Election / Tell us the issues you care about in the Scottish parliamentary elections
What issues matter most to you this election? Tell us what candidates should be talking about
In May, voters across Scotland will head to the polls to elect the next Scottish Parliament.
As the election campaign ramps up, we want to make sure the issues being discussed reflect what matters most to the people who live here.
At Shetland News we believe journalism should work differently. Too often, election coverage focuses on what politicians and party machines want to talk about. Instead, we want to hand some of that power over to you – our readers.
That’s why we’re taking part in the Scottish Beacon’s Citizens Agenda project, an initiative bringing together independent local newsrooms across Scotland.
The aim is simple: to find out what really matters to our communities, and make sure those issues shape the election conversation.
We’re asking readers one simple question: What do you want candidates to be talking about as they compete for your vote?
Let us know by filling in this very short survey here.
Your responses will help us build a citizens agenda – bringing together the issues our communities believe should be priorities in this election.
We’ll then turn these into questions that we will put directly to the candidates standing for election in our area and publish their answers so you can see where they stand.
By doing this, we hope to shift the focus of election coverage away from party talking points and toward the real concerns people are facing in their lives.
We’ll also use the responses to guide our reporting during and after the campaign – exploring the issues you raise and, after the election, holding elected representatives accountable for the positions they take.
Your voice will help determine the questions we ask – and the stories we tell – in the months ahead.
Confirmed candidates for the Shetland constituency so far are, in alphabetical order: Alex Armitage (Greens), Vic Currie (Reform UK), John Erskine (Labour), Hannah Mary Goodlad (SNP), Emma Macdonald (Liberal Democrats and Brian Nugent (Alliance to Liberate Scotland).
Shetland News is a founding member of the Scottish Beacon, a collaborative network of 25 independent, community-based publications across Scotland formed to strengthen the voice of the independent local news sector.
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If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
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