Young Scots should be allowed to vote in council elections from the age of 16, according to a Scottish Parliament report.

The report by the Local Government Committee said it would help to get young people interested in politics.

The MSPs also proposed lowering the age at which young people can become councillors from 21 to 18.

Lowering the voting age is a matter for the Westminster government but the committee said the Scottish Executive should now open talks with the Scotland Office and Electoral Commission on the matter.

The plan is to modernise democracy

Committee Convener Trish Godman said: "Research shows that the average Scottish councillor is a 53-year-old white male.

"Young people in particular tend not to be interested in local politics.

"We feel that allowing people to vote in local elections at 16 would help stimulate interest, particularly if the age at which people can become a councillor is also reduced from 21 to 18, something the executive consulted on in a recent White Paper."

SNP local government spokesperson Tricia Marwick welcomed the recommendation to lower the voting age.

"This is already SNP policy but we would ensure that the voting age was reduced to 16 for all elections in Scotland," she said.

"If young people can marry at 16 and pay taxes at 16, then they should have the democratic right to decide on the government of their country."

Modernisation study

The committee staged a six-month inquiry into "renewing local democracy" and came up with a series of recommendations geared towards modernising local government and making it more relevant to local people.

The report called for action to examine how young people could play a part in council policy making.

During their inquiry the MSPs went to Inverness, Paisley and Glasgow, as well as taking evidence in Edinburgh.