Hansard

I am delighted to speak in the debate, which, as we have heard, marks the final contribution to the Scottish Parliament of my friend and colleague Rob Gibson, at least in the capacity of MSP.

This is the third opportunity in a little less than a fortnight that I have had to highlight Rob’s contribution to the Parliament. It is starting to feel like he is making as many farewell appearances as Frank Sinatra. As I said in paying tribute to him at the final meeting of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee, I suspect that it is highly unlikely that this institution is hearing the last of the current member for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross. All joking aside, it would be a great pity if it was. He has made an enormous contribution to the work of this Parliament, not least on the issues about which he is particularly knowledgeable and passionate. As his deputy convener on the RACCE Committee, I have learned a great deal, thanks to his generosity.

In the land reform debate, we touched on the fact that the generally consensual and effective nature of the RACCE Committee over the past five years owed much to Rob’s approach as its convener. His contributions to the committee, and in this chamber, will be missed. Indeed, he himself will be missed. I am sure that we will continue to hear from him in the years to come about matters such as land reform. I certainly hope so.

At the risk of giving away the speaking order for the debate, I understand that Dave Thompson—another distinguished representative from the Highlands—will also make his final speech tonight. Like Rob, Dave has left his mark on this institution. I have enjoyed working with him on the RACCE Committee for the past couple of years, where I have watched him argue passionately for causes such as crofting and fishing. A debate on localism is the perfect way for Dave, like Rob, to depart the scene, as it were.

Dave and I have often chatted about his views—which are shared by Rob—that there is a democratic deficit in the Highlands, because it is such a massive geographical area and its diverse communities are represented by a single local authority. Dave argues that case well, as we may hear in a few minutes.

Through listening to Dave and Rob and serving for five years on the RACCE Committee, I have come to share the view that this Parliament needs to commit to handing power down to a local level. It is already doing that in a number of areas, but at the heart of localism lies empowerment, and significant capacity building will be required if empowerment is to be delivered at the scale we all want it to be delivered at. For example, if improving the management of our communities in their best interests and in the interests of the environment in which they exist involves enhancing community councils, we have to ensure that those community councils function effectively.

It is a matter of concern that two community councils are in danger of folding in the county of Angus, which I represent, while two others have just started on the comeback trail. As the motion highlights, we need to carry out a fundamental review of local government. That review should consider the effectiveness of the multi-member ward system that is used by councils. I am unconvinced that the present system delivers accountable local representation. Across all parties and none, there are fine examples of good local councillors. However, the present system also allows people to coast along on the strength of a party vote or an anti-party-politics vote.

Localism is not just about tiers of governance; it is also about encouraging local people to come together, facilitating that so that they deliver in the best interests of their communities, for example by acquiring land or buildings and putting them to better use for the wider good. The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 and the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill have opened the door for that to happen, but we need to facilitate capacity building to support communities that may have little understanding of what is entailed. That is why, during the passage of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, I argued that Community Land Scotland should be empowered to proactively go out to raise awareness both of the existing opportunities for change and of the support available to communities. That is also why I raised the possibility that the Crown Estate—post the Scotland Bill, when it will come under the auspices of the Scottish Parliament—could deploy the experience that it has built up of working with communities to proactively deliver local management agreements to enhance capacity.

I hope that we see real progress on those issues during the next session of Parliament.