Last week, Dunfermline took another confident stride toward becoming a beacon of democratic innovation in Scotland. On Tuesday, Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee visited the Abbeyview Community Hub to meet with local councillors, Fife Council officers, and our team at ERS Scotland to hear firsthand how this is happening. At the heart of this progress is the Dunfermline New City Assembly, a pilot Citizens’ Assembly designed to give residents a real say in shaping the future of their city.
The Minister’s visit was more than symbolic—it was a recognition of the growing momentum behind community-led decision-making. As he put it:
“Empowering local communities to play a greater role in key decisions in their area is vital to increasing democratic engagement.”
We couldn’t agree more.
A new model for local power
Citizens’ Assemblies are not just talking shops. When done right, they offer a structured, inclusive space for people to deliberate on the issues that matter most—housing, transport, climate, local services—and to propose real solutions. The Dunfermline pilot is part of a broader Scottish Government commitment to community empowerment and democratic renewal, and we hope will provide loads of learning on how to upgrade local democracy so that peoples hopes and fears are heard and responded to. This could be a crucial technique in helping people to run their own place and so rebuild trust in democracy.
At ERS Scotland, we’ve been working closely with Fife Council and local partners to ensure the Assembly reflects the diversity and lived experience of Dunfermline’s residents. That means outreach, listening, and co-designing the process with the community as well as using the tried and tested method of ‘Sortition’ to ensure those on the assembly are a good representative sample of Dunfermline as a whole and includes voices that are too often unheard.
As I said during the Minister’s visit:
“The opportunity to have the people who live here address how the growth and change of their city can best serve them is a nationally important test of how to make democracy work for everyone.”
What Happens Next?
Over the last year we’ve been laying the groundwork – raising awareness that this is happening, beginning to explain to the community how the assembly will work, what might be possible and what might not be, designing the Assembly’s structure, identifying key themes, and ensuring inclusive participation.
In October, a letter will go out to tens of thousands of Dunfermline households asking them if they would like to take part, those that are interested will be put into a structured lottery designed so that we will be able to invite a representative group of residents to take part in the Assembly, it will convene over three weekends in January and February 2026. These lucky selected citizens will all receive an honorarium payment for their public service.
It will be a chance for a representative group of Dunfermline citizens to deliberate, reflect, and propose recommendations to the City of Dunfermline Area Committee. It’s democracy in action—local, participatory, and rooted in lived experience.
Join the Movement
If you live in Dunfermline or care about the future of local democracy, we invite you to sign the Dunfermline Declaration. It’s a simple but powerful way to show your support for a more participatory and community-led approach to decision-making.
As Cllr James Calder, Chair of Dunfermline Area Committee, put it:
“Dunfermline New City Assembly will give residents a real voice in shaping the future of our city.”
This, it is becoming true and clear to see, is what will give people a renewed confidence and support for democratic local governance. We know how important this is and are determined to make it a success.
Find out more about the Dunfermline New City Assembly
Find out more