The Strathnairn Community Benefit Fund (SCBF) Board recently conducted a survey about the future governance and membership of the Fund following recommendations in the Review of the Fund conducted by Foundation Scotland.

The results of the survey were as follows:

Do you agree the current legal structure for the Fund (i.e. a charity and company limited by guarantee) remains fit for purpose?

No action required.

Do you agree that the membership should be widened to include Strathnairn residents?

Within the next year proposals will be presented to the Community Council for agreement to make this change.

Please give your views on how Board Members should be appointed.

This was not a question of agreeing or disagreeing with a proposal, however there was a clear majority within the responses for some form of open election process.

Within the next year the current Board Members will all stand down and a new Board will be formed. Proposals regarding how these Board Members are appointed will be presented to the Community Council for agreement.

Foundation Scotland recommends that Strathnairn Community Benefit Fund should define its specific purpose to be as a distributor of funds rather than as an all-purpose enabler or facilitator of rural generation. A Development Trust, separate from SCBF would be tasked with carrying out our rural regeneration. Do you think this recommendation would help further clarify SCBF’s role or not?

SCBF will facilitate the setting up of a sub committee of local residents to investigate and make proposals to the Community Council regarding the creation of a Development Trust for Strathnairn.

There were other questions within the survey which were either demographic (age & location) or sought general views.

SCBF would like to thank all those residents who participated in the survey.