In 2010 the Council set up a Citizens’ Panel for the Highlands. The panel is made up of around 2300 residents from the local population local population who have agreed to take part in consultation activity. This is to help the Council to find out what Highland residents think about Council services and ensure that communities take part in shaping services for the future.
To ensure there is continuing opportunity for Highland residents to participate in the panel we ask a number of people to stand down each year and invite a new group to join.
By agreeing to participate in the panel, you would be committing to responding to two or three surveys per year. You can choose to respond to surveys by post or by using email. The topics you will be consulted upon will be varied, reflecting the nature of services the Council provides and could include education, care for the elderly and roads. Some surveys may be short with only a few questions, others may be longer requiring up to 30 minutes to complete. Occasionally we may ask some panel members to take part in focus groups.
You may also be contacted by our public sector partner organisations - Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, NHS Highland, University of the Highlands and Islands, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Natural Heritage - who will consult the panel about the services they provide too.
If you are interested in being part of the Citizens’ Panel, please complete the following recruitment form . The panel aims to be representative of the population and for this reason we need to ask you some standard profile questions in the recruitment form. This will make sure we have the right mix of individuals and good representation from across Highland. The information you provide will be used only for these purposes and will not be shared with the Partner organisations referred to above.
Although we ask you to sign up to take part in the panel, you are free to withdraw at any time. Should you have any queries about the Panel please contact The Council’s Policy Team on 01463 702006.