Meeting of the Parliament 05 March 2026 [Draft]
That is really important. I know that East Lothian Council gives about £1 million a year to support bus routes. There is a bus route development grant, and the Government has worked with local and national bus companies. It is really important to encourage that.
Freight decarbonisation is key, and 80 per cent of operators are small businesses, so the way that we work with them is really important.
There must be more measures to deter car use, including demand management, multiyear funding and integrated ticketing. I come back to what was said about rural access to public transport, which is important.
On waste, the draft circular economy strategy is important. We need tighter timelines for reductions in emissions from landfills and incineration. Again, I speak from a local perspective on that.
I have spoken previously about the work of the East Lothian Climate Hub. Climate and environmental change impact us all. The issues of increasing flooding, food availability, the livelihoods of farmers and access to green spaces affect everyone in East Lothian. The East Lothian Climate Hub has done fantastic work with local communities. I remember talking to the cabinet secretary about the fact that embedding the plan means embedding it in our local communities, and the climate hub has done amazing work in that regard. I spent time with it last Friday restoring hedgerows in Tranent, believe it or not. I found that very therapeutic, and it had an important impact.
Edward Mountain put it well when he said:
“The Plan must be focused on delivery, with credible proposals and clear lines of accountability”.
Everyone agrees with that. He said that getting it right means listening to industry, NGOs, experts and Parliament, and other committees said the same.
Electricity pricing reform is vital as we move forward. That is one of the issues that we have spoken about. Scotland does not have the powers to take that forward. Prices are set in the UK Parliament, but we need those powers here in Scotland.
The report is not a critique; it is a road map to success. We must all seize the moment to rebuild momentum, foster collaboration and secure a sustainable future for Scotland. Net zero is not optional; it is our legacy, and we can deliver it together.