Local authorities urged to boost youth involvement

● Report finds young people feel excluded

Allowing young people to serve on local authority committees in a non-voting capacity would help boost future civic engagement, an independent report released today says.

“Being Heard: Helping to Create the Next Generation of Civic Leaders in Scotland”, the largest study ever undertaken into young people and lack of representation within Scottish local authorities, reveals a low level of participation of young people aged 25 and under.

The report compiled by John Ross Scott, former leader of Borders Council and now an Independent councillor with Orkney Islands Council and Kristopher Leask, 19, an international relations student at the University of St Andrews, also recommends changes such as appointing a paid youth convener by all local authorities as in Highland Council, following the Norwegian model allowing better age-equality levels of elected members and establishing a mentoring system.

Interviews with more than 50 young people found they felt largely excluded from decision-making and that while education was a key issue with some, the main focus of concern was mental health, transport and the environment.

The report being launched today at the headquarters of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) in Edinburgh, also highlights the wide variations across councils in taking the views of young people into account.

Mr Leask said the report was a ‘snapshot’ of what was happening across Scotland.

“What shocked me was that nobody knew what was going on. One of the main issues was that there seemed to be no leadership from above and that it was left to the local authorities what to do. There was huge varia- tions on youth engagement.

“But one of the best examples we found was Highland Council which has a youth delegate paid £16,000 who is with them for a year, and who actually has a vote on the education committee. The delegate is the link between the council and organisations such as the Highland Youth Parliament.”

Mr Scott said involving the young tended to be “tokenistic.”

“There are many people who ‘talk the talk’ , then nothing happens despite reports and recommendations.

“This is an issue of social justice and inclusion. Young people want changes but don’t always know how to get to influence.”