Facing the future: Scotland's challenges

The economic perspective

Professor Graeme Roy set the scene from an economic perspective. As the current Chair of the Fiscal Commission, he outlined long-term structural challenges facing the country, including a rapidly ageing population. The proportion of over-65s is projected to increase significantly, rising from 20% to 32% of the total population by 2072. This growing demographic will need to be supported by a rapidly shrinking working-age population.

From his background as a chair of a big consumer-facing business and an active angel investor, Tom Ward FRSA reminded us that to create the economic growth needed to fund public services. Attracting inward investment is important for Scotland's economy, and care should be taken to avoid introducing unnecessary regulatory barriers

Asks for the government

The discussion highlighted key challenges and opportunities for strengthening democracy and governance in Scotland, with an emphasis on trust, accountability, local empowerment, and public engagement.

Charles Fowler FRSA highlighted the need to address declining trust in governments in the United Kingdom. He emphasised that this erosion of trust stems in part from a gap between rhetoric and action. Governments and media are now trusted significantly less than non-governmental organisations and businesses, showing the urgency of aligning policies with core values to rebuild credibility and safeguard democratic processes.

The call for genuine local democracy was another critical focus, accentuated by Fellow Esther Robertson. With Scotland currently divided into a small number of large councils, concerns were raised about a democratic deficit that leaves communities feeling disconnected from decision-making. Establishing more powerful and representative city, town, island, and local councils was proposed as a solution to give communities greater influence over the governance of their own areas.

Accountability in public policy also emerged as a pressing priority from Jen Wallace FRSA. Effective accountability was framed not as assigning blame but as a means of ensuring public institutions serve the people effectively. This includes learning from past mistakes, promoting independent oversight and scrutiny, ensuring transparency in policymaking, and actively involving citizens in shaping decisions that affect their lives.

Citizen engagement and the quality of public debate were also addressed by Fellow Lesley Martin. There is a need to foster more informed and reflective discussions, moving beyond surface-level consensus to consider diverse perspectives. Deliberative democracy methods were suggested to achieve more meaningful public involvement, challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging thoughtful discourse.

Together, these insights underscored the need for collaborative, values-driven approaches to governance that empower citizens and strengthen democratic institutions at every level.

The social landscape

This part of the conversation focused on pressing social issues such as homelessness, the role of community empowerment, and the challenges facing the cultural sector. Speakers shared insightful perspectives and proposed actionable strategies to tackle these topics.

Ewan Aitken FRSA spoke about the challenges of homelessness, particularly its connections to mental health and other social issues. Drawing on his work with the Cyrenians, Aitken underscored the need for sustainable, long-term funding to enable effective interventions. He noted that with adequate resources, targeted strategies could yield purposeful and lasting improvements for individuals and communities.

The importance of aligning community empowerment policies with recent legislation on community wealth building was promoted by Katie Kelly. She advocated for community power to take a central role in public service transformation, underpinned by clearly defined values, supportive relationships, and a culture that prioritises local impact.

Catherine Holden offered a creative perspective on the challenges faced by the cultural sector. Using a mortar, pestle, and cards as a metaphorical framework, she shed light on the complexities and interwoven issues affecting cultural organisations and their sustainability in the current landscape.

Each speaker contributed valuable insights, exhibiting a broader understanding of how collaborative approaches and systemic changes could address these pressing societal issues.

Special thanks

This was an excellent RSA event – lively and stimulating, sending a message to policymakers in Scotland about important and fundamental policy issues that can easily be lost amid the short-term pressures of government. Congratulations to Ann Packard, Amy McPherson and the rest of the RSA team.  

This article was written in collaboration with RSA Fellow Charles Fowler. For more information relating to this article, please contact:

Charles Fowler FRSA

charlesfowler@fastmail.fm