The Scottish Rural Parliament is a grassroots democratic assembly, bringing together people who live and work in rural and island Scotland with decision makers and influencers to explore current thinking and identify actions that will shape the future of rural communities.
Scottish Rural Parliament 2021 will be held over five days between March 6th and 18th. In sessions that will be open to everyone who would like to register, panels will look at a wide variety of issues that deeply affect rural Scottish lives – from local democracy and land use to digital communications and climate change. Through conversation and the sharing of stories these sessions will explore what needs to be done so that rural communities are thriving and their natural environment is safeguarded.
A member of the European-wide network of Rural Parliaments, the Scottish Rural Parliament takes place every two years. Responding to the pandemic reality, the 2021 Virtual SRP (2021vSRP) will take place online on a platform which is easy to access if you have a mobile phone, tablet or laptop and an internet connection. This year the Scottish Rural Action is partnering with the Scottish Islands Federation and Scottish Rural Network and the outcomes of the parliament will form the basis of an updated Manifesto for Rural and Island Scotland.
The programme can be seen in full here and we will be looking at the individual sessions in greater detail over the coming weeks.