Chamber and committees

Yes, absolutely.

I thank Sue Webber for lodging the motion for debate. Before I speak about the proposal for a railway station at Winchburgh, I bring it to members’ attention that my wife, Janet Campbell, has been the local councillor for Winchburgh since 2007. Both my wife and my friend and colleague Fiona Hyslop have been at the forefront of the community campaign to bring a station to the area. There have been plans for a railway station going all the way back to the original Edinburgh to Glasgow improvement plan, but unfortunately they had to be dropped because of the financial crash in 2008, which saw a reduction in the capital funding that was available at the time. However, we should always remember that this is and has always been a developer-led initiative, and it was used to support the case for building the new town at Winchburgh.

The development of the village into a new town has been taking shape over many years since planning permission was granted in April 2012. Since then, there have been new high schools, feeder primary schools, a new retail centre, a new public park at Auldcathie and nearly 3,800 new homes, which brings the old village of Winchburgh up to the size of Linlithgow, but there is still no station.

Given the growth of the surrounding area, it came as no surprise that, in the autumn of 2019, Transport Scotland and Network Rail announced that they were going to examine again the proposal for a chord to the Dalmeny to Winchburgh junction line. That would be considered as part of the Edinburgh Waverley western approaches project. The constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, hosted a visit by the then Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Mike Matheson, and representatives of numerous transport groups including ScotRail and Network Rail.

The obstacle is funding, as it always was. The development company, West Coast Capital, had budgeted £10 million for the Winchburgh railway station, but that was pre-Brexit and pre-Covid. The impact has been that construction inflation has increased by nearly a quarter in recent years, and it is expected to increase by a further 15 per cent over the coming five years. The result is that the developer is seeking funding from the public sector, but at a time when the Scottish Government has had its capital budget cut in real terms by Westminster.

There is no doubt that there is a need for a station at Winchburgh, given that a new station could serve more than 13,000 people within walking distance of it—and double that number could travel to the station to use the facility. Given the reduced 15-minute journey time by train, which is substantially quicker than the current 50 minutes by car or 60 minutes to Waverley by bus, I believe that a substantial number of people would become regular rail commuters. We have the passengers and the trains; we just need a station.

We need to find a way forward, and Winchburgh rail steering group is considering one possible solution—to progress the preparation of the business case for the railway station as an essential element of the application for city region deal strategic site funding. That fund is worth at least £50 million, and it is to be shared across seven key areas, including Winchburgh. A substantial contribution would still be needed from the developer, but a partnership with the Scottish Government would help to remove tens of thousands of car journeys per year from our roads, resulting in improved air quality and a reduction in greenhouse gases.

The steering group is supported by the local MSP, Fiona Hyslop, and local councillors. They have agreed a set of actions and they are moving the project forward together. I wish them every success in their endeavours.

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s “HMICS Strategic review of the Scottish Police Authority”, which was published earlier this month and sets out the progress made by the Scottish Police Authority in providing oversight and scrutiny of policing in Scotland. (S6O-03631)

What steps is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that the SPA continues to fulfil its role in the scrutiny of Scottish policing?

What is your view on the suggestion that landlords could ask for a higher deposit from tenants who have a pet? Obviously, there is a question of affordability. At the moment, people have to find two months’ rent for a deposit, which in Edinburgh can be up to a couple of thousand pounds. What is your view on higher deposits for pet owners?

Good morning. Lucy, I will put this question to you, as you touched on the issue first. Do you think that the introduction of rent control areas is part of the solution when it comes to alleviating poverty?

We have discussed potential damage to property, including soiling of carpets and cats clawing at curtains. SSPCA officers go round many properties. Is there any evidence to suggest that the damage level is higher in rented properties than it is in owner-occupied ones?

Do you have anything to add, Becky?

Lucy, you indicated that you wanted to come in, and then I will bring in James Calder.

I have a couple of specific questions for Jon Turner. The Link Group was awarded a contract for private sector leasing management in Edinburgh in 2020. At the time, there were 1,410 private sector leasing properties and the company had a target to hit. Where are you on the target?