across our communities.
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