Evaluation of the Dunfermline New City Assembly

Authored with Elisabet Vives from LSE Consulting’s Education, Youth and Civic Engagement (EYCE) Hub, the report examines how a mini public, convened by Fife Council, the Electoral Reform Society, and supported by the Scottish Government, brought residents together to deliberate on Dunfermline’s future following its city status in 2022.

The findings highlight the potential of locally rooted assemblies to strengthen civic capability, deepen trust and support more resilient governance. Participants reported increased understanding of local policy, greater confidence in engaging with public decisions and a stronger sense of community connection.

This report concludes EYCE’s three-phase evaluation, which included an ecological evaluation mapping Dunfermline’s civic landscape, a formative evaluation supporting real-time learning during the Assembly, and a summative final evaluation assessing long-term impact and scalability.

Dunfermline’s experience offers lessons not only for Scotland but for any place seeking to root governance more deeply in its communities.