Meeting of the Parliament 17 June 2015
Yes. That takes me back to the discussion that I had with Alex Fergusson on amendments regarding communities of interest. In this bill we are allowing the transfer of public assets and we very consciously identified communities of interest—people who share an interest, a background or an activity—as groups that could take on ownership of assets. There are many kinds of community—not just localities, although they are important, but people who share characteristics or activities and wish to work together on them.
I strongly argue that when a group of people do not simply share a locality or an idea but can bring that together in the ownership of an asset, that ownership results in more confidence, capacity and cohesion. It gives a flag to rally round and a sense of ownership, because it is based on what in many cases is actual ownership. Whether we are talking about reviving a local shop, renovating a derelict site or providing a hub for community activities, control of assets can be a key factor in making a community a more attractive place to live and supporting its economic regeneration.
My colleague Dr McLeod has deftly steered the community right to buy through the Parliament—I am not just saying that because she is sitting next to me. We have a comprehensive set of improvements and a fundamental shift in the way in which communities can use the community right to buy. It will now be available in urban and rural contexts, and the new part 3A of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 will be instrumental in helping communities to deal with problem land.
No single bill or action that any Government takes will change the pattern overnight. As the land reform review group report emphasised, land reform is a long-term process. However, we firmly believe that the measures will help to lay the foundation for future action on land reform and our vital next steps.
Participation and assets are two key aspects of the bill, and another strand is inequalities. We recognise that inequalities might impact on communities’ ability to use the bill. That has been a focus of concern for the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, and we have been working together on the issue to ensure that we empower the disempowered. We have introduced amendments requiring public bodies to consider inequality and we are targeting locality planning so that all community planning partners can bring their resources to bear on the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
We should be proud that we are putting a significant amount of investment through the programme directly into communities. We are putting an extra £5.6 million in the people and communities fund, which will be part of the overall empowering communities pot, which now stands at £19.4 million of support.
We have listened to everything that has been said. The collaborative approach has allowed the bill to evolve into what will be an extraordinary piece of legislation that touches on practically all aspects of human activity. It will also ensure that our public services are focused on improving what our communities care about and putting them in the driving seat. The broad consensus in favour reflects our shared commitment to working with everyone. Following the enactment of the bill, we will continue that dialogue as we develop draft guidance and proceed with implementation.
I again thank all those who contributed and who will continue to contribute. It gives me enormous pleasure to move the motion.
I move,
That the Parliament agrees that the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill be passed.
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