Cockburnspath Community Council exists as a body to represent the interests and communicate the views of the people of the Cockburnspath area to other agencies. We meet every month to discuss any problems arising for the people of the area and we provide a forum for discussing key issues we face.
In practice this means we liaise on a continuous basis on your behalf with organisations, such as:

    *Scottish Borders Council, regarding: 

    * Planning Issues
    * Environmental Issues (Cleansing, recycling, paths, leisure facilities/open spaces maintenance)
    * Transport concerns
    * Community Safety
    * Economic Development
    * Scottish Executive

    * other public sector agencies, such as:

    * Historic Scotland
    * NHS Borders
    * Scottish Natural Heritage
    * Scottish Environment Protection Agency

    * local partnerships and economic development agencies, such as:

    * Scottish Enterprise Borders
    * Eyemouth and East Berwickshire Partnership
    * Southern Upland Partnership; and
    * South of Scotland European Partnership

    * and voluntary sector bodies, such as:

    * Scottish Borders Environmental Partnership

    * monitor activities undertaken by:

    * British Energy @ Torness Power Station
    * Landfill Sites, e.g. Viridor, regarding their site near Dunbar
    * political representation

What powers do we have?

In practice, our powers are limited, as is our funding. However, we are able to make a difference in five key ways:

    * First we constitute an established group with accountability to the local community, who can apply for and use funding from a variety of public funding sources and charitable sources to improve the facilities and amenities of the area and to provide community support to projects.

    * Secondly, we have a limited budget we use to ensure that paths are maintained and that repairs are undertaken to public spaces and with which we can help to fund community celebrations, e.g. the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations;

    * Thirdly, we are able to ensure, through lobbying, that our elected representatives and their officers listen to the needs, concerns and views of the people of the Cockburnspath Community and act upon our priorities, drawn from speaking to members of the community;

    * Fourth, we can call organisations to account for poor levels of service or to explain their actions, as well as assisting others to liaise with the community regarding projects or service changes (e.g. power infrastructure investment, water treatment projects); and

    * Lastly, but by no means least, we have considerable input to the planning process, i.e. through: 
    * sponsoring planning applications for projects oriented for the benefit of the community (e.g. we paid for the outline planning application for the potential establishment of a public house)
    *influencing the local plan process for the Berwickshire area, through formal submissions to the consultation process; and
    *providing detailed comments to SBC Planning officials in Duns regarding outline and detailed planning applications. 

Who are we?

There are eight community councillors for the Cockburnspath area. We come from all walks of life and ages! We are not politicians, and we are (sadly….) not paid for the privilege. We are just people, like you, who are committed to working together to improve the area we live in. However, you don't have to be an elected member, nor do you have to be born and bred in the area, to join in and get involved. We urge anyone who has an idea they would like to discuss to come along to talk it over and we will do what we can to help. Similarly, if you have any issue / concern you would like to raise, please come along to the meetings or communicate it to a member of the Community Council.

We would most especially welcome the input from the young population of Cockburnspath - we very much value your ideas, as it is to your generation that the future of Cockburnspath belongs!

Elections are every four years and we are always on the look out for fresh ideas and enthusiasm, so if you are interested in helping make Cockburnspath an even better place to live and work, then please come along. It is a good way of meeting people and getting to learn more about the area, as well as influencing what it will be like in 10, 20 or 100 years time.