AS the Scottish Independence referendum fast approaches, and the electorate become more engaged with the issue, a range of topics leave many questions.

For the elderly it’s pensions. For the young, welfare and education top the bill as the key issues in the final month of campaigning.

Four young voters took to Cumnock’s Royal Hotel on Thursday August 21 for a debate - two from Better Together and two from GenYes.

The debate was chaired by former local youth worker and poet, Jim Monaghan.

Locals turned out - many of them young - to raise their concerns with the panel.

Representing Better Together was 18-year-old Glasgow University student Michael Hope and Edinburgh University student Sophie Sandor.

For GenYes there was Kieran Glyn of Young Scots for Independence and 16-year-old school pupil, Saffron Dickson.

The four panellists were asked on a range of issues, from university tuition fees to welfare.

One audience member enquired how an independent Scotland could afford to maintain the welfare system on its own.

Kieran Glyn of GenYes answered, saying: “We definitely can afford it. The way we are at the minute, Scotland is in its dress rehearsal. We’ve been given a wee bit of money and we were told to go play and see how well we could cope with it. Well guess what? We did well.

“We’ve got the NHS and that’s all based on that wee portion of pocket money that Westminster decided they are going to cut in 2016.

“We’ve proven we can do it on that small budget, so why not take it from the dress rehearsal to the real thing?” Sophie Sandor of Better Together said: “We have the resources in a bigger country to solve common problems. That’s why we are together in it.” Another audience member raised the topic of currency and a currency union between Holyrood and Westminster. Michael Hope of Better Together said: “A formal currency union isn’t in the interest of Scotland or the rest of what would be the remaining UK.

“It just doesn’t work.” The young panel fielded the questions that the rest of the country had to wait to be presented to the First Minister and Alistair Darling at Monday night’s televised debate.

An exit poll showed a resounding victory for GenYes over the Better Together side as interested locals were happy with the answers and points raised.