There are many arguments for and against lowering the voting age, such as 16-year-olds being allowed to make life-changing decisions such as getting married, having a career, living on their own, raising a family and fighting for their country, yet they are not viewed as responsible enough to vote.

On the other hand, if the age was lowered then you could argue that young people under 16 also have a right to have their views represented as they, too, are part of the community and are effected by government decisions. So where does the reduction in voting age stop? The issue is not to answer this but to recognise, regardless of the outcome, that today's young people are the next generation of voters.

During a recent online debate, one young male concluded: "We are the future, so don't you think that we should have a say in how our future is prepared for us?" I must say that I agree. Whether this is achieved through dropping the voting age or simply encouraging participation and consulting youngsters on issues that affect their local community; educating young people further on political issues, how they impact on their lives and an increased awareness of Scottish Borders Council can only be a positive step for both the youth and adult population.

A government consultation showed that, at present, 59 per cent of young people have little interest in politics, with the majority of 14-20-year-olds saying that councillors are out of touch. What about our elected members, how are they engaging with our young people? After all, even if the voting age isn't lowered, when our youngsters turn 18, they'll have the right to vote just like the rest of us. But this doesn't mean that young folk automatically become interested when they turn 18.

However, when asked, a group of young Teries mostly agreed that if they knew more about politics then they would be more likely to vote when allowed and/or would take an interest in a particular party or councillor. One young person commented that if he had a problem he wouldn't know where to go. The majority could name only one or two of the six elected members. More knew that John Lamont was our MSP.

Back to the Scottish Youth Parliament. Although many young Teries have heard of it, they don't really know how it functions. Shouldn't we be doing more to promote the SYP so that our youngsters' voices can be heard at a national level? Any issues young Teries would like raised can be put to locally-based representatives for consideration.

The same could be said for adults' interest in politics with the national average for turnout at elections sitting at around 52 per cent. Figures for Hawick and Hermitage and Hawick and Denholm for the last election came in at 54 per cent and 52.5 per cent respectively.

Perhaps more reporting at a local level of activities and decisions made by SBC is needed so that communities can judge whether they are being truly represented. More knowledge of what is happening in town politics would help to engage more young people at a younger age, while also stimulating adults' interest.

If individuals, both young and old, can see concerns they share about their community being acknowledged and resolved then they may be more likely to vote in the future.