Journey to the 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. 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. It is now up to the Scottish Government to take the next steps.