Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG) have welcomed a stronger role for communities in plans to reform how public services are delivered across Scotland.
Published this week, The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2026 to 2031 commits to “empowering regions and communities” by putting more power in the hands of people and the places they live.
The Government is beginning a three-month period of “intensive dialogue” to agree a shared direction for the future of local governance, including community empowerment, alongside talks on the reform of social care.
TSDG re-emphasised the vital role that communities and place must play in shaping this change, with lasting reform only succeeding when grounded in the knowledge, relationships and lived experience that voluntary and community organisations bring to their local areas.
Helen Keron, TSDG’s interim CEO, said: “Communities and place have to be at the centre of how this change is designed and delivered, not added on as an afterthought. Dumfries and Galloway’s third sector organisations understand their communities better than anyone, and their voice needs to be heard clearly as these reforms take shape.”
TSDG reiterated an ongoing offer to support engagement across the third sector throughout the process to help local organisations understand the proposals, share their views and connect with the wider conversation about regional governance and public service reform.
The Scottish Government will now enter the consultation phase with Local Government and other partners. TSDG will also work with regional partners as this change is rolled out, ensuring that the voice of Dumfries and Galloway’s third sector is represented at every stage.
As part of this process, TSDG will continue to monitor developments as the Programme progresses and will share further information and opportunities for engagement with its members and the wider sector in the coming weeks.
For more: https://www.gov.scot/publications/programme-government-2026-2031/