Local MSP Craig Hoy recently attended a special event in Dumfries where young people got the opportunity to listen to and question Scotland’s political leaders.
Mr Hoy, who is the Scottish Conservative candidate for Dumfriesshire and currently the Shadow Finance Secretary, answered questions from pupils on a range of issues. The event was organised by the Royal Society of Edinburgh in collaboration with the Scottish Youth Parliament and Young Scot.
Speaking after the event, Mr Hoy said: “I am pleased to have been able to speak to pupils in Dumfries, it is a good opportunity to hear from Dumfries and Galloway’s young people and answer their questions. I know that young people understand the challenges of modern and rural Scotland better than anyone. Finding stable work, buying a home, and building a life here shouldn’t feel harder than it did for your parents. The Scottish Conservatives would change this by improving access to education, enhancing rural bus services and by making work pay.
“Young people don’t feel heard, and it’s up to politicians to make sure that the future for them in Scotland is positive. Sadly, at the event we discovered that more than half of local youngsters plan to leave the area. It is vital that we don’t lose talent to the rest of the UK because of poor services and the cost of living in Scotland.”
Mr Hoy answered questions on several topics, including the role of AI and the challenges rural young people face.
He added: “Young people living in rural areas face more challenges, including patchy mobile signals, poor public transport and access to healthcare and education. Rural Scotland has been wilfully neglected by the SNP for years. The young people we spoke to made it clear they feel ignored and left behind and I hope the SNP start properly funding the vital rural services that our young people rely on.”
