Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 14 May 2019
14 May 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
The Place Principle
Yes. People come to me talking about the pressures faced by local government and the cuts that are taking place across the country. I agree—it is in a bad place. Part of the reason for that is that we have had a decade of a Government insisting on telling local government how much it can raise in tax. We want to turn the whole thing round, which is why, in budget negotiations this year, we have, I hope, started a process of revitalising local government and giving it greater fiscal freedom. It will take a long time, though.
We agree that the place principle is a useful starting point, but if we are to truly embolden local democracy, we must devolve decision making and budgets to a much more local level.
16:01In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-17265, in the name of Aileen Campbell, on adopting the place principle. 15:28
The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
I am delighted to open this debate on the place principle. Fundamentally, it is an approach that seeks to ensure that we, as policy makers, make better decis...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Back in the real world, communities are experiencing cuts to youth work and cuts to environmental services, roads are in a poorer condition, places are more ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Back in the real world, we have the collaboration and co-operation of COSLA and a host of different partners—not forgetting, most importantly, communities th...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Before we hear Mr Rowley’s intervention, I say to members that there is time for interventions—you will get your time back.
Alex Rowley
Lab
I do not know whether the cabinet secretary is trying to rewrite the Christie report, because one of its key messages was about preventative spend: it said t...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I mentioned the need for a “preventative” approach. I am certainly not seeking to rewrite the Christie report. I totally subscribe to the Christie principles...
Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
This morning, I read the weekly briefing from Unison Scotland, my trade union, and I noted that, on this debate, it says the following: “The place principle...
Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)
SNP
Is Mr Rowley suggesting that potholes have happened only under austerity?
Alex Rowley
Lab
I am saying that we need look only at the evidence of the cuts to council budgets over the past decade to see the impact that austerity is having and, theref...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
The debate is about trying to make better use of the resources and public funds that we have in order to make good on the Christie principles and on the noti...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Before you respond, Mr Rowley, I remind the cabinet secretary not to use the term “you” and to speak through the chair, please.
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I apologise, Presiding Officer.
Alex Rowley
Lab
The Labour manifesto “For the Many Not the Few” sets out a plan for £70 billion-odd of investment coming to Scotland over the next decade. That is the kind o...
Michelle Ballantyne (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
In 2012, when I was appointed to my local council’s planning committee, I was given a publication entitled “Placemaking and design” which, I was informed, co...
Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green)
Green
I thank the Scottish Government for bringing the topic to debate this afternoon. The Greens are happy to support the motion, and we support the place princip...
Neil Findlay
Lab
How many of the people who come to Mr Wightman’s surgeries, or email or write to him, talk about the cuts to local government? Is it a significant part of hi...
Andy Wightman
Green
Yes. People come to me talking about the pressures faced by local government and the cuts that are taking place across the country. I agree—it is in a bad pl...
James Dornan (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP)
SNP
It is a pleasure to speak in the debate, which, judging by the contributions so far, will be fairly positive. As every member will agree, Scotland’s communi...
Gordon Lindhurst (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. Our happiness and wellbeing depend to a great extent on the place in which we live. We should have p...
Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
SNP
I will highlight excellent community-led work that is taking place in my constituency. It has been a privilege to support such efforts in the communities tha...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I am sure that many of us love the places that we live in; we are connected to them and to the people who live around us. Across Scotland, communities have o...
Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome this debate and the dialogue on the place principle. Listening to some colleagues in the chamber, one would think that life was perfect before the ...
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con)
Con
We all agree that the place principle is a good one but that it probably needs more work in practice. As a councillor in Edinburgh, I was very aware of the s...
Stuart McMillan
SNP
If Mr Balfour reads the Official Report, he will see that I said that there is still a journey to be undertaken but I welcome the progress that has been made.
Jeremy Balfour
Con
I think the difference is that I am a pessimist and Stuart McMillan is an optimist. I fully relate to what he said. Something that we all—in both the Scot...
Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
There is good news from East Ayrshire, at least, which I hope might bring a smile to the faces of some of the gloomsters in the chamber. When I read the bri...
Angela Constance (Almond Valley) (SNP)
SNP
In advance of today’s debate, I took the time to read the Scottish Government’s three-page factsheet that explains the place principle. The nub of it is that...
Alex Rowley
Lab
I have made it clear that there is nothing in the Government’s motion that I could disagree with. However, sometimes there is a sense that the Parliament is ...
Willie Coffey
SNP
I invite Alex Rowley and his colleagues to come down to East Ayrshire and see the process working in practice. He would be very welcome to come and see it.