In the run-up to 5 May’s vote, be part of our campaign to ensure there’s investment in children at local level

6 April 2022

We’ve adapted our 2021-26 Manifesto for next month’s council elections and will be campaigning on 13 key calls ahead of polling day, writes Amy Woodhouse

We published Children in Scotland’s Manifesto for 2021-2026 ahead of the Holyrood elections in 2021.

It was produced on the back of considerable engagement – with our staff, board, our children and young people's advisory group, Changing our World, and members. It built on learning and recommendations from across our projects and services and the wider evidence base.

The Manifesto contains actions we believe the Scottish Government should take to improve the lives of children, young people and families across Scotland.

It’s impossible to entirely separate national from local action however, and in thinking forward to the Local Council Elections in May, we were heartened to see how many of the calls could equally relate to actions necessary at local government level.

So instead of producing a brand new local council elections Manifesto this year, we releasing a Children in Scotland Manifesto 2021-2026 – the local council edit!

It contains 13 calls from the original Manifesto, adapted slightly for a local government audience.

The calls range across all 10 themes of our original manifesto, focusing on rights, poverty, early years, learning, health and wellbeing, places and spaces, child protection, the environment, equalities and planning and resources.

They are released at a time of significant uncertainty across Scotland and internationally, with deep concerns about the impact of cost of living increases on families, the ongoing effects of the pandemic on our lives and global concerns about the climate emergency and war.

It is the role of local government to provide stability within local communities at this time, ensuring that the places we live, study, work and play are safe and well run and that services provide for our needs in respectful and inclusive ways, particularly when we require additional help. The size of this task in the current climate is considerable.

Working with communities, including their youngest residents, to make decisions will be essential to ensure that precious budgets are spent well and effectively. Our Manifesto calls highlight those areas Children in Scotland strongly believes would be worthy of that investment of time, focus and money.