Consultation on the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill May 2025

Between April and May 2025, the Scottish Parliament is consulting on the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill, initiating the formal process of scrutiny and debate required for it to become law.

The Consultation Process: During Stage 1, the Bill is assigned to a lead committee—typically the one most relevant to its subject matter. This committee reviews the Bill and produces a report. Other committees may also examine the Bill and submit their findings to the lead committee. The stage concludes with a debate and vote by all MSPs on the general principles of the Bill. If these principles are not approved, the Bill falls and cannot proceed to become legislation.

The CLD Standards Council submitted a full response to the consultation following analysis of members views gathered via an online questionnaire and individual engagements. We welcomed the alignment of the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill with the values and aspirations of CLD. However, we believe the Bill currently lacks sufficient detail regarding the full range of physical, financial, and psychological resources required to realise its ambitions. It must go further in articulating the practical and structural enablers needed to empower Scotland’s communities to take the lead in improving their own futures.

Specifically, we urged the inclusion of:

  • Clearer recognition of community voice and participation as central to all phases of implementation.
  • Explicit reference to the role of CLD practitioners in enabling this participation through their unique skills and community relationships.
  • A realistic assessment of the funding, infrastructure, and workforce support necessary to sustain long-term, community-led change.

Read our full response, where we strongly advocated for the CLD profession to be formally recognised as a key stakeholder in the continued development and implementation of the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill.

DOWNLOAD:  CLDSC Consultation Response- 25 05 23 Community Wealth Building -Scotland- Bill (PDF)