The Citizens' Assembly of Scotland proposed an idea that could ensure all of Scotland is reflected in Holyrood - a permanent citizens' assembly, or 'House of Citizens'.
The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland was a group of 100 citizens from across Scotland who were broadly representative of the population, brought together to address what kind of country we are seeking to build in the 21st century. Following the conclusion of the assembly, there was broad support among the assembly members for the further use of citizens’ assemblies in future. A key recommendation from their report was for the creation of a permanent citizens’ assembly (with a rotating membership) at the Scottish Parliament.
While this would not be the first such body, (the Ostbelgien Parliament in Belgium established a permanent Citizens Council in 2019) it would place Scotland at the forefront of democratic innovation and make it a global leader in citizen empowerment and engagement.
Citizens’ assemblies have been used around the world and are a tried and tested democratic tool. A coalition of democracy organisations have put together a proposal for how the House of Citizens could work, with options for different levels of powers, and review processes to make sure the new chamber is working as intended. It is now up to the Scottish Government to take the next steps.
Democracy isn’t just something that happens at election time every five years. But the way politics works in Scotland right now, that’s often how it feels.
The Citizens' Assembly of Scotland has proposed an idea that could ensure all of Scotland is reflected in Holyrood - a permanent citizens assembly, or 'House of Citizens', to be representative of the whole country and improve our laws. It's time to step our democracy up a gear - back the call today.