Have your say 2026: we need you to help us with our election coverage
Tell us, what are the big issues in 2026? We are building a Citizens Agenda for the Holyrood election this summer and we need your help to do that. It’s as easy as responding to a short online survey.
By Devon McCole
Scottish elections are right around the corner and we probably don't need to tell you just how important they are. We are living in times that move quicker than we can process them – who holds the reins matters.
Over the last year it has become increasingly obvious that the ruling parties no longer dominate in the way they used to. This means that this year's Holyrood election has the potential to really send shockwaves through the political establishment.
Your vote carries weight, but in order to make your vote really count you need to be informed. That’s why we’re building a Citizens Agenda for 2026.
What is the Citizens Agenda?
The Citizens Agenda is a people-powered approach to election coverage.
The first step of building a Citizens Agenda for our election coverage is asking you, the reader, what issues are most important to you; whether it’s issues relating to public transport, education or healthcare we want to hear your concerns surrounding these big issues.
From the responses we receive, after surveying people both online and in person, we will whittle down the issues that appeared the most – and generate a set of questions to send to all of the political candidates standing in the Holyrood elections, locally.
We will publish the answers we receive from each candidate so that you can compare your values with those of the politicians campaigning for your vote and feel fully informed going into the voting booth.
The idea is that instead of us candidates letting them set their own political agenda, the views of the people they are intended to serve are put to the forefront instead.
How you can help us build a Citizens Agenda
We need your help with our election coverage and it’s as easy as filling out a quick survey with only two questions:
What issues do you want candidates to be speaking about as they compete for your vote?
What kind of solutions could/would work to tackle these issues?
As well as putting those questions to candidates, we’ll be doing further reporting on the issues – and solutions – you share.
The last couple of times we ran the Citizens Agenda, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. People told us felt much more informed about the election process and the candidates involved. They also felt more connected to the political process and were able to cast their vote confidently.
That’s people-powered reporting and it starts with you: fill out the survey now.
If you prefer, you can also share your thoughts in the comment section below. Please also share the survey with friends, family, colleagues and neighbours.
We want to make sure that everyone's voice is heard, so we will also be looking to connect with as many community groups in person as we can; whether that’s a regular meet up or a special event, please get in touch with us if you’d like to invite us to something to hear the views of those who might struggle to access the form online.
Email newsroom@greatergovanhill.com or contact us through social media to arrange a community meeting with us.