The General Election may be dominating the headlines, but contests have also been taking place for the Scottish Youth Parliament.
Kelvin Anderson and Kaylee Mouat have been confirmed as the two successful local candidates. Five young people had stood in the elections to represent Shetland for the period June 2015 to June 2017. Returning Officer for Shetland Islands Council, Jan Riise made the declarations at Lerwick Town Hall, in the company of the candidates, their families, Councillors and invited guests.
The election to the parliament, in which there are 146 seats, took place on-line and young people aged between 12 and 26 were eligible to vote. In Shetland, 1,015 young people participated in the election, an increase in turnout of 14.3% over the previous contest in 2013.
Shetland Islands Council Convenor Malcolm Bell said: “Firstly, well done to all the candidates for standing in these elections and congratulations to Kelvin and Kaylee on their success. The Council fully supports the work of these young parliamentarians who work hard to raise the profile of issues affecting young people, both locally and nationally. We have already had a positive working relationship Kaylee, as one of the current MSYPs and we look forward to working with Kelvin now too.”