Community Council of the Royal Burgh of Peebles and District

Who we are
Membership of this community council consists of:
Elected members: There is a maximum of 18 elected councillors allowed for, each of whom may serve for up to 3 years before standing for re-election.
Co-opted members: The community council may co-opt additional members with particular skills or interests that will assist them in their work. These members may be co-opted for a specific period of time, or until the next annual general meeting at which point they could stand for election.
Ex officio members: Currently, the six elected representatives to Scottish Borders Council from East and West Tweeddale are ex-officio members.
N.B. Co-opted and ex officio members have no votes and may not be office bearers.

What we do
A Community Council’s specific purpose is to represent the local community. Community councils are unique in that they are statutory, but they are not another tier of local government.
Two Acts of Parliament governing Community Councils allow for them to "take any action" they deem appropriate to improve their community.
In addition to any other purpose which it may pursue, this Community Council shall ascertain, co-ordinate and express to Scottish Borders Council and to other public authorities, the views of the community which it represents in relation to matters for which those authorities are responsible and take such action in the interests of that community as appears to be expedient and practicable.
The Community Council shall be non-party in politics and non-discriminatory and shall represent all persons in its area. The encouragement of a sense of community and the maintenance of local traditions within Peebles and District are paramount.

When and Where we meet
Ordinary Meetings of the Council are held on the Second Thursday of each month in the Council Chamber, Chambers Institution, Peebles. These meetings normally start at 7.30pm and continue until approximately 9.30 pm. All meetings are open to the public.
Each meeting now allows 15 minutes for a Question and Answer session for members of the public to ask a question on any subject of relevance to the community council.
It should be remembered that anyone wishing to speak should always address the meeting through the chairperson.

Committees
A number of other committees have also developed to deal exclusively with specific areas of interest:-

Planning & Development
Projects Committee
Safety Committee
Bonnie Peebles

Area Covered
The Community Council is not divided into Wards. Each councillor represents the whole area of the Council as delineated on the Scottish Borders Council Map No. 63, and can put forward the views of the community on any matter.
As well as covering the town of Peebles, the Community Council covers those parts of the surrounding district which include Eshiels and Horsbrugh Ford, Kirkburn and Kailzie; Glensax and Cademuir; westwards to Manor Bridge, Lyne Station and the Meldons road; and northwards from Peebles to Nether Kidston.