People across Scotland are being invited to suggest ways of increasing local control over decision-making

The Scottish Government and COSLA have announced that people across Scotland are being invited to suggest ways of increasing local control over decision-making.

The second phase of the Democracy Matters national conversation will give people the opportunity to come together in their communities to consider how the democratic process can best help their town, village or neighbourhood.

Communities can use the discussion document Democracy Matters which covers several themes such as powers, representation, accountability and participation to aid their discussions.

Democracy Matters is part of the wider Local Governance Review, led jointly with COSLA, which is considering how powers and resources should be shared between national and local government and with communities.

It will inform future legislation on local governance.

The closing date for responses is 28 February 2024 and information about how to apply for grants to help cover the costs of hosting events is available online.