Tom Arthur
Scottish National Party · Scotland
“I am advised that Transport Scotland officials responded to the South West of Scotland Transport Partnership in June 2023 to confirm that the outcome of its review of SWestrans’s Beattock and Moffat transport appraisal report was that a robust business case had not been made for a Beattock station to be progressed further in the developme…”
“David Kirkwood: Given the 2028 opening of the River Tweed trail—the long-distance path that will start in Moffat, the jewel of the south, and run 113 miles to Berwick-upon-Tweed—and the probable extension of the Clydesdale way into Moffat a few years later, it is likely that more than 300,000 additional cyclists and walkers will visit the…”
“As the First Minister set out, the Scottish Government will invest in essential infrastructure across Scotland, including new train stations and ongoing electrification of our rail network.”
“First, I welcome colleagues across the chamber who join me in condemning the violence, xenophobia and racism that were experienced right here in the streets of our capital on Friday last week. There is no place for violence in the streets, homes, or communities of Scotland—whether it be race based, faith based or otherwise.”
“Scotland is a place that values hope, tolerance and solidarity—values that are shared both by people who were born here and by those who have privileged us by choosing to make Scotland their home. I hope that those values are shared by those who are fortunate enough to be in the chamber.”
“The Scottish Government had initially, on 15 June, lodged a legislative consent memorandum with the Parliament stating that we would not consent to the bill, due to the UK Government having not agreed to our proposals that it have appropriate regard to devolution.”
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“David Torrance: It is vital that Scotland sees the maximum economic benefit from the renewables revolution, particularly through the establishment of a strong Scottish supply chain to support green jobs up and down the country. Can the minister say any more about how the Scottish Government is working to encourage regional growth and sustainable job creation across Scotland? Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government is supporting regional economic growth through our £1.9 billion investment in the national network of city and regional growth deals. That long-term investment commitment enables regional partners to deliver activity, which supports regional job creation.”
“The growth and success of Scotland’s green economy are a priority for the Government. Delivering our climate and economic growth ambitions will provide opportunities that support jobs, trade, investment and growth. Our programme for government outlined a commitment to deliver a co-ordinated programme to attract investment in the priority areas of net zero, housing and infrastructure by implementing recommendations from the investor panel. That will focus on improving engagement with investors and strengthening our capacity and capability in delivery. A recent example of action in that area was the global offshore wind investment forum, on 17 March.”
“We will also establish an offshore wind planning hub in the north-east to provide an additional route for industry to engage. That, alongside our 10-year just transition fund, will maximise the economic opportunities of our journey to net zero and create thousands of well- paid green jobs across”
“It is more important than ever for the Scottish Government to continue to invest in Aberdeen and the north-east. Can the minister say any more about the Scottish Government’s plans to boost growth in the region through projects such as the offshore wind hub that he has just mentioned? Tom Arthur: North-east business leaders wrote to the UK Government to set out the positive impacts of the Acorn project and the urgency of progressing it. We stand with them and continue to push the UK Government to commit to awarding track 2 status to Acorn and the Scottish cluster. Our budget sets out a record £150 million of capital investment in offshore wind, as part of our commitment to invest up to £500 million over five years in the sector.”
“The Scottish Government’s £125 million investment in the Aberdeen city region deal is supporting the long-term development of the regional economy. The deal is delivering support to grow the energy, life sciences, and food and drink sectors, as well as delivering enhanced digital and transport infrastructure. We will build on that through our 10-year, £500 million just transition fund, as well as continuing to work towards delivering the Scottish Government’s offshore wind hub in the north-east. All of that will support innovation in high-growth sectors, secure additional private investment, boost productivity and create high-quality jobs. Jackie Dunbar: As recent reports suggest, Great British Energy still has no employees and United Kingdom Government funding for Acorn has yet to materialise.”
“That is another inequality in Scotland that is within the responsibilities of the Scottish Government, and is something that I would like to change. If we have debates on such matters, the chamber will be fuller and we will be a better Parliament for it. 16:12”
“It clearly is: we have seen investment in Scotland from the previous UK Conservative Government and the UK Labour Government. I agree with the point about regional inequality. As a representative of the Highlands and Islands and as someone who lives in Moray, I do not believe that the Scottish Government delivers for the whole of Scotland. I think that the Government has a central-belt bias and that we are poorer for it in the north-east. [Interruption.] Richard Lochhead can laugh at that, but I go back to the fact that the A96 has not been dualled. That dualling was a promise that has been made by successive SNP Governments, but has not been delivered. Our maternity unit was downgraded in 2018 for one year, but it is still downgraded and is not a consultant-led unit.”
“When there is a real opportunity with cutting- edge new technologies such as AI, we need to use the comparative advantage in places such as Oxford and Cambridge, but we need to share the opportunity equitably right across the UK so that the whole UK can prosper. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I can give you time back for both interventions, Mr Ross. Douglas Ross: I am grateful, Presiding Officer. I agree with much of what the minister said. However, I gently say that the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer not mentioning Scotland in a speech does not mean that Scotland will not get benefits from resources. It is a bit petty to say that Scotland’s not being mentioned in one place, or another bit not looking at the north of the United Kingdom, means that Scotland is not being considered.”
“I recognise the investment from the UK Government. As regeneration minister, I welcome that and the city deals. In all seriousness, does Douglas Ross not recognise that one of the real strategic problems that successive UK Governments have wrestled with for decades is the significant imbalance? I applaud London: it is a great city that makes a significant contribution to the UK, Europe and global economies. However, we have appalling levels of regional inequality and variation in productivity across the English regions and the nations. Although transfers are welcome, it is vital to create new industries and economic opportunities in different parts of the UK.”
“A train station at Winchburgh in West Lothian could unlock millions in decongestion benefits and strengthen the millions that have already been invested in the area by developers. Councils planned to apply for funding from the city region deal. Does the minister agree that that is exactly the type of project that should be funded? Tom Arthur: I appreciate the member’s points, but he will appreciate that a proposed Winchburgh railway station is not something that is deal funded. As I set out in my original answer, funding through the deal is now fully committed, but I am happy to have further discussions and engagement with the member.”
“The Scottish Government has committed £300 million to the Edinburgh and south-east Scotland city region deal. The projects that will be supported were selected by deal partners and include £120 million for improvements at the Sheriffhall roundabout, £20 million for public transport improvements in west Edinburgh, £65 million for housing, £60 million for innovation and infrastructure to drive business growth, £10 million for the Dunard centre—which will create a world-class music venue in the heart of Edinburgh—and £25 million to develop the skills base that is needed by employers. Foysol Choudhury: One of the key interventions to drive inclusive growth in the city region deal is improving connectivity.”
“What immediate steps will the Scottish Government take to ensure that local authorities abide by the law and end the unjust imposition of planning requirements on self-catering operators that the courts have already ruled to be lawful? Tom Arthur: As the member will appreciate, local authorities are autonomous bodies, and, like any public body, they have to uphold and comply with the law. With regard to the work that the Scottish Government has undertaken, as I said, we have commissioned VisitScotland to chair the expert guidance group, which is bringing together expertise from across the industry. We anticipate that VisitScotland will present its recommendations this month. Edinburgh’s Economy 6.”
“Sue Webber: I thank the minister for that response, but we are at risk of losing the valuable and productive economic sector of self-catering accommodation businesses. These small local businesses are under attack, and they are being forced out of the sector by demands for planning applications from local authorities, most notably here, in the city of Edinburgh. Shockingly, that is despite judicial rulings that the permissions are not mandatory for self-catering operators that were in business before September 2022. The practices contradict judicial rulings and appear to be arbitrary, with inconsistency between local authorities. Lord Braid has rightly described them as “oppressive and disproportionate”.”
“Ministers engage across the Government on a range of issues where sectors may be impacted by regulation. In relation to the self-catering accommodation sector, that includes engagement on a range of regulatory issues that relate to the visitor economy to ensure that there is clarity and appropriate guidance on implementation and compliance, including, where necessary, on working in partnership with local authorities and public bodies where they have a role in applications and support for self-catering businesses. We have also commissioned VisitScotland to chair an expert guidance group, bringing together expertise from across the industry and local authorities to provide recommendations on clarifying the short-term let guidance for operators and licensing authorities. VisitScotland will present its recommendations in March.”
“I reassure Douglas Ross and the Inverness and Moray Chambers of Commerce that I very much recognise the significant and crucial role of transport infrastructure links in ensuring economic development. All members, I think, are united in recognising that, and I am happy to continue to engage constructively with the chambers of commerce on those issues, as I have been engaging on transport infrastructure with chambers of commerce elsewhere in Scotland. I assure Douglas Ross and the chambers of commerce that the matter has the full attention of the”
“Does the minister agree with the two chambers of commerce, which say in their letter that “the lack of progress on this vital project is causing increasing frustration and economic constraint” and “The lost decade of inactivity has stifled the potential for economic growth”? Will he tell us how many people have responded to the most recent consultation on the A96 corridor review and when we will hear the Scottish Government’s response to that? Tom Arthur: The total number of responses is just over 1,400. The matter is now under active consideration by Transport Scotland, and the cabinet secretary will update the Parliament at the conclusion of that process.”
“The Scottish Government fully recognises the crucial role of transport infrastructure in supporting sustainable economic growth and access to essential services. Our position on the A96 has not changed. We remain in favour of full dualling, and we are progressing the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including the Nairn bypass. Feedback from the consultation on the draft outcomes of the A96 corridor review—including from Moray and Inverness Chambers of Commerce—will be key in helping to inform our final decision on how best to take forward improvements to the A96. Douglas Ross: I am sorry that the Deputy First Minister did not answer that question, because it was framed in such a way as to elicit a response from almost the top of Government.”
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“I thank Fulton MacGregor again for highlighting the importance of an inclusive approach to planning and placemaking. I also recognise the considerable thought, time and effort that the communities of the northern corridor have put into engaging with the planning process. Our planning system is designed to be inclusive—everyone should have an opportunity to contribute their views so that plans are based on sound information and insights from local people. I have no doubt that the community forum will continue to engage with the North Lanarkshire local development plan as it continues to take shape. Meeting closed at 17:57. This is the final edition of the Official Report for this meeting. It is part of the Scottish Parliament Official Report archive and has been sent for legal deposit.”
“Good planning depends on having a good understanding of what makes each place unique, and no one is better placed to explain that than local people. I welcome this debate because it highlights that it really is people who make the planning system work. Those communities have worked hard to gather views and evidence about their place, and they highlight challenges and opportunities that are at the heart of our planning system. Local development plans have a tough job to do. They cannot please everyone, and, as the communities acknowledge, local authorities do not have limitless funding available to them for new facilities and infrastructure. Local development plans will, therefore, have to be realistic about what is possible and will need to find creative solutions to placemaking.”
“NPF4’s policy 18 also requires development plans to take “an infrastructure first approach to” development. It states that “Plans should ... be informed by evidence on infrastructure capacity” and “needs”, and that they should “set out requirements” for the future and “indicate” how developer contributions will be used to support delivery. That is not easy, but it is crucial that spatial strategies make best use of existing capacity as far as possible to minimise the financial impacts on both the public and private sectors. Planning authorities are working hard on that, but only time will tell how it plays out in practice. Thirdly, the community forum report reflects the importance of place and the crucial role that people play in shaping their towns and neighbourhoods.”
“Secondly, the report under consideration this evening highlights the challenges with infrastructure that go hand in hand with providing new homes. The northern corridor communities have been clear that they support housing development, as we have heard, but they want, rightly, to ensure that homes are built in sustainable locations and are served by infrastructure and the facilities that people depend on day to day. NPF4’s policy 15, on “Local Living and 20 minute neighbourhoods”, supports that, recognising that places have to work for the people who live there. It is for planning authorities to work out what that looks like in different types of places, and that process can usefully be informed by feedback from communities, such as the report that we are considering this evening.”
“That is an example of town centre regeneration making a significant contribution towards addressing the housing emergency. I want to offer a number of observations on the extensive work that the northern corridor community forum has undertaken, as it helps to illustrate the direction that our planning system has taken in recent years. First, the communities have acknowledged that our planning system has changed considerably in recent years, with the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and the introduction of national planning framework 4, which I had the privilege of launching in February 2023. Two years on, we are seeing positive change from NPF4, with a recognition that there should be a plan-led approach to housing and infrastructure delivery rather than planning by appeal.”
“Indeed, there are active discussions on the topic across the Government, because we recognise that town centres provide a valuable opportunity for achieving a number of policy objectives, not only in housing through increasing the availability of residential units but because, in increasing the population density of our town centres, we support retail, hospitality and thriving places. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Motherwell, in Clare Adamson’s constituency, where I saw that, through a number of different funding streams backed by the Scottish Government, working in partnership with the local authority, the former YMCA building and an adjacent vacant site have been brought into use to provide valuable new residential accommodation.”
“That would create a new dynamic, taking pressure off the villages that Fulton MacGregor rightly mentioned in his opening speech. Is the minister steadfast in doing that to try to tackle the housing emergency? Tom Arthur: Absolutely, and I recognise the sterling work that Meghan Gallacher has taken forward as convener of the cross-party group on towns and town centres. In partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Government is engaged in substantive work on that very agenda through the town centre action plan forum.”
“I understand that work is on-going by North Lanarkshire Council to prepare the evidence report, which precedes the preparation of the new local development plan for the area. Therefore, I cannot comment on the substance of the report that we are discussing, as the evidence report that the council prepares will be subject to independent scrutiny later this year by Scottish Government reporters. Meghan Gallacher: This debate has been important. We need to build more homes, as we are in a housing emergency, and one of the ways in which we can do that is by accelerating the regeneration of our towns and town centres. That would surely provide more living spaces, and there would be more areas in which developers could come in to build homes.”
“As members will appreciate, it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to endorse any particular view or position on, for example, a local development plan. It is for the planning authority to take into account all the views and evidence that have been submitted to it as it prepares its local development plan. Our “Scottish Government Planning Guidance: Effective Community Engagement in Local Development Plans—People and planning”, on good practice in community engagement, makes it clear that “Planning authorities should involve communities in the creation of the Evidence Report”, and the report that we are considering this evening shows that communities are keen to engage.”
“I congratulate Fulton MacGregor on securing the debate, and I thank members in the chamber for their contributions. I recognise the work of the northern corridor community forum in raising these substantive issues and the way in which those who are involved in the forum are working together. I echo the comments that members have made: although the debate focuses on a very specific geographical area, the issues that are raised are applicable to all our communities. We have a reflexive relationship with our communities—we are shaped by them and, as active citizens, we play a role in shaping them, which will, in turn, shape generations to come. I turn to the substance of the matters that are being considered this evening.”
“A Scottish Labour Government elected next year will call time on the poverty of ambition and deliver the new direction that Scotland needs. 15:58”
“We will set out key affordability and feasibility tests across all Scottish Government departments and get a grip of the public finances, which have spiralled out of control due to SNP incompetence, waste and mismanagement. We will deliver genuine, lasting reforms in order to rescue our NHS and other key services, end the 8 am rush for general practitioner appointments, scrap peak rail fares and remove the SNP’s ideological block on nuclear power in order to secure our energy future. This weekend, the Prime Minister showed what Labour in Government can do by committing £200 million from the national wealth fund to Grangemouth. Rather than looking for someone else to blame, the UK Labour Government has stepped up to protect livelihoods and communities—that is what Labour Governments do and what Labour Governments have always done.”
“The Scottish Fiscal Commission, the Auditor General, the Fraser of Allander Institute and the Institute for Fiscal Studies—all trusted, independent organisations—have repeatedly warned the SNP of the need to get control of the waste and a grip of the mess of Scotland’s budget, and yet it persists. Scotland is being let down by an irresponsible SNP Government that has been reckless with taxpayers’ money and feckless with their public services. Scotland needs a new direction, and Scottish Labour will deliver it. We will establish a Scottish treasury that has full oversight of spending across Scottish Government departments, which will put an end to waste and give Scots value for their money.”
“The SNP failure to get to grips with the crisis in our public services— Craig Hoy: [Made a request to intervene.] Michael Marra: No, thank you, sir. It is costing Scotland, with millions being spent on delayed discharge alone. From the ferry fiasco to the Barlinnie replacement that is 10 times the original cost to the tens of millions of pounds that were burned on a national care service that did not deliver a single extra care worker, the bill for waste is massive. At least £6.7 billion of Scottish taxpayers’ money has been wasted on vanity projects, ministerial incompetence, Government by press release and policies that were announced with no long-term cost analysis.”
“It is welcome that the finance secretary has used the budget to attempt to fix some of the most egregious mistakes that were made in last year’s chaotic budget and the emergency budget that followed. A year has been lost in house building due to the savage cuts that were made to housing budgets, which has led to record levels of homelessness, with 10,000 children in temporary accommodation. Affordable housing funding has fallen in real terms since 2022-23, and the instability wrought on the sector by the Government has served only to fan the flames of Scotland’s housing emergency. The money from the UK Government for the non-domestic rates relief policy in the budget will fail to be passed on because it is narrowly drawn, which will short-change far too many retail and hospitality businesses across Scotland and hold back our economy.”
“Today’s funding is welcome, but what we have here is an illustrative case of the SNP fixing one symptom of a much greater problem that it has helped to cause. Nothing in today’s announcement gets to grips with the SNP Government’s wider leadership failures, which impair the future of Scotland’s great universities. Kevin Stewart: Will the member give way? Michael Marra: Yes, sir. Kevin Stewart: I thank Mr Marra for giving way. It seems that he wants to support the University of Dundee. To will the ends, you must will the means; therefore, you must vote for the budget today. Michael Marra: As I have made clear during the budget process, Scottish Labour refuses to stand in the way of money reaching the front line. However, the record of this Government, which is made up of people who have caused many of those problems, needs to be addressed.”
“I know that the Scottish Funding Council has been working intensively with the university since then, and I have met and spoken with the chief executive of that organisation to assist her. There is still no recovery plan in front of the trade unions or the community, but it is right that the Scottish Government stands ready to intervene. I and colleagues will wait to see whether the funding is equal to the challenge. There are two reasons why there is a crisis at the university: a catastrophic failure of spending controls by the leadership of the university, which is set against a business model that is based on a 22 per cent real-term cut to Scottish student funding. That is driving universities across the country to make ever-riskier decisions, endangering the long-term future of the institutions.”
“You need to take an intervention. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Members, let the member continue to speak. Michael Marra: Thank you, Presiding Officer. There are, of course, positive measures in the budget—and I can give you one of them, Deputy First Minister. I welcome support for the University of Dundee, which is the most critical institution in my home city. It has 3,000 staff, and one in seven of the population are its students. Simply put, it is too big to fail. Joe FitzPatrick: [Made a request to intervene.] Michael Marra: No, thank you, sir. Let me set this out. The consequences for staff, the city and the wider economy do not bear thinking about. I met the First Minister one to one on 28 January to set out to him how serious I believe that situation to be, and I appreciate his interest in the matter.”
“The UK Government has full control over tax and borrowing powers, and the chancellor had a range of options to raise revenue to fund vital public services in a fair way. Increasing employer national insurance contributions was not one of them. That decision should be reversed. The change to employer national insurance contributions places a higher tax burden on businesses, the public sector and the third sector and is, fundamentally, a tax on jobs that will impact Scotland’s economy.”
“While debates in the chamber often reflect differing viewpoints, one fact remains undeniable: the United Kingdom Government’s planned changes to employer national insurance contributions will significantly raise the cost of delivering public services and deal a serious blow to Scotland’s economy. Those changes were made in the largest tax- raising budget since at least 1993, which imposed a staggering £41 billion burden, with 60 per cent of that coming directly from increased employer national insurance contributions. We have been clear that the chancellor needs to look across the wide range of fiscal levers that are at her disposal in order to support investment in public services.”
“In community wealth building, we have a very practical policy approach for all of Scotland’s public sector to pursue in partnership with business, the third sector and communities— an approach that can, in a more consistent way, bring all relevant activity together to revitalise an approach to local and regional economic development that is focused on real places and on delivering for people and communities.”
“Members will understand that parliamentary process must be respected, and I cannot answer questions today on potential provisions in the forthcoming legislation. However, I look forward to working with colleagues when the legislation is introduced. My door will always be open for discussions on how we can make community wealth building as impactful as possible in driving economic growth that is fair, environmentally responsible and sustainable. Community wealth building has a long history of work aimed at ensuring that as much wealth as possible can be retained in communities and that the damage caused by rapid removal of economic activity in many of our industrial communities is addressed.”
“However, at CWB’s core is the idea that every public pound spent has the potential to drive economic growth and to realise fairness and prosperity. The current programme for government includes a commitment to introduce primary legislation on community wealth building in this parliamentary year. Work on that is in train, informed by a public consultation conducted in 2023. The programme for government also noted that a local government-led community wealth building “practice network” should be created. That network is now in place, and is proving effective in facilitating engagement. Among its key roles will be working with the Scottish Government on how we can better measure the practical impact of community wealth building across Scotland.”
“Public sector investment in health, housing, energy and many other areas is relevant. However, the aim of CWB is to ensure maximisation of the economic agency of all investment power together. Not all of the examples that I mentioned earlier are born of discrete community wealth building policies or actions plans; rather, they are clearly relevant activity to achieving community wealth building ambitions. People who ask what community wealth building is will get two answers from me. The first is that it is an operable place-focused model of economic development, the pillars of which can guide the use of all of the money at the disposal of the public sector. The second answer is that, in activity terms, relevant actions are wide and varied.”
“While we must invest in a person-centred social security system now and seek to grow the dynamic and progressive economy of the future, the community wealth building model can help to knit together opportunity and need by forming part of the necessary connection between economic development, led by the public sector, and those communities where people are looking for new opportunities to build and maintain household and collective wealth. The CWB approach offers something new in the Scottish context: a space for strategic and place- focused brokerage and a conversation focused squarely on economic development and fair and responsible growth. Given the long history of relevant contributory work in Scotland, I can accept that there will be different views of what community wealth building is or should be. It is a clear economic policy.”
“In particular, the Government is focused on ridding Scotland of child poverty and all the harm that it can cause throughout a person’s life. Community wealth building, as both a strategic and practical model of economic development, provides a new opportunity for us to create a space between a supportive and progressive welfare state and a thriving new economy, spearheaded by innovative new sectors and growth clusters developing across Scotland. Some proponents of community wealth building use the phrase “Free distribution, not redistribution”—meaning achievement of an increase in assets owned or income earned by communities or local businesses and households, respectively. If that can be achieved, it could lead to a reduction in our reliance on social security. However, change like that will always take time.”
“Cleveland, like Preston in the north of England, where CWB was adopted early in the UK context, suffered from rapid deindustrialisation and its aftermath of high levels of unemployment, depopulation, poverty and deprivation. I witnessed a form of economically-driven rebirth in Cleveland through the formation of new co-operative businesses contracting with large local anchor organisations in the health sector and other areas. Cleveland and Preston continue to experience similar problems, as do many Scottish towns and cities. This Government is ambitious for all of Scotland’s communities. We will continue to invest heavily to strengthen the hand of our villages, towns, cities and regions, while acting to ensure that the social security system provides a robust safety net for those who experience poverty and hardship.”
“Communities are at the heart of the Scottish Government’s renewable energy ambitions, and we are committed to working with industry to ensure that the delivery of renewable energy comes with benefits for people in Scotland, including shared ownership and community benefit opportunities. Scotland has made good progress with that approach. Our national community benefits register indicates that more than £30 million-worth of benefits have been offered to communities across Scotland in the past 12 months alone. I turn to the Scottish Government’s future ambitions for CWB in Scotland. In order to learn from international experience, I was given the privilege of visiting Cleveland, Ohio, where CWB has its roots.”
“Newfield medical centre is one of the first general practitioner practices—if not the first—to run as a co-op in the UK. The team there successfully took over the practice from the local health board in 2022 and it has seen significant growth since then, including profit that has been redistributed, leading to increased employment and the setting up of successful projects that benefit the community. Finally, exciting new developments in finance are assisting new community wealth building projects to thrive. Linlithgow Community Development Trust works with local community sports and meeting facilities to support renewable energy. The trust used community bonds to secure the necessary finance for local people to undertake a pilot renewable energy project with a local golf club.”
“The two-year review recently concluded and a main report will comment on the act as a whole, while two further reports will provide findings on participation requests, which enable a legal route for community organisations to be involved in local service delivery and community asset transfers. Those reports will be published in the early part of this year. On supporting new inclusive business models to grow, Social Security Scotland is an active member of Dundee City Council’s public sector anchors network and has developed its corporate procurement strategy to reflect CWB principles. It has set out how it will actively build supply chain resilience by working with supported businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises and the third sector. I have seen how CWB’s influence has shaped local health services in Dundee.”
“Through our fair work first approach, the Scottish Government took action in 2023 by introducing a requirement for public sector grant recipients to pay at least the real living wage to all workers and to provide appropriate channels for an effective workers’ voice, such as trade union recognition. Turning to the land and property pillar, the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 provided a framework to promote and encourage community empowerment and participation. In July 2022, I launched a review of the act, which focused on legislation that enhances community participation, community control of public assets and community planning.”
“Respondents to the community wealth building bill consultation called for those thresholds to be reviewed. My colleague, the Minister for Public Finance, confirmed before Christmas that the Scottish Government will look again at those thresholds, and more detail on that will follow in due course. On the workforce pillar, many construction firms, for example, are working to develop fair and sustainable job outcomes for local people. One example involves Balfour Beatty working in partnership with the Civil Engineering Contractors Association Scotland and the University of the Highlands and Islands to promote CECA’s academy programme, which offers local people the opportunity to upskill in civil engineering.”