Project: The 9CC Group – the East Ayrshire Rural Coalfields Strategic Community Benefit project

CARES funding: £25,000 enablement grant

Location: East Ayrshire

Date completed: November 2022

Background

The 9CC Group is a consortium comprising nine communities in the Cumnock and Doon Valley area, a popular area for the development of wind farms. The nine community councils that comprise the group are:

  • Auchinleck
  • Cumnock
  • Netherthird
  • Cronberry, Logan & Lugar (CLL)
  • New Cumnock
  • Dalmellington
  • Patna
  • Drongan, Rankinston & Stair (DRS)
  • Ochiltree & Skares.

The 9CC Group was established to become a dedicated single trust to manage, administer and distribute community benefit from newly consented and future wind farm developments in the area in a fair and equitable way. The group also wanted to strengthen the community councils through increased participation, active citizenship, and cross-membership with other local groups.

Stephen McCarron, chief operating officer of The 9CC Group, says the local “communities have accepted these [windfarm] developments on the basis that the delivery of significant community benefits offers the opportunity to invest in the much-needed regeneration of the area”.

The group believes that communities should have full control over the payments of community benefits and that to deliver long-term regeneration “it is imperative that the disbursement of these community benefit monies are pooled and coordinated to deliver long-term legacy benefits.”

Project aims and objectives

The 9CC Group had already drafted a process and method of distributing community benefits in a way that was local, democratic, transparent, accountable, fair and equitable. This draft included an overview of suggested governance, structure and distribution model which had initial approval of windfarm developers at the time.

The group had also developed a matrix to work out the distribution and allocation of funds and envisaged two distinct ways to do this; by making direct contributions to eligible communities’ anchor organisations, which would account for 30% of community benefit funds for the area; and a strategic, 9CCG-wide fund to distribute the remaining 70%.

The 9CC Group applied for funding and support from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) to work with professional consultants to further develop these ideas by consulting with the community and getting legal advice.

The project aimed to:

  • establish an appropriate legal entity that would allow the consortium group to manage and distribute community benefit funds for the area, in line with the Scottish Government’s Good Practice Principles
  • establish an appropriate government and management structure, following community consultation and professional advice, that would enable the newly established group to administer the funds appropriately
  • develop a strategic, area-wide community action plan to set out achievable project options that focus on sustainability and leaving a positive legacy in the community.

Outcomes and achievements

After being supported by Local Energy Scotland to procure legal support, Harper Macleod LLP was appointed as the project’s legal support to oversee the new entity’s incorporation, constitution, management and governance. Community Enterprise was appointed to deliver the community consultation and strategic plan, and to provide support towards fund management.

Stephen McCarron says “the CARES funding enabled us to consult with the local community and deliver a strategic, area-wide community action plan to help guide [the distribution of] community benefit funds. It also allowed us to become legally incorporated and constituted as a tier-one SCIO [Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation]. Through legal support, we also developed governance and management documents and strategies to effectively deliver community benefits long-term across the 9CCG area.”

The Community Action Plan was created following a consultation process that involved more than 1,700 people from across the nine community council areas. The plan sets out its vision for the community and includes a ten-year strategic plan centred around five key themes:

  • an active community
  • an entrepreneurial community
  • a connected community
  • a net zero community
  • children and young people.

Since completing the Community Action Plan, the group has managed a pilot funding round and awarded more than £100,000 to transformative community projects across the nine areas. Projects funded so far include:

  • the installation of additional solar panels at Netherthird Community Centre
  • the installation of solar panels and other energy saving measures at Auckinleck outdoor and indoor bowling clubs
  • the creation of a community garden by Patna Community Council
  • the Phase 2 capital development of Cumnock Men’s Shed
  • the re-surfacing of a community car park adjacent to Lugar F.C, alleviating pavement and on-street car parking.

The 9CC Group held an official launch event on 27 October 2023 at Dumfries House near Cumnock to launch its website and Local Community Fund.

There will be two distinct methods of distributing community benefit:

  • a Local Community Fund
  • a Strategic Area Fund.

The Local Community Fund, which will distribute around 30% of the annual total community benefit monies, will go to the nine communities to fund projects and initiatives in their local area. This will be done by a method and process that demonstrates indicators such as population, distance from turbines, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, and Convergence of Significant Construction Traffic Impact.

The Strategic Area Fund will distribute the remaining 70% of funds to deliver ‘strategic legacy projects’ that align with the Community Action Plan’s five key priorities and themes.

Lessons learned

Stephen McCarron of The 9CC Group identified several challenges throughout the project. For example, Stephen says that the procurement process and community consultation took longer than anticipated because of COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time. Other work was also delayed because of reduced staff capacity, which was also Covid-related.

Stephen adds that “there is still some element of reluctance from a few developers to commit to local democratic community benefit management. This should obviously be remedied with the recently published Onshore Wind Sector Deal for Scotland.”

As for lessons learned, Stephen says the group “researched community groups who have set-up similar agreements to our proposal. These include DECBG who set up as a two-tier SCIO to manage local community funds, and the Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust, a company limited by guarantee and registered Scottish charity. Three members of The 9CC Group attended the 2019 CARES conference and gained some first-class knowledge of community benefit development, ideas for legacy projects, genuine community consultation and finally a determination to ensure local democracy would be at the heart of our proposed Trust.”

Stephen has some tips for other communities going through a similar process.

  • Develop a website early in the process to create awareness among residents, communities, stakeholders, partners and potential developers.
  • Promote ‘multiple communities collaboration’ using community councils as a point of contact early discussions about community benefits, and place an emphasis on establishment, governance and strategic spending.
  • Look beyond the standard methods of community benefit distribution (equal split) to adopting a more equitable approach.

Finally, Stephen advises groups to “leave the issues where you disagree at the door – you can return to them. Focus and build social capital on the issues which you agree on or have some common consensus. Build upon your strengths.”

Find out more about The 9CC Group.