LINKS

Internal links

Constitution & Standing Orders

Minutes of meetings

Election Nomination Form

 External links

The Scottish Government

Tell me Scotland (NEW)

Midlothian Council

The Association of Scottish Community Councils

Midlothian Federation of Community Councils

Undiscovered Scotland - Loanhead entry

Community links

Loanhead Community Development Association

Loanhead Gala Day

Loanhead Music Festival

Loanhead Parish Church

Loanhead After School Club

The Role of the Community Council

Formal, and less formal, descriptions of the role of community councils can be found elsewhere (see for example the Wikipedia description here), but a simple explanation is set out below.

Loanhead and District Community Council is a statutory body, and has been set up to provide an easily accessible forum whereby members of the community can:-

• raise issues of concern with the Scottish government, Midlothian Council, the Police, the Health Board, the utility (gas, water, electricity, telecommunications) companies etc.,
• raise, or be made aware of, local and national planning issues,
• find out about, and make responses to, local and national consultation exercises.

This is not an exclusive list, merely an indication of the scope of the Community Council's remit.

Past issues of concern locally have included; the possible creation of a football stadium at Straiton; the dualling (or otherwise) of the A701; the building of a women's refuge in the town centre; the  development of a homelessness unit at Kilbreck/St Ronans, the demolition of Loanhead Town Hall by Midlothian Council.

The Community Council has no executive powers, so it cannot directly "get things done". However, it most certainly can give your local Midlothian Councillors a good idea of local opinion, and help them decide how to act, and where and when to apply pressure to other bodies. It can only do this if you, the community, make your views known to the Community Council.

Loanhead and District Community Council is non-political; that is to say, there is no representation by any political party. It is also of course non-sectarian. The members, electable by the community, are all volunteers, and are not paid.