Community business: a new role for the planner

The growing political pressure for local authorities in the UK to be seen to be doing something about unemployment has led to a variety of local economic initiatives. This paper looks at one such initiative in Scotland. Community Business aims to help those who have not benefitted from conventional schemes; that is, the long‐term unemployed with outdated skills, or with no skills at all. The paper considers how and why planners should be involved in community business promotion, on the basis of Scottish experience.