Chamber and committees

Programme for Government, An Economy Fit for the Future: Amendment 5

Submitted by: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2026
Motion type: Amendment
Motion reference: S7M-01070.5
Current status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, 08 September 2026

As an amendment to motion S7M-01070 in the name of Stephen Flynn (Programme for Government, An Economy Fit for the Future), insert at end "; recognises that work to ensure Scotland has a strong and sustainable economy must address high levels of economic inactivity, an inefficient planning system and the impact of rising business rates; recalls the £178 million of additional rates relief, secured by the Scottish Liberal Democrats in the 2026-27 Budget, while acknowledging that businesses are still feeling the effects of the 2026 rates revaluation with changes required to ensure revaluations don’t produce unfair bills that threaten otherwise viable businesses; believes that island and rural businesses play a key role in helping Scotland’s economy to grow and that those businesses rely on good transport connections to help move supplies, products and staff; acknowledges that where cuts are made to lifeline flights or where there is consistent disruption to ferry services, the viability of these businesses can be adversely affected, and calls for the Island Resilience Fund to offer more funding, and sooner, to both island businesses and the coastal communities that have been consistently excluded from the scheme.”