MSP PUTS LOCAL ECONOMY AT TOP OF THE PRIORITIES
Written by author on June 2, 2016
BUILDING the local economy was the top priority highlighted by newly elected South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth in his Scottish Parliament “maiden speech”.
Speaking during a debate on taking Scotland Forward this week, the MSP spoke of his pride in being a “Doonhamer” – born, brought up and still living in Dumfries but highlighted the economic challenges facing the area including low productivity, low pay and low skills as well as higher than average youth unemployment.
He urged the Scottish Government to change course on their economic strategy by ensuring that measures are taken to better support the economy of the South of Scotland to ensure all communities in Scotland benefited from economic growth. The MSP called for a fairer distribution of central Government jobs to the area, a change in the remit of Government agencies like Scottish Enterprise to support more local businesses and increased investment in local roads and digital infrastructure.
Speaking in the debate Mr Smyth said: “Too often, South Scotland has been a forgotten region in the eyes of Government, and that has been exacerbated by policies such as the centralisation of services, which have sucked so many jobs out of the area”.
“I urge the new Cabinet Secretary to prioritise the Government’s commitment to regional equity. What would that mean for the south of Scotland? It would mean a fair and equitable distribution of central Government jobs, particularly senior posts, to the more peripheral communities of Scotland.
It would also mean a radical change in the remit of Government agencies to deliver equality in business support. It is simply unfair that a business in the Highlands and Islands can receive support, but—because the remit of Highlands and Islands Enterprise is different from that of Scottish Enterprise—the same business would not receive the same support if it was based in the south of Scotland.”
He added: “It would mean a fairer share of investment in our road infrastructure, such as the A77, the A75, the A76 and the A7. It is not just our physical infrastructure that needs investment; so too does our digital infrastructure. For many businesses in rural areas, if they even have superfast broadband, it is often not very superfast.
“Connected to that—or, rather, not well connected—there is a need to keep the pressure on the UK Government to improve mobile phone coverage. For too many people in the south of Scotland, 4G is a type of football pitch and certainly not something that they will get on their mobile phone any time soon.“
In his speech the MSP also paid tribute to former Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray. Mr Smyth said, “Elaine was an exceptional constituency MSP in Dumfriesshire for 17 years, serving our local community with real dedication and distinction”.
