Powerless community
When I worked for the council as an area community worker we listened to the community, we worked in partnership with the community and other agencies to meet the needs of the community – we empowered the community helping them to improve the quality of life for their community.
We did not need fancy labels such as ‘partnership working’; it was a way of working with people for the greater good.
But what has happened since those times in the 1980’s and 90’s when communities played an important role in major decision-making?
All the major trusts and the SIC talk about partnership working, working together to enhance the quality of life for the people of Shetland but this is not happening in the case of the Scalloway Pool.
The community heard on the 16 January that the pool was to close – no consultation, no opportunity for the community to help look at solutions – just to close on 31March – the community felt powerless!
An action group was formed and a petition to Save Scalloway Pool gathered over 5,000 signatures. A further petition was signed by over 500 people asking that the SIC, SRT and SCT work together to find a solution to keep the pool open.
This enabled our local councillor Davie Sandison to table a motion at the council meeting in March and agreement was given for the chief executive to make representation to the SRT and SCT and report back to the council with options for a sustainable long term plan to maintain the operation of the SRT and the Scalloway Pool into the future.
The outcomes of this is to be presented to the council on 1 July so let’s hope that the partnership working and working together will produce some positive outcomes.
Though asked by the action group if someone could be in attendance at these meetings this was declined, not even a representative from Scalloway Community Council could attend, again the community was powerless.
Major decisions were being made on the future of the Scalloway Pool, but the community was not part of it.
The action group did share the outcomes of the community impact assessments and other information that may help with their deliberations on the future of the pool.
Had we still been working the way we had in the 1980’s and 90’s the community would have been involved from the outset when the SRT ran into difficulties and been part of the solutions, bringing in the SCT and the SIC as part of that process.
The Scalloway Pool may not have closed on 31March leaving the SRT with additional costs maintaining a closed facility and a community feeling powerless.
Sonia Inkster
Scalloway
