Scottish Parliament – Dec. 8, 2021 – 1

S6M-02442.2: As an amendment to motion S6M-02442 in the name of Tom Arthur (Scotland Loves Local), leave out from “and welcomes” to end and insert “;

notes with concern Scottish Retail Consortium figures, which indicate that footfall for November 2021 was down by a fifth from November 2019;

recognises, however, that Scotland’s high streets and town centres were struggling long before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and calls on the Scottish Government to deliver a budget on 9 December for 2022-23 that will drive local recovery by extending 75% non-domestic rates relief to retail, leisure, newspaper and hospitality businesses, and deliver a fair funding settlement to local authorities, so that they can properly invest in regenerating and supporting high streets and town centres.”

Original motion(S6M-02442): That the Parliament supports the ambition to love local and enable people to live well in their communities by encouraging people to think and choose local, supporting local businesses and jobs and building community wealth;

commends the efforts of communities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in working together to support each other and local businesses;

congratulates the winners of the Scotland Loves Local awards announced in November 2021, and welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitments on 20-minute neighbourhoods, the transformation of safe spaces for walking, wheeling and cycling, a just transition to net zero, an inclusive wellbeing economy, tackling inequality, and community-led regeneration.