Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Town Centre Regeneration

Wednesday 4 December 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Imogen Walker asked the Minister about steps to support the regeneration of Scottish town centres, highlighting issues in Hamilton.
  • Walker questioned the Government's role in supporting businesses in Hamilton and across Scotland, citing chaotic neglect.
  • Jamie Stone recommended Tesco's approach to regenerating Ullapool's town centre by opening a post office, suggesting this model could be beneficial elsewhere.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Imogen Walker Lab Hamilton and Clyde Valley
Scotland
Context

Scottish towns are facing challenges in their regeneration, with specific concerns raised about the state of high streets.

Question

What steps he is taking to support the regeneration of Scottish town centres. Hamilton has issues with boarded-up shops on Quarry Street indicating difficulties faced by local businesses and communities.

Answer from Kirsty McNeill

I commend the hon. Lady for her work with the Chancellor to help to deliver a record Budget settlement for Scotland, the largest Scottish Government Budget settlement in the history of devolution. It is now up to the Scottish Government to ensure that our towns feel the benefit of it: there can be no more excuses from the Scottish National party. The Budget also confirmed nearly £1.4 billion of funding for local growth projects, and we are delivering growth deals in all parts of Scotland, many of which are improving town centres and other community assets.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or policies from the UK Government to support Scottish towns' regeneration were not addressed directly; instead, focus was on the record budget settlement for Scotland.

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Q2 Imogen Walker Lab Hamilton and Clyde Valley
Scotland Business & Trade Local Government
Context

The area of Quarry Street in Hamilton has seen numerous businesses close down, leaving the high street with boarded-up shops. This reflects broader issues affecting Scottish towns under both Conservative and SNP governments.

Question

Hamilton is a brilliant place to live and work, but the boarded-up shops on Quarry Street tell another story. What can this Government do to support businesses in Hamilton and Clyde Valley and across Scotland that have suffered under chaotic neglect from two Governments?

Answer from Kirsty McNeill

My hon. Friend is entirely correct, and I commend her for standing up for her town. In England this Labour Government have already delivered lower business rates for leisure, hospitality and retail businesses which can help high streets, and I am sure that every Scottish MP wants to see that policy replicated in Scotland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific actions the UK government will take to support businesses in Hamilton and Clyde Valley were not detailed; instead, a general reference was made to policies for England being considered for replication in Scotland.

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Q3 Jamie Stone Lib Dem Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Scotland Local Government
Context

The constituency of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross includes the town of Ullapool which recently received a successful post office within a Tesco branch.

Question

For far too long, Ullapool in my constituency did not have a post office, causing great inconvenience to local people. Recently however, Tesco stepped into this breach and we now have a highly successful post office in the middle of Ullapool. May I recommend this approach to regenerating town centres to Ministers?

Answer from Kirsty McNeill

We are delighted to receive representations of all kinds on how to improve our town centres. We know that they have suffered neglect for far too long. I hope that all Scottish MPs will have been lobbying for the kind of support for our leisure, hospitality and retail sector that this Government has already given south of the border.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific model proposed by Tesco was not endorsed or replicated; instead, a general call to replicate successful policies from England was made.

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