This week the Centre for Social Informatics published the findings of a research project that highlights the low online visibility of Scottish Community Councils.

The research was conducted in summer 2012 by my colleagues Peter Cruickshank and Dr Bruce Ryan. Their survey of over 1500 Scottish community councils shows that under a quarter (22%) maintain an updated online public presence. Only 4% of Scottish community councils make planning content available online despite their key importance in the planning process.

This research updates a study carried out between 2004-2006 to investigate how technology could be developed to help regenerate democracy at the local community level. Although the 2012 survey reveals some good examples of active online presences and support by local authorities, in general there is not a sense of improvement in information provision online. The full PDF of the study is available for download from the web site of the Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation.