Join us in Edinburgh for the final event of our engagement across the country!

We’ll be discussing open government and the current work the Scottish Government is doing with the public and civil society. This is your chance to help shape the future direction of openness, transparency and participation.

We want to hear from you:

The Scottish Government and Open Government Network are inviting you to have your say on the themes and issues that can help make government in Scotland more open, transparent and accountable. So whether you would like to see more data released in areas such as transport or agriculture; you'd like to be involved in developing new public services; or want more information on how public money is spent, come along and let us know. Are there ways in which we’re sharing more information with the public? Where can we be doing more?

Find out more about open government and the Partnership, meet the team and discuss your views and ideas about how we can make government work better for Scotland. This free informal workshop style event is hosted by the open government team at the Scottish Government, and we'll be joined by the civil society open government network too.

What is open government?

Governments use public money to shape the society we live in. The decisions they take impact on the day to day quality of life that we enjoy. Open governments do not just allow us to see what decisions are made, they allow us to take part in shaping them and provide us with the information we need to examine and challenge their choices.

The Scottish Government is part of the Open Government Partnership: an international programme to rebuild trust in governments across the world by providing a platform for reformers inside and outside governments. As we develop the new action plan (for 2018-20) we are working closely with the Civil Society network to invite the public to share their ideas to support our ambitions for openness and participation.

Who is this event for?

This event is open to everyone! All welcome, whether you're an interested member of the public, working professionals or a student. You don't need to know anything about open government, we just want to hear what you think. We encourage everyone to take part and share their ideas, but feel free to say as little or as much as you like.

What will happen on the day?

9.30am – Arrivals: teas and coffees provided

10.00am - Welcome from facilitators (Scottish Community Development Centre)

What is open government? - speakers from the Scottish Government open government team, and the civil society open government network.

11am- Workshop discussions - what changes do you want to see? Small group discussions - everyone is welcome to take part as little or as much as they want.

12pm- Round up, summary and next steps

12.30 - Lunch is provided

1pm - End

Accessibility and Questions

All event venues are accessible and we will try to make any reasonable adjustments or requirements to make it possible for you to take part.

What we can offer:

• We will also have a Personal Assistant on hand for your comfort.
• Accessible materials can be provided in large print, Easy Read or various colours as needed, we can send materials in advance and can provide print outs of presentations on the day.
• We may be able to provide BSL interpretors, palen typists and electronic notetakers if required.
• It may be possible for us to cover reasonable travel costs within the event city area such as taxis which we could book and pay for.

If you would like any of these requirements or adjustments, please get in touch with us at least a week before the event for us to try to meet these. We can try to provide these if requested and cannot gurantee. Unfortunately if we’re not made aware of any requirements before the events, they will not be provided on the day.

Please get in touch to chat about how we can make these events easier for you to attend by emailing us at ingage@gov.scot or Niamh on 07824596600 (also available on the day if you’re running late or can’t find the venue).

More info

Find out more about the Open Government Civil Society network and join the forum. See what was committed to in the last Action Plan (2016-2018)

Can't make it? Submit an idea online here: https://www.ideas.gov.scot/ or come to another of our events:

• Glasgow 13th August
• Dundee 9th August
• Inverness 15th August

This event is hosted by the Scottish Government and the Open Government Civil Society Network