Citizen Panel change

West Lothian Citizens’ Panel is to get a makeover, with new members brought in as the council prepares to hold its latest Quality of Life Survey.

And the panel, one of the largest in Scotland - with around 2700 members- is to be slimmed down to around 2000 in a bid to improve response rates.

It will mean the “retiral” of some members, who are all volunteers, along with a recruitment campaign to improve the demographic profile to reflect the changing population, and currently there is an underrepresentation by younger people.

The Citizens Panel was established in 1999 and is supported by the Community Planning Partnership ( CPP). It was set up to help identify views on various aspects relating to living in West Lothian, and the services provided by the CPP. The panel is managed by an external organisation, with a tender process carried out every few years. Since 2018 the contract has been with Engage Scotland.

Quality of Life Surveys have traditionally been carried out with the panel every three years. This survey asks a wide range of questions about life in West Lothian. Topics covered include West Lothian’s economy, community safety, health, travel and the environment. West Lothian Council’s Executive agreed to the proposals drawn up by the Community Planning team for a refresh of the Panel membership before launching a new survey in the summer. The results should be published by the end of the year.