Celebrating Heather Woodbridge's Election as Leader of Orkney Islands Council

That the Parliament acknowledges and celebrates the reported historic election of Heather Woodbridge as the leader of Orkney Islands Council, making her the first female and youngest leader to hold what it considers to be this key position; recognises what it sees as the significance of her election as a step towards gender equality and the empowerment of young women in political leadership roles; believes that her leadership is important as a source of inspiration for young women across the country; encourages women and non-binary people to actively engage in politics and pursue leadership positions at local and national levels; considers that there is progress still to be achieved in gender equality in Scottish politics, particularly in local government, as, according to the Scottish Government, 35% of councillors are women, compared to 52% of the population; recognises the ongoing work being undertaken by the Parliament's Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on understanding barriers to participation in local politics, which has included taking evidence from organisations such as Engender, Elect Her and Women 50:50, as well as elected local representatives across the country, highlighting what it sees as the lack of diversity in local representation; commends Heather for what it sees as her dedication, vision and commitment to serving her community, and wishes her every success in her new role as leader of Orkney Islands Council.