HOPS has an Executive Committee Core Team, comprising the Chair, Senior Vice Chair and Junior Vice Chair, which oversees all of its activities and implements agreed actions from the Executive Committee, supported by a Project Manager, a Secretariat from the Improvement Service, and 5 Sub-Committees: Development Management, Development Planning, Performance and Practice, Climate Change, Energy and Resources and Digital Planning. The roles of the Executive Core Team and Support Staff are shown below.
HOPS Executive Core Team
HOPS Chair – Ian Aikman
- Leadership of HOPS
- Political representation via COSLA
- Liaison with the Scottish Government
- Attendance at the High Level Group on Performance
- HOPS Spokesperson for Media and Communications
- Overall responsibility for the HOPS Business Plan
Senior Vice Chair – Pamela Clifford
- Identifying best practice for advancing leadership and culture change opportunities
- Partnership Arrangements, including joint working with other organisations
- Budget and finance co-ordination, including sourcing income streams and support funding for HOPS
- Focus on the areas of performance, skills and shared services with the relevant Sub-Committee chairs
Junior Vice Chair – Christina Cox
- Communications with the wider HOPS membership, including a quarterly newsletter
- Co-ordination of HOPS surveys and research work streams
- Liaison with the Sub-Committee Chairs
- Focus on the areas of planning review, legislation and consultation with relevant Sub-Committee Chairs
Support Roles
HOPS Project Manager
- Dedicated support to the HOPS Management Team and the HOPS Executive Committee in carrying out the above-named tasks and operational areas
- Continued focus on the wider Planning Review proposals and the specific Planning Bill processes
Improvement Service
- Dedicated secretariat for all meetings, agendas, notes of meetings and other administrative functions
- Continued focus on the areas of performance management, shared services and skills, and learning initiatives
HOPS Committee Structure
All HOPS members are actively encouraged to become involved in the work of the Executive Committee and the Sub-Committees. The organisation of the Committees is set out below:
To carry out specific work streams, the Sub-Committees are supported by project based Working Groups. These consist of a project lead from the relevant Sub-Committee. Appropriate members are co-opted on a project-by-project basis. HOPS also send representatives to a number of working groups managed by external organisations.
In addition all local authorities and National Park Authorities have the opportunity to be represented in HOPS Benchmarking Groups based on the SOLACE family groups. These benchmarking groups cover issues from both development management, policy, digital planning and placemaking. Attendance in the first instance is formed from local authority Heads of Service or senior officers.
Updated 10/10/2023
HOPS 