Committee
Local Government and Regeneration Committee 18 March 2015
18 Mar 2015 · S4 · Local Government and Regeneration Committee
Item of business
Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
I would certainly be happy to work with the minister before stage 3, but I am afraid that those commitments do not yet cover the essentials of my proposal. I, too, am grateful for the work that Stephen Morrow and his group put in, but the group was expressly asked not to look at this issue, which I think was unfortunate. It is important to note that, when we initially polled people, 95 per cent supported a right to buy at sale or administration and that, in our latest survey, 81 per cent of people supported the right to buy at any time, with a third of those who responded representing fans trusts. It is important that this is in the bill. The minister has spoken about regulations, but we as a Parliament cannot amend those regulations. We can only agree or disagree to them. I want to give members a flavour of some of the support that we have received for the proposals. Dave Scott from Nil by Mouth said that the charity “would be supportive of proposals for greater fan control and ownership of their clubs and feel that this could be an exciting opportunity for the silent majority of fans to find their voice and use their increased position to bring about the real changes required to bring the Scottish game into the 21st century.” Stuart Duncan, a former director of Greenock Morton Football Club and Supporters Direct UK, said: “I’m very excited at the prospect of fans being given the right to buy. Clubs provincial and otherwise are community assets as shown by my own club Greenock Morton who now have a vibrant and highly successful community trust, a fan led initiative, which is in their own words, ‘the heartbeat of Inverclyde’. These community assets are best protected by people who have the club as the hub of the community at heart, fans.” A Kilmarnock fan said to us: “Community ownership is one of the few sustainable and viable ways of running football clubs in Scotland.” It is fair to say that the bulk of responses from Rangers fans were supportive, but many were also libellous. Laughter. I will not read out any of those ones, but here is one that should be safe: “I support Rangers so it would avoid a situation arising like the one that arose over the past few years. Rangers fans are the only people who will take proper care of Rangers football club.” A St Mirren fan said simply: “Give us the tools to do the job.” I could read out quotes all day, but that would probably guarantee the rejection of my amendments by the committee.
In the same item of business
The Convener (Kevin Stewart)
SNP
Good morning, and welcome to the 10th meeting in 2015 of the Local Government and Regeneration Committee. If people wish to use tablets or mobile phones duri...
The Convener
SNP
Amendment 1084, in the name of the minister, is in a group on its own.
The Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment (Marco Biagi)
SNP
Amendment 1084 responds to the committee’s recommendation to review the legislation relating to Forestry Commission Scotland leasing land to communities for ...
The Convener
SNP
Amendment 1231, in the name of Alison Johnstone, is grouped with amendments 1232 to 1248.
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
I thank the committee for its time today, and I thank the convener for agreeing that this important issue should be considered at stage 2. I know that you ha...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
I do not seek to pick at the underlying principle of this group of amendments, but I seek information about the implementation of that principle. I will s...
Cameron Buchanan (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I, too, am concerned about the technicalities of the bill, legal and otherwise. We discussed the issue at our group meeting, but I would have liked more time...
Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
I thank Alison Johnstone for the amendments, which I am broadly supportive of. When Alison sums up, I wonder whether she might give us a little bit more clar...
Alex Rowley (Cowdenbeath) (Lab)
Lab
I support the amendments. I should say that I am a Kelty Hearts Junior Football Club supporter, but no matter what team people support, if they go regularly ...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
I also want to speak in support of amendment 1231, in the name of Alison Johnstone, and in favour of all the amendments in the group. This is about extending...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Will Mr Macintosh take an intervention?
Ken Macintosh
Lab
I will.
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Would you be sympathetic to the idea that we should extend the provision to the Highland league?
Ken Macintosh
Lab
I am delighted that Stewart Stevenson wants to build on the amendments in this group before we have even accepted them, but I think that we should take it on...
Marco Biagi
SNP
I thank the members who have lodged amendments. I have heard a lot that I can agree with. The Scottish Government is extremely supportive of supporter involv...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (Ind)
Ind
Could the minister give me a clear steer on whether he is minded not to accept the amendments today, or whether he is minded to accept them on the basis that...
Marco Biagi
SNP
Can I perhaps get to that? I was working towards it but, at this point, I want to highlight the issues with the detail. If the amendments were agreed to, the...
John Wilson
Ind
As I understand it, the grounds that some clubs use are owned by the local authorities, so there is already local authority ownership of football grounds in ...
Marco Biagi
SNP
I apologise for my slightly irreverent aside about local authority ownership of stadia in Italy. The point that I was aiming at was made effectively by the d...
Alison Johnstone
Green
I would certainly be happy to work with the minister before stage 3, but I am afraid that those commitments do not yet cover the essentials of my proposal. I...
Marco Biagi
SNP
Those are sentiments that I think we have all broadly expressed in the committee, and they certainly show a positive approach to supporter ownership that the...
Alison Johnstone
Green
If we agree in principle, and if we are as supportive as we all purport to be, we should support the amendments today and look at the technicalities before s...
The Convener
SNP
Amendment 1085, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 1086, 1249 and 1250.
Marco Biagi
SNP
I was happy to lodge amendments 1085 and 1086 in response to the committee’s recommendations. As you know, the aim of the bill in relation to common good is ...
Cameron Buchanan
Con
I was going to say that amendment 1249 is a probing amendment. It is all very well that Scottish ministers can issue guidance on the management and use of a ...
Marco Biagi
SNP
I am not sure that I understand the distinction that Mr Buchanan is making between policy-based guidance and technical guidance. Policy-based guidance can be...
Cameron Buchanan
Con
I really wanted the minister to explain what form the guidance would take. I am not going to move the amendments in my name; I just want to know what form th...
Marco Biagi
SNP
All guidance is developed in partnership with everyone involved. We know that strong views have been expressed on the management and maintenance of common go...
The Convener
SNP
Amendment 1164, in the name of Ken Macintosh, is grouped with amendments 1165 to 1167, 1229, 1168, 1252 and 1230. I draw members’ attention to the informatio...
Ken Macintosh
Lab
I will speak to a number of amendments about allotments on behalf of and with the support of the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society, which is the key or...