Welcome statement from Tom Arthur MSP

Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, Tom Arthur MSP, on the relaunch of Communities Channel Scotland and the Social Impact Pledge.

Welcome to the redeveloped Communities Channel Scotland website which was first launched in 2014 as a one-stop shop information hub and to highlight the great work of community groups across the country.  The new and improved website will continue to be a key online resource for community organisations and will provide up-to-date information including key Scottish Government policies such as the Local Governance Review, Community Wealth-Building, Regeneration and Community Empowerment.

This site hosts the Social Impact Pledge which helps bring public sector organisations across Scotland closer to their communities by making a public commitment to changing three aspects of their current operations or policies. Pledges can be as practical as offering a free meeting space for community organisations, offering increased work experience for students and young people, allocating paid free time for staff to support community fund raising or providing opportunities for young people to experience a Board meeting or shadow a Board member. Public bodies are being encouraged to sign up to the Social Impact Pledge and I urge you to make use of the wide variety of pledges which should appear on the site in coming weeks and months.

The remarkable resilience shown by communities during the coronavirus pandemic has seen people supporting their families, friends and neighbours with speed and compassion. The excellent work taking place among communities across Scotland needs to be shared and this website provides that platform. I look forward to working with communities on the recovery and beyond in my new role as Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth. 

Tom Arthur MSP