Young people will get an opportunity to air their views on how public money should be spent in Scotland as part of this year’s Festival of Politics taking place at the Scottish Parliament. Six teams of 14 to 17 year olds will be given access to real figures and the actual bills presented to MSPs.The teenagers will be asked to draw up their budgets and then debate what reforms they could afford to make if they were running the country. The budget debate in late August is one of a series of events designed to involve people from all age groups in the parliamentary process.

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Local authorities and developers are facing a call to put greater emphasis on good design in planning new homes. Communities and Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly told the audience at the Housing Design Awards that design was fundamental to creating strong and cohesive communities.Meanwhile new figures show that the proportion of new homes built on brownfield land reached a record high of 74 per cent last year, up from 56 per cent in 1997. The average density of new developments is at 41 dwellings per hectare, which is up from 25 in 1997. Current planning policy prioritises the use of brownfield sites to protect green spaces and prevent urban sprawl.Ruth Kelly said good design was key to getting the right housing where it was needed. It meant, she said, attractive places with a mixture of size and tenure, high environmental standards and green spaces. “We need to build more homes to meet demand, which requires higher densities which makes good design even more crucial, ” she added.

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Living in a disadvantaged community brings a whole range of challenges that those who live elsewhere do not have to face. They include aggression from gangs and adults with drink or drug problems. The challenges are particularly acute for parents and children and the authors looked at the way they respond to their situation. They found high levels of resilience and resourcefulness and expose some negative myths.