Council looking for ‘Orkney Opinions’

Orkney Islands Council is looking to recruit members to a new public consultation group.

“Orkney Opinions” will give a group of residents the opportunity to comment and provide feedback on a range of topics.

Invitation letters are being sent to randomly selection people, along with a questionnaire to fill in if they are interested in taking part.

Members of the group will be asked to complete around four surveys over a 12-month period.

According to Gillian Morrison, the OIC’s executive director of corporate services, consultation is essential in planning local services.

While the council carries out consultations when a significant new policy or plan is in preparation, it feels that there would be benefits in setting up a group of interested Orkney residents who could be consulted when views are sought on a given topic.

Ms Morrison said: “It’s an opportunity to let the council know what they feel about local services and suggest how improvements can be made. I hope many of the people we’ve written to will be happy to become part of Orkney Opinions.”

“Orkney Opinions” will be run for a year as a pilot exercise. The aim is to have a membership that is representative of county as a whole.