The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 971 contributions
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
We have talked about local place plans, which are key, in relation to NPF4. I represent East Lothian, which I understand has the longest waiting list in Scotland. In my own town of Dunbar, we have a community garden and allotments.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
There is also a community-owned grocery. The community has been very active in dealing with that, and there are lessons to be learned. The community got very involved in the local place plan. Do you want to add anything about local place plans? The more local the planning, the more chance of it happening.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
That is something very powerful for us to take to our discussions with councils. If—
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
I am conscious of the time. We have touched on what the barriers are and what we need to do to support volunteering, so I am comfortable to move on. I have picked up some strong messages from the responses.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
Different authorities have different roles. Are they enablers or facilitators? If they are enablers, what is the role of facilitators? How can they support facilitation? That is a key takeaway for me, because we hear different stories from different parts of Scotland. If authorities are to be enablers, they should enable. If they are to be facilitators, they should provide support and build what they can. We are falling between the cracks, because if they are neither, there will be issues. That is a key thing to think about.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
We have had that debate quite a few times on a few issues.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
One of the main things that came through from last week’s visit was the need for perseverance. It took a long time down in Leith. Other people might have walked away, but one or two key individuals pushed things forward. If they had walked away, the whole thing would probably have collapsed.
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 31 May 2022
Paul McLennan
Part of our role involves supporting that and raising the issue with local authorities. That was a key takeaway from the visit last week—I am sorry that I could not make the visit yesterday. A key takeaway from today is the need to build capacity. If we do not support and build capacity, people will walk away, and we will miss opportunities. That is coming through very strongly.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 26 May 2022
Paul McLennan
The next stage of the review is obviously stage 3. Do you have a timeframe for that?
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 26 May 2022
Paul McLennan
You touched on an issue that I was going to raise about communications. Could you say a little bit around the tailored communications that are needed for the group of people that we are talking about? The most common main disabling conditions for the group are learning difficulties, mental health issues and arthritis. What tailored communications are you thinking about? Do you have any advice, thoughts or concerns about clients accessing advice on whether they would be better off volunteering to move to ADP?