The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee will visit Ferguslie Park in Renfrewshire next Monday (6th February) to meet with Engage Renfrewshire, a Third Sector Interface, which supports local charities and other not-for-profit groups, as part of an inquiry into Community Planning.
In November 2022, the Committee launched a new inquiry into Part 2 of the Community Empowerment Act (2015), which changed how community planning is delivered by Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs).
Community Planning aims to improve how organisations such as local government, health boards, and the police work together with other partners to improve local outcomes in an area.
CPPs exist in every local authority to identify priorities, share resources to deliver services for people and are tasked with developing Local Outcomes Improvement Plans and targeted ‘locality plans’ for smaller areas which need more support.
Partners also must work with communities to involve them in community planning.
The Committee held a call for views between November 2022 and January 2023 and will go on to take evidence from stakeholders before sending a report to the Scottish Government in the spring, outlining its findings and recommendations.
Ahead of the visit, Committee Convener, Ariane Burgess MSP said:“Hearing directly from people in Renfrewshire involved in the local Community Planning Partnership will greatly improve our understanding of the impact of these partnerships and how they are helping to support communities across Scotland.
“Our inquiry is looking at the impact of the Community Empowerment Act on community planning and how CPPs have been able to respond to significant events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis.
“Throughout this inquiry, we will seek to hear directly from organisations involved in Community Planning Partnerships, such as those we will meet in Fergulsie Park as well as communities and individuals from across Scotland about the impact the Partnerships have had.”
The Committee will hold meetings with Engage Renfrewshire in Ferguslie Park to learn more about the background to CPP operations in Renfrewshire, the Forum for Empowering Communities and examples of local partnership working.
Following this the Committee will visit the Tannahill Centre for an overview of local services delivered as part of the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Approach and Winter Connection Programme.
Commenting, Dr Alan McNiven, Chief Executive of Engage Renfrewshire, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Local Government Housing and Planning Committee to Renfrewshire as part of their review of Community Planning.
“Community Planning can be challenging but it’s an approach which can provide Third Sector organisations with the opportunity to establish a strong working partnership with the Public Sector – and in our experience partnership working often creates a great environment for delivering better local outcomes.”
New legislation to prevent the chasing and killing of wild mammals for sport has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Government’s Hunting with Dogs Bill will close loopholes in existing laws that have allowed the practice of illegal hunting to continue. A new two dog limit for all use of dogs in the course of hunting will be introduced, as well as a ban on the practice of trail hunting.
The Bill also establishes a new licencing scheme to allow the use of more than two dogs in certain limited circumstances. This is to provide farmers and land managers access to appropriate and humane control measures, where necessary.
Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “This Bill represents a significant step forward in protecting Scotland’s wildlife from the cruel and senseless practice of illegal hunting,
“I am pleased that the Parliament has agreed on a new law which will close the door on the illegal chasing and killing of mammals once and for all.
“I’d like to thank everyone who responded to our public consultations and interested groups for their valuable input throughout this process.
“I believe that this new legislation has struck the right balance between ensuring Scotland pursues the highest possible animal welfare standards, while recognising the need for farmers, land managers and environmental organisations to undertake legitimate wildlife management.”
The vote was passed by 90 for and 30 against, with no abstentions.
The new legislation was introduced last year, two decades after a failed attempt by the Scottish Parliament to ban hunting with the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act, back in 2002.
The new Bill will bring into force a number of measures which significantly curtail mounted hunting activity, including reducing the number of dogs which can be used to hunt a wild mammal to just two, instead of a full pack, and reducing the number of dogs which can be used below ground to just one.
The Bill also includes a preemptive ban on trail hunting. Trail hunting is a sport which was created after hunting was banned in England and Wales following the passing of the Hunting Act in 2004. Its inclusion in the Bill means trail hunting can not be established north of the border.
The League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, has welcomed the new legislation. Director Robbie Marsland said: “As of today, Scotland has the most robust law anywhere in the UK to prevent the cruelty of chasing and killing wild mammals for sport – and this is something to celebrate.
“Despite a persistent campaign from those resolute to keep hunting alive in the Scottish countryside, the Scottish Government has been determined to end the sport of hunting, a sentiment which has today been supported by the Parliament.
“The passing of the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill now provides an opportunity to right the wrongs of the last two decades and close the loopholes which allowed hunters to continue with hunting as though the law didn’t exist.
“The inclusion of a ban on trail hunting is a significant victory for Scotland, meaning hunts will not be able to use this so-called sport as a smokescreen for traditional hunting.”
The new Bill also includes a licensing system which will allow for a full pack of hounds to be used in certain circumstances. The detail of the scheme has yet to be developed but animal welfare campaigners have concerns this has the potential to be exploited.
Robbie Marslandadded: “After twenty years of flawed legislation it is critical that this Bill is not simply a way of creating new loopholes for hunters to exploit, and the League is yet to be convinced the licensing scheme won’t do this.
“Despite the best of intentions to ban hunting, the determination and deep rooted defiance among those who wish to chase and kill foxes should not be underestimated. The League will work closely with Nature Scot and other stakeholders to ensure the licensing system is robust, effective and fit for purpose.”
Commenting from Holyrood, Scottish Countryside Alliance Director Jake Swindells said: “Whilst it is frustrating that so much time and resource has been wasted on this Bill, the licensing scheme is, at least, an explicit acceptance by the Scottish Government that the use of packs of dogs in wildlife management is effective and necessary.”
The Hunting with Dogs Bill is expected to receive royal assent in the next few weeks and come into force in the autumn.
Foysol Choudhury MSP for Lothian has attended an event held to highlight the role Scotland’s unique heritage has to play in the country’s economic and green recovery.
The session at the Scottish Parliament was hosted by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the lead public body that investigates, cares for and promotes the country’s historic environment, including over 300 properties in care.
The event, How Scotland’s Past Can Support Its Future, championed the important role that Scotland’s historic buildings, sites and heritage sector plays in creating jobs, promoting tourism and supporting the environment.
The historic environment also has a key role to play in terms of the journey to net zero. A fifth of Scotland’s residential buildings were constructed before 1919 using traditional materials and building skills.
Making these buildings as energy efficient as possible is a crucial part of the road to net zero, as well as supporting opportunities for re-use and retrofit, helping to boost jobs and skills through the need for skilled labourers and craftspeople.
Foysol Choudhury MSP for Lothian said:“It was great to meet Historic Environment Scotland at the Scottish Parliament, to learn more about Scotland’s heritage and how HES is supporting the economy and journey to net zero.
“I recently raised a question in the Chamber in support of Historic Environment Scotland. I asked the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that Historic Environment Scotland’s properties will be able to open to a sufficient degree, to allow HES’ revenue to rise as predicted in the budget.
“I look forward to learning more about HES’ projects in the future and to seeing more of these important HES properties open again for the public.”
Alex Paterson, Chief Executive at HES, said:“Scotland’s historic environment is a part of our everyday lives. It’s our homes and high streets, schools and hospitals. It’s also transport infrastructure like canals and bridges. The historic environment is central to our lives and our sense of place, identity and to our wellbeing.
“There is clear economic value in investing in the historic environment to deliver these core agendas, with the reuse and adaptation of existing heritage assets being integral to a net zero transition.
“I would like to thank Graeme Dey for welcoming us to the Scottish Parliament and to all the MSPs who came to find out more about how Scotland’s past can support its future”.
What are the barriers that disabled people face in finding their ideal job is the question that MSPs on the Economy and Fair Work Committee will be asking as part of work into the issue.
Statistics show that people with a disability in Scotland have a lower employment rate than non-disabled people. The Scottish Government also has a target to half the disability employment gap by 2038 within the Fairer Scotland for disabled people – employment action plan. This work will try and identify what barriers exist and what more can be done to help disabled people and employers.
Claire Baker MSP, Convener of the Economy and Fair Work Committee said: “There have been some really good examples of where employers have put in place measures to make sure that everyone, regardless of their background, is able to get and keep a job.
“But we know that this is unfortunately not the case for every disabled person who is actively looking for employment.
“We want to hear directly from people about these barriers and what more we as policymakers can do to help make looking for a job a more equitable experience for everyone.”
The Committee is asking for those interested in this issue to give us their views. We’ll be asking for views on the following issues:
What progress has been made to reduce and remove barriers faced by disabled people to access Scotland’s labour market?
What are the remaining challenges, and why has progress been difficult?
What policy measures would you like to see to support disabled people and employers to increase participation rates?
What has been the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on disabled people’s experience of the labour market?
Scotland will not meet its ambitious target of being net zero by 2045 without a more empowered local government sector, with better access to the skills and capital it needs to play its full role in the net zero energy revolution.
The Scottish Government must also set out a comprehensive roadmap that gives local government detailed guidance on how it wants the sector to make its full contribution to net zero.
These are the overarching conclusions reached in a report published today by Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee, following a year-long inquiry into the role local government should play in helping Scotland achieve its ambitious net zero goal by 2045.
The report calls for the Scottish Government to provide additional financial support to Councils in future budget cycles to help them contribute to national net zero targets.
But it also makes clear that, with estimates of £33bn needed to decarbonise heat in buildings alone*, attracting private investment at scale is essential. It calls on the Scottish Government and its agencies to work with local government on an investment strategy that will increase investor appetite and lead to deals being agreed. It also calls for an expanded role for the Scottish National Investment Bank, to help bring together local government and investors in public-private co-financing.
The Committee calls for an area-specific place-based approach to tackle climate change across Scotland; to ensure all players work together to co-ordinate and report on climate change measures. It calls for Councils to be given the powers they will need to make this place-based approach work.
In the report, the Committee recognises the leadership many local authorities are showing in responding to the climate crisis and says good practice should be more widely shared across Councils. The sector should take a more consistent approach to net zero planning, budgeting and target-setting and embed net zero decision-taking at senior levels within Councils. The report also calls for Councils to set targets covering all emissions in their area, because even in areas where they do not have direct control, they can still have influence.
The report calls for Scottish Government assistance to address a skills deficit at local government level, with the drive to reach net zero making “unprecedented and often highly technical demands” on the sector.
Launching the report, Convener of the Committee, Edward Mountain MSP, said: “Over the course of almost a year of evidence-taking, it’s clear that unless key barriers facing local government are dealt with, we will not reach net zero by 2045.
“Local Government is the layer of democracy closest to communities. They have local knowledge and capacity to lead by example and are also uniquely well-placed to form the partnerships we’re going to need at a local and regional level.
“We saw for ourselves on committee visits across Scotland the leadership and good practice many Councils and their local partners are modelling. But against a backdrop of financial pressure, where Councils feel they are being asked to do more for less, they are struggling to think and plan strategically to maximise their contribution to net zero.
“We hope that the Scottish Government, COSLA and the wider local government sector will pay close attention to the recommendations we have made to enable the scale of transformational and behavioural change required for Scotland to succeed.”
Some of the key recommendations made by the Committee to the Scottish Government include that it should:
create a local government-facing “climate intelligence unit” to provide specialist help to Councils in areas where in-depth specialist knowledge is lacking;
allocate larger, fewer and more flexible challenge fund streams for net zero related projects at a local level that better support a holistic and place-based response to climate change;
address the churn, repetition and delay in the planning process that is holding up major renewables and other projects necessary to help meet net zero goals and has a chilling effect on investment. The long-term decline in numbers of Council-employed planners must be reversed in order to meet the ambitions of the new National Planning Framework, and one measure it calls for is the introduction of planning apprenticeships;
clarify the role Councils will play in an area-based approach to heat decarbonisation and set out the additional support they will be offered in preparation and delivery of their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies. We want to see the new Public Energy Agency empowered and directed to work with local government on area-based delivery.
The report also says Councils should set out how they will engage with local communities to ensure that the net zero transition is not something imposed on communities, but something that people and groups can help shape, lead and deliver.
COSLA believes that the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Report out today (23rd January) is a watershed moment for tackling Climate Change.
Cllr Gail Macgregor, COSLA Environment and Economy Spokesperson said: “This report by the Committee on the just transition to a net zero economy is potentially a watershed moment for Scotland in tackling climate change.
“The report is clear that Scotland will not meet its ambitious climate targets without a more empowered Local Government. To empower Local Government, Councils need not just increased funding, but also larger, fewer and more flexible funding streams. This has long been COSLA’s central message, so it is hugely heartening to see it recognised so strongly in the report.
“Climate Change is a challenge we all must face. Local Government is committed, locally and nationally, to leading the net zero transition, but COSLA has been open that local authorities can’t do that effectively without the increased support of Scottish Government. The report by the Committee lays out in the clearest way yet the support that is needed and why.
“The recommendations of the report are mainly directed at Scottish Government, but we need to consider them carefully too. Climate change requires a genuine team Scotland approach and I would hope that this report coupled with last year’s publication by the Climate Change Committee could be the defining moment we have needed to get delivery of the net zero transition on track for 2030 and beyond.
“I commend the Committee for the fullness, diligence and clarity of their report.”
Ahead of a Scottish Parliament debate to approve the National Planning Framework 4, Planning Democracy campaigners have called on politicians to ensure that the much welcomed and strengthened emphasis on climate and nature are actually delivered and that appeals from developers are not allowed to undermine these policies.
When considering development proposals planners now have to give ‘significant weight’ to the global climate and nature crises. Given that all built developments will generate climate impacts and impact on nature it will be difficult for planners to decide what developments are needed and what development should be restricted.
Campaigners believe that policies need to be robust enough to give planners the confidence to make bold decisions to refuse environmentally destructive development. Planners must be supported to make decisions that limit carbon emissions and restore nature and these decisions should be upheld and not overturned in planning appeals.
On 22 December 2022, the Local Government, Housing & Planning Committee, whose role it was to scrutinise the new Planning Framework as it was drawn up, issued a report saying that they will be monitoring the effectiveness of NPF4 over the next 6 months, including whether it is delivering on its climate and nature policies.
Campaigners say ongoing effective monitoring is crucial to ensure that what the National Planning Framework 4 says actually gets delivered and that policies are not undermined by developer appeals.
Planning decisions are frequently challenged by developers who have the right to appeal refusals of planning permission.
Clare Symonds from Planning Democracy said: “While we applaud the increased priority given to climate and nature in the new Framework, these ambitions can easily be undermined, if decisions that take into account the climate and biodiversity impacts of proposed developments are routinely overturned at appeal.
“Too often communities report that the threat of appeals by developers leads to approval of environmentally damaging applications that would otherwise not be given permission. The Government needs to limit the rights of developers to appeal in these cases and ensure these laudable environmental policies are properly implemented”.
Scots are being invited to share their views on the Scottish Government’s Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill. The Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has launched a consultation on the proposed changes, which would modernise the operations of trusts and rules around succession.
The Bill aims to change the law in two areas. It would alter how trusts are administrated and managed and would also change the order of who has a right to inherit when someone dies without a will.
Trusts are used for a wide range of legal purposes that impact on families, businesses, charities and financial institutions. A trust enables assets to be legally owned by one person or entity while a different individual, entity or group of people can benefit from the asset.
The Scottish Law Commission has recommended that both trust law and succession law be updated. Currently Scots law around trusts is largely based on an Act passed in 1921. It is now believed that there are £500 billion worth of assets held in trusts in Scotland today.
The Commission completed a comprehensive review of trust law in 2014, which identified a number of outdated areas of law in need of modernisation. Furthermore, changes to succession law were recommended by the Commission following extensive reform work and public consultations over many years. The Scottish Government is now seeking to change the law around both trusts and succession with this Bill.
The Committee’s scrutiny of this Bill follows its recent work on the Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1. In that case, the Committee welcomed the general principles of the Bill, but did raise concerns with the Government about the impact it might have on consumers.
Stuart McMillan MSP, Convener of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, said:
“Trusts are long established in Scotland. It is thought that assets in trust may hold a combined value of £500 billion in Scotland, yet their significance is not recognised in wider society.
“We would like to understand more about how trusts are used in Scotland and what impact the changes in this Bill might have on Scottish individuals, businesses, charities and institutions.
“We’re particularly keen to hear from professional trustees, whose commercial business includes handling trusts for other people, and lay trustees, who are not acting in a professional capacity in their role.”
In addition to its consultation, the Committee will hold a series of public evidence sessions on the Bill in the spring.
A Holyrood Committee has reported it’s dissatisfaction with the lack of information about proposals that could see children’s health and social care services integrated into the proposed National Care Service.
The cross-party Education, Children and Young People Committee have been scrutinising the Scottish Government’s proposals – but they have concluded that it is not possible to form a clear view as to whether children’s services should be included under any future National Care Service.
The Committee expressed concern that much of the detail of any future transfer of children’s services to the National Care Service would be delegated to Ministers, preventing the Parliament from carrying our thorough scrutiny of any changes. Furthermore, the Committee was told that research designed to help inform a decision about whether or not to include children’s health and social care services in the service, will not be ready until September 2023.
The Committee also notes the lack of information regarding the financial implications of bringing children’s services under a National Care Service. Its report urges the Scottish Government to model the cost of different scenarios where children’s services are included and excluded from a National Care Service.
Looking at children and young people’s care more broadly, witnesses told the Committee that existing services need to improve, expressing concern about an implementation gap between policy and the reality of delivering those services.
While some stakeholders spoke positively about the approaches taken in their areas, a range of other issues were identified, including challenges accessing services, poor communication and gatekeeping.
Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, told the Committee, “…there is frustration that we have all the right aspirations and good intentions but what happens is not always what was intended.”
In addition, the report calls on the Government to clarify its plans for letting young people design services at the very earliest stages of work to create a National Care Service. With a large number of children and young people receiving health and social care support, Members of the Committee agreed that it would be helpful to know how the Government plans to meaningfully engage with them.
Sue Webber, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee said:“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their thoughts with us as we scrutinised this Bill.
“The feedback we had has told us that there is not currently enough information about the Bill’s impact on children’s health and social care services for us to form a view about whether this is the right approach for children and young people.
“However, we did hear significant concerns about the way in which these services are operating at present. Therefore, our report asks the Scottish Government to ensure that work on this Bill does not delay the improvements that are needed to children’s services now. Children and young people need to be at the very heart of those discussions.”
Improving the legal recognition system for trans people
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The legislation improves the system by which transgender people can apply for legal recognition through a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
Trans people aged 16 and older applying for a GRC will be required to make a legally binding declaration that they are already living in their acquired gender and intend to do so permanently.
The Bill includes safeguards against misuse of the system. It will be a criminal offence for applicants to make a false application. A new statutory aggravator and a risk‑based approach in relation to sex offences strengthen these protections.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “This is an historic day for equality in Scotland with the Gender Recognition Reform Bill being approved by parliament and by members of all parties.
“It simplifies and improves the process for a trans person to obtain a gender recognition certificate – which many currently find intrusive, medicalised and bureaucratic.
“The legislation makes no change to the reserved Equality Act 2010 and that principle is enshrined in the Bill. As I have made clear, the Scottish Government continues to support the provision of single-sex services and the rights of women.
“The passing of this bill is a significant step forward in creating a more equal Scotland, where trans people feel valued, included and empowered.”
Autumn has arrived the the Scottish Parliament with leaves changing from green to gold and the final bits of gardening being done for the year in the landscaped gardens. 18 October 2022. Pic-Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament
A proposal to establish a Commissioner with a remit over wellbeing and sustainable development and to strengthen duties on the public sector has been published in a proposal for a Member’s Bill by Lothian Labour MSP Sarah Boyack, and is now out to public consultation.
Boyack hopes her planned Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill proposal will introduce a duty for public bodies to promote these principles and establish a Commissioner for Sustainable and Wellbeing in order to address the devastating consequences of short-termism at both local and global scale.
The Members Bill proposal comes on the back of calls for a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill during the Scottish Parliament election by a large number of individuals and organisations. The proposal builds on the 14 recommendations for policy makers published by the Scotland’s International Development Alliance in their report Towards a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill and Carnegie UK’s recent Five steps to put wellbeing at the centre of policymaking in Scotland publication.
The proposed Bill seeks to place new definitions of sustainable development and wellbeing into legislation and to bring forward the Scottish equivalent to the Welsh Future Generations Commissioner.
Introducing her consultation, Sarah Boyack said, “The climate emergency demonstrates in real terms the consequences of short-termism. We are now seeing countries that did nothing to aggravate the unfolding environmental catastrophe, bearing the cost for a damage they didn’t cause.
“Future generations in Scotland and across the world will be faced with the results of the actions we take – or not – right here and now. The proposal I am launching today is neither a new nor untested idea. In Wales, the Future Generations Commissioner was established in 2015 and has already made a difference.
“The Scottish Government talks a lot about wellbeing and sustainable development, but it has repeatedly failed to define them, let alone implement them.
“I want to hear from as many people as possible so we can strengthen the legislation currently in place and ensure that Scotland is a country that takes wellbeing and sustainable development seriously both now and for future generation.”
Speaking in support of the proposal; Frances Guy, Chief Executive Officer at Scotland’s International Development Alliance said: “The Alliance is delighted to see the launch of this Members Bill consultation.
“The Bill is an opportunity for Scotland to demonstrate joined-up policymaking, linking global and domestic priorities, alongside human and environmental wellbeing and putting them at the forefront of decision making. It’s clearer than ever before that our systems are not working for people, or for the planet.
This legislation could trigger a step change in the way decisions are made in Scotland, ensuring sustainable development and wellbeing become the main drivers of policy and practice across public life”.
The Members’ Bill is supported by Carnegie UK, a Dunfermline-based charitable foundation that advocates for putting collective wellbeing at the centre of policymaking.
Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of Carnegie UK, said: “It is time for Scotland to up the pace on putting wellbeing at the centre of big decisions.
“That means a new commissioner to look after everyone’s interests now and in the future, backed with statutory powers. That means policies and spending-decisions which balance the needs of the economy with other social, environmental, and democratic imperatives. It means longer term thinking, after a decade of crisis management at home and abroad.
“That’s why we’re pleased to see Sarah Boyack’s Members’ Bill and would urge forward-thinking organisations and individuals to get involved in this consultation.”
