Wigtown
We move to members' business. The final item today is a debate on motion S1M-86, in the name of Alasdair Morgan, on the subject of Wigtown, Scotland's national book town. The debate will be concluded after 30 minutes without any question being put. Will members who are not staying for this debate please leave quietly and quickly.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes the initial success of Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town, in revitalising the Machars of Galloway since its launch as Book Town in May 1998 and offers its full support for the future growth and development of the Book Town.
It is with great pleasure that I speak to the motion. It might appear somewhat anodyne to some, but this motion goes to the heart of the economic well-being of the Machars. I am glad that it has been selected for debate and that it has been supported by other members.
Dumfries and Galloway is advertised by the local tourist board as the "best-kept secret in Scotland". That is not, perhaps, the most upbeat or confident slogan for a promotional campaign, but it is an accurate reflection of the reality that sees tourists from south of the border and from abroad drawn, as if magnetically, north to Edinburgh and the Highlands. As if there were a no-left-turn sign on the M74 at Gretna, tourists carry on, ignorant of the existence of the south-west.
If the south-west as a whole is somewhat neglected, that goes in spades for the western peninsulas of Galloway, the Rhinns and the Machars of Wigtownshire. The ancient burgh of Wigtown lies in the heart of the Machars of Galloway. It is a small town with a population of just over 1,000 and is the former county town of Wigtownshire. Successive, if not successful, local government reorganisations have seen political and civic power removed to larger centres such as Stranraer and Dumfries.
The town now falls into the Newton Stewart travel-to-work area, which consistently records one of the highest unemployment rates of any travel-to-work area in the country. The latest figures, which were issued only this morning, show that the area is fifth highest—an unenviable position. Even for those in work it is an area of low pay. The latest low-pay figures, released by the Transport and General Workers Union yesterday, show that, in the whole of Great Britain, Dumfries and Galloway has the highest percentage of workers, some 50 per cent, who earn less than £5 per hour.
Presiding Officer, time does not permit the unravelling of a sheaf of other statistics that would show that deprivation is alive and well in the heart of Wigtownshire. Despite that, Wigtownshire has been removed recently from the assisted area map, with the inference being that the area has no potential for growth. In that context, it is vital that it does not lose out again in the forthcoming announcement on European structural funds.
I turn now to the concept of a book town. The first acknowledged book town opened in Hay-on- Wye near the Welsh border in 1961. There are now around 20 book towns throughout the world, including Redu in Belgium, Becherel in northern France and Stillwater in the United States. Successful book towns are not simply towns that happen to have one or two bookshops—their trade in books is a central point in the life of the town. With that particular focus on the book trade, they attract visitors from all over the world and help to regenerate fragile rural economies. That happens not only through over-the-counter and postal sales but through the exponentially expanding world of internet sales, or e-commerce as it is known to buffs, which is set to be a great leveller of the playing field between rural and urban areas.
Towards the end of 1996, Scottish Enterprise built on the developing interest in a book town for Scotland. Interested towns were invited to make an application to be considered as Scotland's official book town. On the basis of the different applications and presentations that were submitted, there was a clear majority view on Scottish Enterprise's judging panel that Wigtown offered the greatest potential as a national book town development in Scotland. The Wigtown book town was launched in May 1998. I do not want to go into the reasons behind that decision; suffice it to say that the decision was taken, and that I think that it was the correct decision.
Since then, there is no doubt that that decision has helped the economic regeneration of the town. Shops and buildings that were recently derelict or out of use are now being used once again. Thirteen bookshops that cater for all sorts of different interests have already been established, and two further bookshops—that is the latest figure that I have—are due to open later this year; one, I believe, within the next fortnight. Jobs have been created in the book trade directly, or safeguarded or created in other tourism-related businesses.
Despite that, considerable ignorance remains of the fact that Wigtown is Scotland's national book town, or even that Scotland has a national book town. Just before I came across to the chamber this afternoon, I had to answer a question from a BBC researcher, who asked me where Galloway
is located. It was difficult to explain to her where Galloway is in Scotland, given her level of ignorance. After I lodged the motion that led to this debate it became obvious to me that several colleagues did not know that Scotland had a national book town in Galloway, although they do know where Galloway is. In remedying that ignorance people should, perhaps, ignore the other attraction that is taking place next weekend—the SNP conference in Inverness—and attend instead the first Scottish book town festival, to be held in Wigtown between 24 and 26 September. After the debate, members can help themselves to the brochures that are available.
The Scottish Enterprise report on the book town proposals states:
"Wigtown's emergence as the location for the national book town of Scotland provides, we believe, not just a major opportunity for the town and its immediate environs, but for Dumfries and Galloway, and will also contribute to the tourism profile of Scotland as a whole."
The report continues:
"The rate at which international book towns are now developing means that the highest priority should be put upon making a Scotland book town a success so that Scotland can be part of what is fast becoming"— and this is quite a mouthful—
"a major international rural cultural tourism network."
It is not exactly snappy, but it is important. That is what you get from Scottish Enterprise sometimes.
The success of the book town thus far has been in no small measure due to the enthusiastic work of local people, some of whom are here today, as well as the involvement of the local council and the enterprise company. I hope that ministers will give a commitment to continue to work with local people and those agencies to aid the further development of the book town, which is still in a relatively early and fragile state. I would also like to stress, echoing the views of Scottish Enterprise, that this is not just a narrow constituency matter but one that is important for Scotland as a whole because Wigtown is Scotland's international book town.
Last week at question time, the minister who will reply to this debate assured me that the new tourism strategy would have the boosting of tourism in remoter areas as one of its objectives. The importance of the book town locally, nationally and internationally should therefore be taken into account by the Executive in developing such a strategy. Given that Scotland's First Minister is a self-confessed bibliophile—which is perhaps the only confession that a minister can safely make—I hope that he agrees.
Despite my optimism about the future of the book town, Wigtown is not without its difficulties, and it is now, when it is in its formative years, that it needs Government support to ensure that it succeeds. Here is where I begin a small shopping list. High on the list of difficulties is the run-down state of Wigtown's county buildings, part of the municipal inheritance of the town which has suffered from years of short-sighted neglect and a lack of basic maintenance, to the extent that they are now in a dangerous condition and are surrounded by scaffolding. Those superb buildings, the crowning glory of a magnificently wide street, are an excellent asset for the community and for book-town-related events—or at least could be. I would appreciate a commitment from ministers that they will assist in trying to pull together a suitable package to ensure the complete restoration of the buildings.
The final item on my short list of modest requests derives from the fact that even in the age of the internet, accessibility is still a key factor in commercial success. The badly needed upgrade to the A75 Euroroute would go far to making Wigtown more accessible to the rest of Britain and to Ireland, from where the tourist board seeks to gain a lot of customers.
I know that in theory I could continue for another 10 minutes or so, but other members wish to contribute so I will bring my remarks to a close. To the best of my knowledge, if the Parliament today gives its official backing to the book town it would be the first time that any national book town had achieved the backing of a national Parliament. The backing of Scotland's Parliament for Scotland's book town not only would offer moral support to the area and to all the people who have worked so hard to make the project a success, but would be in line with Scottish Enterprise's call for the success of the book town to be a high priority, as it would benefit all of Scotland. I urge all members to support this motion.
I remind members that they should press their buttons if they wish to speak.
I congratulate Alasdair on bringing the book town to the attention of the Parliament and on, once again, drawing attention to Dumfries and Galloway. As he said, it is an area that sometimes is overlooked. Someone described it to me recently as the gap on the map, because many people think that the Borders come over to the M74 and that Ayrshire comes down to the coast, yet in the south-west we have our own distinct area and culture.
The book town is an example of an innovative and exciting way to look for economic development. We certainly need to regenerate the Dumfries and Galloway area owing to the
difficulties that we suffered in farming and to the decline in manufacturing industry. When we consider the need to regenerate an area people tend to suggest standard projects, whereas the book town is an innovative and far-sighted attempt to bring economic development to the area.
That is replicated by the other project which I know Dr Murray, other members present and I are keen to pursue: that is, the Crichton university of southern Scotland. Those bold and imaginative projects add to the economic development and to the cultural strength of the area. I am proud of the book town. I will certainly attend, as in my new guise I am no longer allowed to attend the SNP conference. As I have said before, it was always my favourite. Reading from the list of the attractions that will be available at this year's book festival, from 24 to 26 September, Rhona, one of the great delights will be
"a very special ice-cream factory offering dairy delights from Cream O'Galloway."
For the non-bibliophiles among us, that is a positive attraction. I am pleased to support Alasdair Morgan's motion.
I am delighted to support Alasdair's motion. I speak in this debate not just in the guise of a former English teacher, but as a former English teacher in Galloway. I taught at Whithorn and at the Douglas Ewart school in Newton Stewart, where Alasdair also taught at one point.
I know about the decline of Galloway. While I was there, the pulp mill in Minnigaff closed, Bladnoch distillery closed, Sorbie creamery closed and the granite works at Creetown closed. Those closures caused dreadful devastation in the area. People were locked into communities in poverty, with nothing happening for them.
As Alasdair said, at one time Wigtown looked like something out of a western, with tumbleweed blowing down the street. I am not being lighthearted about it; it had reached that stage. The buildings were literally falling down. As a candidate in the European elections in 1994, I went round Wigtown and saw how far it had declined in the short time since I had left Galloway to become that horrible thing, a lawyer in Edinburgh.
I am delighted that Wigtown is the national book town. I endorse what Alasdair said about the area being a forgotten corner. When I lived there, time after time people would say to me, "Galloway. You are in Newton Stewart. That will be near Dumfries." Dumfries is 60 miles away.
The greatest lack of knowledge about Galloway is among the Scottish people, yet it is rich in Scottish history. Wallace and Bruce won victories over the English at Glen Trool. Glen Trool is a marvellous place. We should get people to come back to Wigtown, to help this town that was once the county town. People should come and imbibe Scottish history there. I wish Wigtown the book town success, and I wish the tourist board success in promoting Galloway.
I thank Alasdair for allowing me to speak in this debate. I congratulate him on again getting Galloway mentioned in the Scottish Parliament. One of the joys of the Scottish Parliament is that areas of rural Scotland are mentioned considerably more often in parliamentary circles than they were before its establishment.
Saturday 16 May 1998 is memorable for more than one reason. It was my first day as the approved Scottish Conservative candidate for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, which is highly notable. It was also the day of the official opening of Wigtown as Scotland's national book town. I would not like to make a pitch as to which event was the more important—it was probably Wigtown's national book town status.
My first duty as a prospective candidate was to attend the opening of the national book town. It was a joy to witness the optimism on the faces of Wigtown residents and businessmen as the initiative was unveiled. Places such as Wigtown do not often receive good news on the scale that winning the national book town competition must have been.
However, I have to ask whether that good news has been lived up to. What seemed to offer such promise has a long way to go if it is to live up to the early expectations. I appreciate that Wigtown, as a book town, is still young, but to identify some of the problems, we need look no further than the Machars visitor survey report that was published recently. Some of its findings point to areas where, as Alasdair said, there is a need for further investment.
Visitors were not satisfied with the quality of visitor attractions; the public transport; the condition of the roads; the range of catering facilities; the availability and quality of public toilets; the facilities for disabled people; the shopping facilities; the opening times; and the range and quality of visitor activities. That is a shopping list of even greater length than Alasdair Morgan's.
The shortcomings highlight the fact that it is not enough simply to nominate a village such as Wigtown as a national book town. There is a need
for follow-up investment so that the peripheral businesses and further literary businesses that are needed are encouraged to establish themselves in Wigtown.
Governments are fond of what I call headline politics. They excel at the creation of a popular headline but often fail to follow it up with the investment that is required to give substance to the headline. That is what has happened with Wigtown. If the expectations of Wigtown are to be achieved, further Government investment is necessary in this laudable and excellent initiative.
I think that it was Lord Gordon of Strathblane who said that all Galloway needed to get people to turn left at Carlisle was one substantial visitor attraction. Wigtown could be that attraction, if it receives the help that it needs.
I support the motion completely.
Like other members, I congratulate Alasdair Morgan on securing a debate on this issue, although I must decline his kind invitation to Inverness.
Why?
I will give you a written response on that, Margaret.
I have no hesitation in joining all members in offering the full support of the Parliament for the future growth and development of Wigtown as Scotland's acknowledged book town. In May 1998, Donald Dewar, as the Secretary of State for Scotland, was similarly pleased to offer support to Wigtown's book town committee. He said that the designation of book town was a marvellous and well merited achievement in the face of strong competition from other towns and that it would enhance Wigtown's reputation as a place to visit and live in.
I am delighted to add to that and to recognise the progress that the project has made and will continue to make. The past year and a half have seen the venture go from strength to strength, which is a credit to everyone involved. There can be few better examples of how an initiative founded on the commitment and expertise of the community can, with the right support, develop from a simple idea to the showpiece venture that Wigtown has set its heart on becoming.
These are early days for the venture and none of us has any illusions about the need to encourage the successful regeneration of a rural area that has had to cope with a legacy of economic decline. The Executive is in no way complacent about the challenges that the Machars have had to face and will continue to face. We are committed to recognising and tackling the challenges that are presented by decline in rural areas. We have recognised that social exclusion is significant in rural, as well as urban, areas.
When I consider the successes that have been achieved in establishing Wigtown's reputation and in building up associated businesses, even in the short time since the book town project's inception, I am sure that the initiative is in good hands and is starting to make a substantial contribution to the regeneration of the Machars.
Although the book town project understandably draws to some extent on best practice elsewhere—notably, as has been mentioned, in Hay-on-Wye, whose designation as a book town dates back to 1961—many of those who are involved in Wigtown have been keen to emphasise their commitment to making the book town a place for Scottish authors and booklovers: a literary Mecca, if you like.
The targets that the book town project has set itself are ambitious, but in my view they are achievable. The successful implementation of the development plan should result in the eventual establishment of 40 book-related businesses, and the initiative aims to attract 42,000 additional visitors to the town each year. I am delighted that considerable progress towards meeting those targets has already been made. Already, 16 book- related businesses have become established in the town and several associated business development ventures are being pursued with the assistance of cash that we are making available through the self-starters programme operated by Dumfries and Galloway Enterprise and with support from Groundbase. Taken together, that is welcome news for Wigtown—it means new jobs, more tourists and increased business for existing companies.
I am sure that Alasdair is well aware that the origins of Wigtown's designation as Scotland's book town lie in a joint research exercise that was funded by Scottish Enterprise and Strathclyde University, with support from the Scottish Tourist Board, to identify the potential for a book town in Scotland along the lines of Hay-on-Wye and other examples in Europe. Five potential locations had shown an interest in being chosen and Wigtown triumphed over its competitors in May 1997 as the most appropriate choice. The town was felt to be the right size, it is set in a scenically attractive area and it possessed existing businesses and local expertise that the initiative could build on.
Since then, Scottish Enterprise, Dumfries and Galloway Enterprise, Dumfries and Galloway Council and Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board have all been working closely with the Wigtown book town committee to ascertain the scope for
helping it to achieve its aims.
My question follows on from what was said earlier about the lack of recognition of Wigtown and the south-west, and of the fact that Wigtown is Scotland's national book town. Will the minister undertake to have a word with his colleague who is responsible for transport, to determine whether there is any possibility that that national designation could be recognised by the erection of appropriate signage on the M74 near Gretna?
I would be happy to take that up with my colleague. The wider recognition of Wigtown should be considered. We will include that matter when we consult on our tourism strategy and we will consider how we can—as members have suggested—put Wigtown on the map. We must not only tell the world about Wigtown; we must tell ourselves, the Scots, about Wigtown and its significance.
A development plan is now in place, which is providing public support of nearly £300,000 over three years. I understand that the positive relationship between the book town committee and the public support agencies is valued on both sides and I am sure that it is set to continue.
No budget is unlimited and no project can ever be approached brandishing an open chequebook. The Scottish Executive relies heavily on the expertise and commercial judgment of the enterprise agencies in assessing project proposals and applications for assistance and in recommending priorities and appropriate support measures. Dumfries and Galloway Enterprise stands ready to consider closely any further development plans that might identify additional benefits to the town and build on the success that has been achieved so far in promoting Wigtown's regeneration.
Today's debate is timely, as it takes place close to the start of what is possibly the book town's most ambitious venture so far. The weekend after next—when Alasdair has said he must be elsewhere, although perhaps he should go home—sees the launch of the Wigtown literary festival: an annual event that will not only place Wigtown firmly on the Scottish literary map, but will provide an event of a calibre that is bound to attract visitors from much further afield. We will assess and develop that in our strategy for tourism.
I join all members in looking forward to the day when Wigtown achieves its aim of becoming a must-see attraction for booklovers everywhere. We can all play our part in that. I join Alasdair Morgan in commending the motion to the Parliament.
Thank you very much for an interesting and well-informed debate. That brings this evening's meeting of the Parliament to a close. Thank you all.
Meeting closed at 17:30.