MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson, has today called on the Scottish Government to take action to prevent the long-standing decline of our town centres.
Mr Simpson’s call follows the publication of a report by the Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee which concluded that every town in Scotland should have their own Town Plan.
This would be a long-term strategic vision for the future which is driven locally and recognises the unique nature of Scotland’s towns.
The report also calls for town planning to be strengthened to prevent unfair competition from new developments, a rebalancing of business rates and for the government to tackle derelict buildings.
Mr Simpson, who is a member of the committee, said the timing of the report was particularly pertinent following the recent news that the owner of East Kilbride’s shopping centre had gone into administration.
As part of the inquiry, the Committee also visited Hamilton with many of the issues they heard there, including town centre parking and developing a more vibrant night-time recovery, covered in the report.
He added that, without support from the Scottish Government, town centres across Lanarkshire could disappear.
MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson said: “This report should be a wake up call to the Scottish Government as, without additional support, Scotland’s town centres could disappear.
“We’ve already seen how fragile the situation is in areas like Lanarkshire with once vibrant shopping centres like East Kilbride’s struggling.
“Both the pandemic and pre-existing trends towards online shopping have left our towns with empty shops, a lack of investment and very few thriving businesses.
“Local residents still feel passionately about our town centres, but we need a meaningful intervention from the Scottish Government before it’s too late”.
