The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 253 contributions
Meeting of the Parliament
Meeting date: 19 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would like to vote no.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
We are committed to supporting the vibrancy and vitality of our town and neighbourhood centres as we continue to implement the world-leading town centre first principle and support progress through delivery of the town centre action plan.
Support for town centre regeneration has been backed by our capital investment programmes, including the place-based investment programme, the regeneration capital fund and the vacant and derelict land investment programme, all of which have helped to accelerate shared ambitions for town centre action. However, the United Kingdom Government’s reduction in our capital budget will impact the support that we can provide in 2024-25.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
That takes us slightly outwith my portfolio. Those important issues really matter to local people. Paul O’Kane will be aware that the Scottish Government is engaging closely with the task force.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
As I said in answer to Mr Torrance, there are 22 recommendations in the report, and it is important that we look at those in partnership with our local government colleagues and then bring back proposals for deliberation. If there are any changes, I am pretty sure that the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee will take an interest in that. We will come back to Parliament in the usual way with any actions that we intend to take.
This is probably a good point to thank the members of SLARC for their hard work. They took a broad approach to the issue and I hope that we can all get behind that piece of work. It is important that we take that forward in partnership with our local government colleagues.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
Fulton MacGregor has made strong points, particularly in relation to the impact of Brexit, which we did not vote for in Scotland, and in relation to inflationary pressures, which were made much worse by the disastrous Truss-Kwarteng budget, which was supported by Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish budget continues to support business and communities with a competitive non-domestic rates package. We have frozen the basic property rate that is levied on properties with a rateable value of up to £51,000, and delivered the lowest such rate in the United Kingdom for six consecutive years. That will save ratepayers an estimated £37 million in 2024-25, compared with an inflationary increase. We are also offering a package of reliefs in 2024-25 that are worth an estimated £685 million. That includes maintaining the small business bonus scheme, which I think remains the most generous scheme of its kind across the UK.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
The challenges to the capital investment budget are genuine. A 10 per cent reduction to our capital investment budget over the next five or so years is really challenging. Paul Sweeney will be aware that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance will bring the issue of capital spending back to the chamber in order that that can be looked at properly.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
The Government welcomes all our work on regeneration with local authorities. My Convention of Scottish Local Authorities colleague Gail Macgregor is a Conservative. That is one of those issues on which we really try to work in collaboration across the parties to do what is right for the area.
The reduction in the capital budget is really challenging. Monica Lennon asked about planning resources. I am sure that she will be pleased to hear that we have just launched a consultation to consider how we can properly resource our planning system across Scotland. We are looking at a range of options for how we do our business and how planning regimes across Scotland can be properly and fully funded.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
The Scottish local authorities remuneration committee’s recommendations report was published on the Scottish Government website on 16 February this year.
Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]
Meeting date: 6 March 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
It is worth putting on the record that, many years ago, when I ceased being a councillor before becoming an MSP, I received a severance payment.
Being a councillor can involve a significant amount of important work in local communities, and the terms and conditions should reflect that. It is important that remuneration does not act as a barrier to encouraging a diverse range of people to stand for elected office. We want to encourage people from across our communities to stand to be councillors in their local areas. The Scottish local authorities remuneration committee report makes a number of recommendations that require appropriate deliberation, which the Scottish Government will take forward in partnership with COSLA.
Meeting of the Parliament
Meeting date: 28 February 2024
Joe FitzPatrick
That is a surprise.