4.2  Monitoring and reviewing impact assessments

Island Community Councils should advocate for local people and their way of life when it comes to decisions affecting them. Community Councils can highlight the importance of considering the unique challenges faced by island communities and push for policies that address these challenges. This includes ensuring that island communities impact assessments become a normal procedural step, similar to equality impact assessments.

Community Councils can challenge relevant authorities to ensure impact assessments are carried out when their policies, strategies and service changes are being proposed that affect the community. If a relevant authority doesn’t carry out an impact assessment in relation to a policy, strategy or service that has an effect on an island community, it must publish an explanation of its reasons for not doing so.

When impact assessments are carried out and published, Island Community Councils can review these to ensure that they include a thorough description of the differential effects on island communities and plan to improve or mitigate outcomes. Community Councils can provide feedback and suggest adjustments to better address the needs of their community.