Discussing and developing community benefits arrangements can become a big job for community stakeholders. Discussions can be complex, involve a diverse range of players and, by virtue of the nature of the development, can stretch over a long period of time – often years. Communities may sometimes find it helpful to bring in additional skills, capacity and knowledge to explore and make the most of the opportunity and to progress with discussions in an informed and confident manner. This may involve bringing in professional support from external parties to explore potential options or scenarios and advise on the best way forward. Such support needs to be informed, considered in light of the specific context, and based on
good practice.

External expertise may be available from, for example:

  • Local Energy Scotland through the Scottish Government’s CARES (Community and Renewable Energy Scheme) scheme – the network of Local Development Officers who can share learning across communities, CARES framework of suppliers and Enablement Grants are available to set-up funds and support activities such as consultations and action planning.
  • In some areas, staff of some local or regional agencies or local authorities have useful experience.
  • Other vetted third parties offering this kind of specialist support (see below for more information on a framework of these).

To support communities that wish to commission consultants to assist with the design and set-up of community benefit funds, A framework of suppliers in community engagement services is available as part of the CARES support package (see the toolkit Overview module). Suppliers on the Framework have been vetted to check they meet certain standards of service, have relevant insurance in place and charge rates that are within the market norm.

Please note however that Local Energy Scotland does not provide recommendations or guarantee the quality of work of any Framework Supplier. Local Energy Scotland also offer guidance on appointing a supplier and on managing your contract with them. It may also be worth looking to speak to a community who has been through the process, to benefit from their experience and knowledge. Local Energy Scotland can help community groups or renewable energy businesses to find a relevant community contact.