Island community voices to be heard

The views of remote and island communities on local democracy will be the focus for the Scottish Parliament’s local government and regeneration committee when it visits Stornoway today, Friday.

The visit to the Western Isles is part of its inquiry into flexibility and autonomy of local government. During the visit, the committee will have an open meeting with community groups and hear firsthand about the challenges faced by remote and island communities in relation to their public services and local government.

The committee also hopes to hear views on how these challenges can be addressed, including thoughts on potential changes to local democratic structures and financial arrangements.

It will then hold a formal public committee meeting, taking evidence from councillors and local authority chief executives, including OIC’s Alistair Buchan, before hearing from representatives of the third sector, from the three island authorities.