Abstract Partnership working between the public, private and third sectors is a defining feature of the contemporary local public policy landscape in the UK. Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) in Scotland involve representatives from different sectors working in partnership, led by the relevant local authority. CPPs resemble local governance reforms elsewhere in the UK and encounter similar problems, among which are difficulties in successfully integrating voluntary sector organisations. This article draws upon research which explored the influence of voluntary sector participants in relation to community planning processes at the strategic, managerial and operational levels. It examines the suspicion that voluntary sector representatives have a ‘mere presence rather than a voice’ in local policy-making (Cameron, S. & Davoudi, S. (1998) Combating social exclusion – looking in or looking out?, in: G. Madaanipour et al. (Eds) Social Exclusion in European Cities, pp. 250 (London: Jessica Kingsley), and e...