Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Official Report 1164KB pdf

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Paisley

The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S5M-14729, in the name of George Adam, on—believe it or not—Paisley being voted Britain’s top town. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament notes that Paisley has been named the best town in the UK and Ireland at the Academy of Urbanism Awards in London; understands that the Great Town Award recognises the best, most enduring or most improved urban environments across the UK, Ireland and Europe, and this year focused on places that have been through transformation; acknowledges Paisley’s recent achievements and the success of the City of Culture 2021 campaign in winning over the people of Paisley and helping to change the narrative and establish a “Positive Paisley” attitude; praises the efforts of everyone involved in transforming the town, and looks forward to the continued vision of confidence and community spreading across the town.

17:06  

Presiding Officer, I can tell from your tone that you are completely surprised that the debate is basically, “Paisley is awesome: please discuss.” I am glad to have brought the debate to the Scottish Parliament, as it will show the progress that our great town has made in recent years. Rather than complain about the many challenges that we face, we have gone out and led the way on the town centre’s regeneration.

Today’s Paisley Daily Express contains the headline, “MSP George Set to Talk up Town in Parliament Debate”. That could be the headline for just about every debate that I have been a part of, but it shows that the whole town is behind the idea of the positive Paisley message.

I know what members are all thinking—George Adam is talking about his home town; there is a novel idea. However, we are celebrating an interesting award. Paisley was given the Academy of Urbanism award in November last year, and it is interesting that, since the award began, in 2006, no other Scottish town has won it. That is much like my football team, St Mirren, being the only Scottish team to have won the Anglo-Scottish cup—a competition that is no longer with us.

Paisley beat off competition from Barnsley in Yorkshire and Chelmsford in Essex for the title of great town 2018. The award comes on the back of the fantastic regeneration as a result of Paisley’s United Kingdom city of culture 2021 bid. Although we did not win that title, the positivity and belief that we can do something in the town have remained.

Since I was elected as Paisley’s MSP, in 2011, I have always taken a team Paisley approach to everything that I do. Perhaps I have mentioned before that there has always been a positive Paisley agenda. Paisley has a great past—it has been involved in just about everything that is to do with our nation’s past—but it also has a fantastic future. The feeling in the town is now about asking what we can do together to deal with the challenges that we face. The positive Paisley agenda is what makes the difference.

Our future looks good as we consider how to improve our lot in the world. Last Christmas—that is not a line from a song—Paisley’s business improvement district organisation, Paisley First, held a winter festival the like of which has not been seen outwith our major cities. My family and I went along to it, and I even donned ice skates despite not having skated since I was eight years old, which was not yesterday. I looked like Bambi on ice while I skated, but the festival was fun. As we left, my daughter, Jessica, said, “Dad, I can’t believe we’ve spent all day in Paisley town centre and had a fantastic day here.” We are talking about creating an environment in which people can make memories for their families and about making people even more proud of where they come from.

Coats memorial church closed as a religious building last year, but did we, in Paisley, complain? No—we set up a trust, on which local businessman Ian Henderson led, to find a new use for the church and start a crowd funder to change it into an entertainment venue. That shows the difference in confidence in Paisley since the 2021 bid. Paisley is showing the way for other towns in how we are shaping our future.

I am grateful to my friend and colleague George Adam for giving way, and I declare an interest as someone who was born in Paisley.

Why are you not speaking in the debate, then?

That is exactly what I am doing right now, Mr Gibson. Does Mr Adam agree with me that the example that Paisley is setting is positive not just for the people of Paisley but for many of the surrounding communities—for example, in Barrhead, Johnstone, Linwood and Lochwinnoch in my constituency—which are tapping into that positivity and energy?

Mr Arthur makes a valid point, because if Paisley, as the capital town of Renfrewshire, does well, the rest of the county does well. It is important that we see Paisley as the heart of our county, because that was always the way in the past. I have often heard that a big day out for a boy from Barrhead on a Saturday was going into the centre of the universe and shopping in Paisley town centre.

We are talking about the art of shaping our own future and taking on the challenges. I have mentioned the Coats memorial church. We also have an ambitious project called Baker Street, which is run by Paisley Community Trust, whereby we want to bring a cinema theatre back into the heart of our town.

During the last campaign, the BBC luxury camper van came to the town centre, next to the abbey. The “Good Morning Scotland” presenter asked me, “What has the Scottish Government done for the town centre?” and I said, “Just look around you—it is all around us here at the moment.” It was Scottish Government investment that helped to bring people back to live in the town centre, and that has made a big difference in Paisley.

We also have projects happening in Love Street, where St Mirren used to have its football ground, and there is now a radical project to regenerate the west end of Paisley. It just shows that, although there are problems and difficulties, we are constantly trying to find ways to move things on.

Renfrewshire Council has not held back, either, but has been really involved as well. It has just shut the Paisley town hall and the museum in the High Street—not in the negative sense in which we normally talk about closure in this place but because there is going to be a radical overhaul and both buildings will be made fit for the 21st century.

The judges of the great town award noted that, although we did not win the UK city of culture competition, the bid won over the people of Paisley and, in turn, permanently changed the narrative of the place and the direction of travel. We used our heritage and culture to change the narrative in the town.

We are in a new age for our old historic town. The 21st century is when we take things further forward. I am biased because it is my town, they are my people and it is my place in the world, but, no matter what anyone says, they will never get anyone in Paisley to talk negatively about the journey that we are on. We have always been proud of our town; we are just glad that the rest of the world is catching up with us.

17:13  

I thank George Adam for bringing this debate to the chamber so early in the new year. It is a huge surprise to hear Mr Adam talk about Paisley; it is something that he does not do very often in the chamber—I am sure that the Official Report will reflect that. In all seriousness, this is a great award to be given, as George Adam said. Paisley was up against some fierce competition from other UK towns in the Academy of Urbanism awards.

Two years ago, George Adam brought another debate to the chamber—on Paisley’s bid to be the UK city of culture—and I participated in that debate, along with many other members from different parties. There was huge excitement in the chamber about getting behind that bid. Although it was disappointing that Paisley was not ultimately successful in its bid, the process shone a light on Paisley and, as Tom Arthur pointed out, on the whole of Renfrewshire. It really focused minds from right across the political spectrum and from across different bits of Government—local government and national Government—to put together a strong bid.

The event that we had in the Parliament was one of the best events that I have been to of an eve here. We congratulate Coventry, but it was a shame that Paisley did not win. The sheer volume of support that Paisley got from celebrities, from business and from academia points towards the reason why it should have won. I think that that was, as many others have said, the start of a journey.

I will quote a couple of local politicians from Paisley, as I think that it is important that we hear their voices. The leader of Renfrewshire Council, Councillor Nicolson, said that

“Paisley’s UK city of culture bid did a huge amount to lift the town’s profile, reputation and self-confidence.”

Self-confidence is the key point that we should focus on.

Councillor Nicolson also said:

“We said that journey would continue”,

and clearly it has, as is reflected in the award that Paisley has won.

Another councillor, Councillor McIntyre from north-west Paisley, said:

“It’s been good for bringing people into Paisley, who hadn’t been in for a long time or hadn’t been in at all. It’s raised the profile of the town and the residents have been supportive. It’s put pride back into the town.”

I have no doubt that that pride was always there—it is quite obvious that it has always been there—going back decades, if not centuries. Paisley has a proud legacy of culture and design, and the Academy of Urbanism award, which reflects improvements in urban areas and rewards towns that have made a lot of progress, has indeed proved that Paisley has developed.

Paisley is not without its problems, which Mr Adam reflected in his speech. Last year, more shops closed in Paisley than opened, but it is no different from many towns and cities across the country, which are all struggling. The High Street is struggling, but it is what is done about that that counts, and it is what Paisley is doing about it that matters. Some of the empty shop fronts in Paisley have been wallpapered with messages such as “You could be here”, which ask businesses to come to Paisley and make the High Street their own.

Many things are going on, such as the redevelopment of the town hall, more investment in the museum and the Glasgow city deal, which I hope will have benefits for and a knock-on effect on Paisley. There are still points of progress to be made, including on the Glasgow airport rail link, which, if it goes ahead, will ultimately benefit Paisley as well.

I thank Mr Adam for allowing us to talk about his favourite subject—Paisley. As a member for the West Scotland region, I am very proud of everything that is going on there. In particular, I pay tribute to some of the excellent work at West College Scotland’s Paisley campus. Altogether, the institution educates more than 22,000 people in Scotland, many of whom come from the West Scotland region, and it is laying the foundations of excellent career opportunities for our young people. That is what this is all about: making sure that that part of the world is a positive place in which to live, grow up and work. Well done, Paisley.

17:18  

I welcome any opportunity to contribute to a debate about Paisley. It is where I was born, it is where I live and I have chosen to raise my family there. It is one of the Renfrewshire communities that I have the privilege to represent.

I am proud that Paisley was recognised by the Academy of Urbanism in November last year. The award followed our bid in 2017 to be the UK city of culture. Although that bid was ultimately unsuccessful, I want to express my gratitude to all those in the community who helped reinvigorate a sense of pride in the town. The bid was about more than just a series of events; it was about a vision of economic and social transformation and the promise of a real and lasting legacy. However, we would be doing the community a disservice if we came to Parliament to talk about Paisley and simply patted ourselves on the back, rather than speaking up for what Paisley needs now.

Living in Paisley, I know that it has many positives, which have already been mentioned, including our heritage, our culture, the many fantastic events that we hold and the many fantastic local organisations. I also know that our community and local people face many challenges. Our biggest positive is, and always has been, our people, and the biggest challenge is to close the gap between what Paisley needs and what Paisley gets from all levels of Government. Paisley needs and deserves massive Government investment to take forward regeneration and transform the local economy.

Paisley is Scotland’s largest town and it is time that it was treated as such. Promises were made, and promises must be kept. Renfrewshire Council needs a fair funding deal from the Scottish Government. People in Paisley are seeing cut after cut. Those cuts have put at risk local services that are vital to urban renewal, such as Hillview nursery in Ferguslie and the Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau. The law centre recently closed its doors altogether. Recently, the council administration hiked up parking charges—an act of economic vandalism that will only chase people away from the town centre. I hope that that policy will be reconsidered.

Going forward, we need an industrial strategy and action on fair work to tackle poverty, unemployment and insecure work and to deal with the wages of working people. In order to create hundreds of jobs, improve our infrastructure and support businesses, we need to get on with the Glasgow airport rail link, with a stop at Paisley. We must do that because Renfrewshire firms are warning us that congestion on the M8 is deterring investors from the area.

Jamie Greene mentioned West College Scotland. People of all ages, but particularly young people, need the opportunity to learn and retrain. That is not much to ask, but places at the Paisley campus of West College Scotland have been cut by nearly 3,000 over the past three years. We need action on that, too.

Staff at the Royal Alexandra hospital—one of the town’s biggest employers—also need to be properly resourced. Bed numbers at the RAH are down nearly 100 since 2012. Local patients need to be protected from the creeping centralisation of services from Paisley to Glasgow. We know that because this Friday marks one year since this Government’s decision to close Paisley’s children’s ward.

On all those issues and more, people in Paisley are being let down. As I have said many times, there is a big difference between what Paisley needs and what Paisley gets. The last thing that Paisley needs is complacency from its politicians.

The award last year was a remarkable achievement—we should be proud of and celebrate it—but people in Paisley are not patting us on the back for the deal that our town is getting. It is outcomes for the people of Paisley that matter most now; outcomes such as more jobs, better jobs and secure jobs. We need investment in our infrastructure, a healthier health service, a stronger, fairer local economy and a community that gets its fair share. That is how Paisley will be transformed. That is how we will unlock Paisley’s potential. That is how we will improve the lives of people in Paisley. That is not Paisley just as it is but as it should be.

17:22  

I am pleased to speak in this evening’s debate as, understandably, I have always had a strong affinity with the town in which I was born. I congratulate my colleague George Adam on securing the debate. Mr Adam has a burning ambition, which is to ensure that Paisley is mentioned in this Parliament as often as Stuart McMillan manages to mention Inverclyde. I live in Kilbirnie, so my strongest connection to Paisley at the moment is the fact that my oldest son is currently studying chemistry at the University of the West of Scotland there.

Tonight we have the chance to celebrate Paisley’s success not only at November’s Academy of Urbanism awards but in building upon the momentum of the two-year city of culture 2021 campaign. Paisley may not have won that bid, but the town has gained an enthusiasm for its identity and culture that will surely lead to greater success in future.

On footballing successes, I point out to George Adam that I have a poster on my wall from the 1922 St Mirren match in Barcelona, which was given to me after a speech at Ríudecañas in Catalonia. The poster commemorates St Mirren being the first Scottish team to play at Barcelona’s then ground, Les Corts.

It was Paisley’s use of heritage and culture to build community confidence that pushed it ahead of the other two great town award finalists, Chelmsford and Barnsley, and won over the assessors. That will come as no surprise to those who followed the town’s tenacious campaign to use culture and creativity as a catalyst for promoting regeneration.

Paisley is steeped in its industrial history. If we reflect upon that period, it goes some way towards explaining the drive and passion that buddies have today for making their town the greatest in the UK. The Paisley weaving industry was world-renowned for the quality of its designs, including the Paisley pattern, and for its radical workers movements. In the early 19th century, Paisley’s artisanal weavers went on strike to fight for a Government truly representative of people and not just the elite. That is remembered by the 1820 Society; the 200th anniversary of that will no doubt be celebrated next year. In addition, Mary Barbour, remembered today as the main organiser of the Govan rent strikes of 1915, was the daughter of a Kilbarchan weaver.

The indomitable spirit and belief that a better future was within reach remains in the hearts of the people of Paisley and I believe that the same spirit drives Paisley to overcome the challenges that it now faces, such as areas of high poverty.

It would be remiss of me to speak only of Paisley’s rich cultural heritage, as its architectural legacy is equally impressive. From the 12th century Paisley abbey, to the Victorian town hall, to the Paisley museum and art gallery, a visit to Paisley will undoubtedly feature some of the finest architecture in the UK.

Central to Paisley’s enduring charm is its unwillingness to stand still. On 28 December 2018, Paisley town hall hosted its last ceilidh before closing its doors for a £22 million makeover; it will reopen in 2021 following a redesign that is led by architects Holmes Miller. The hall, which serves as Paisley’s civic and social hub, was designed by Belfast architect William Henry Lynn. Its construction, which began in 1879, was made possible by a legacy donation by George Aitken Clark, a prominent local threadmaker whose statue has stood outside the historic venue since its completion. Since then, Mr Clark’s likeness has watched over the plethora of events that have taken place in its halls, the ever-changing crowds reflecting Paisley’s dynamic and varied culture.

One of the most famous buddies, Gerry Rafferty, played early gigs there, as did the more recently celebrated Paolo Nutini. The town hall was also the setting for “Cuttin’ A Rug”, the central play in Paisley artist John Byrne’s “The Slab Boys Trilogy”. I am confident that, when the hall reopens its doors in two years, it will further cement its position as both a flagship performance venue and a thriving civic hub that is fit for the 21st century and beyond.

Paisley folk are not content to look only to the past, and new additions to the town’s culture have been innovative and outward looking. In 2017, Paisley opened the first-ever publicly accessible museum store on a UK high street, called the secret collection. The large basement unit houses tens of thousands of items from Renfrewshire’s museum collections that are not on display in the main museum, with many treasures that have not been seen by the public for decades. Not only is the project a shining example of how innovation can rejuvenate our high streets in the face of tough times for retail but, most important, the secret collection is reflective of the self-assured identity that the people of Paisley have cemented in recent years. It is about celebrating what makes you great, no matter how big or how small; about being unashamed and fiercely proud of your heritage; and about a society that is free and accessible to all, as long as people are willing to get involved. That is the attitude that won Paisley the great town award in November, and that is the attitude which will carry Paisley through to ever-greater success in the future. I again congratulate George Adam on the debate.

17:27  

I join colleagues from across the chamber in congratulating Paisley on its award for best town in the UK. It was received from the Academy of Urbanism, which recognised Paisley as a town that has recovered from industrial decline by concentrating on good, affordable housing and a strong town centre. Paisley is rightly proud of its achievements and it is great that the spirit of the UK city of culture bid survives and thrives.

The Academy of Urbanism focuses on identifying, promoting and learning from great places, and the award is a well-deserved accolade for Scotland’s largest town: Paisley. Presiding Officer, having mentioned Paisley four times already, I fear that I am in danger of becoming a George Adam tribute act. However, I commend Mr Adam for not only bringing tonight’s debate but being the unrelenting champion of his constituency.

The rationale for granting the award makes impressive reading and could be characterised in the way that Mr Adam did it: “Paisley is awesome”. Paisley has successfully started to transform by using its unique cultural and heritage assets, celebrating its manufacturing and industrial heritage, reinventing its textile heritage and launching a new destination brand last year: Paisley is. It has done so in tandem with the Scottish Government, which has made key contributions, including funding towards the coming transformation of Paisley museum, showcasing the town’s unique heritage and collections, and the renovation of the iconic Russell institute, as well as towards the learning and cultural hub in the heart of Paisley’s high street. The wider partnership team Paisley approach will continue with the likes of the police, the University of the West of Scotland, Glasgow School of Art, Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Creative Scotland and, perhaps most important of all, a number of local and community sector organisations that will all be involved in developing a vision for Paisley town centre.

The academy’s award for Paisley again and again emphasised the strength of community spirit in the town as a powerful force for change. The judges also recognised that one of Paisley’s greatest resources is the level of aspiration, engagement and commitment that is shown by its local communities for enhancing and improving its built environment; that continuing interaction with local organisations is vital.

Scotland is a nation of towns and unlike in some other developed nations, more than two thirds of our businesses and citizens reside not in cities but in towns, islands and smaller rural communities. We want and need all our town centres to be vibrant, creative, enterprising and accessible. However, town centres are facing challenges as retail patterns change and evolve.

It is essential that we support town centres to become more diverse and sustainable, creating footfall through local improvements and partnerships, which can include repurposing buildings for retail, business, housing, social and community enterprise, services, leisure, culture, tourism and heritage. In particular, town-centre living has significant potential to increase footfall day and night, as well as delivering more homes, making safer communities and creating town centres that are creative, diverse and sustainable places.

Since 2013-14, the Scottish Government has been pleased to provide more than £25 million of housing grant to enable the development of more than 400 affordable homes for social rent and shared equity, including a number of homes for older people, as well as a small number of homes for mid-market rent in Paisley town centre, in Cotton Street, at the former Arnott’s site, in the west end and in Love Street. We look forward to continuing to work with the council to deliver affordable housing that will contribute to making Paisley an even more attractive place to live.

The Scottish Government is also promoting and supporting the transformation and regeneration of Scotland’s towns and town centres through Scotland’s towns partnership, which supports delivery of the Scottish Government’s town centre action plan through information, tools and the development of local partnerships.

The Scottish Government has also supported the establishment of around 40 business improvement districts across Scotland, enabling local business partnerships to vote to invest collectively to deliver improvements and create platforms for local economic growth. The Paisley First BID, a key partner of the wider Paisley 2021 Partnership Board, is focused on diversifying and developing the town centre, including its management and maintenance.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work announced the establishment of a £50 million town centre capital fund to enable local authorities to stimulate and support a wide range of investments that encourage town centres to diversify and flourish, creating footfall through local improvements and partnerships. Specifically, the fund will contribute to transformative investments that repurpose and diversify town-centre use and promote inclusive growth through place-based approaches. We hope that innovation will be inspired through the approaches taken by Paisley.

We know that Paisley is not resting on its laurels. In accepting the Academy of Urbanism award, it is already looking to the future; what next for Paisley? There is no complacency in Paisley. The Scottish Government is supporting that approach through the development of a vision for Paisley town centre, which will build on and develop the plan for Paisley, to deliver the changes that Paisley envisages, by 2027 and 2035. The lessons being learned by the buddies will be shared and applied to the regeneration of other traditional towns and their centres across Scotland. As Jamie Greene pointed out, those towns face the same challenges as Paisley.

Paisley’s football club might lie second bottom of the premiership—to the great distress of George Adam—but when it comes to delivering a town centre for the future, Paisley is top of the pile.

Meeting closed at 17:33.