Chamber and committees

I welcome the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s report.

Many of us in the chamber agree that climate change is by far the biggest threat to our future. It is crucial that, across the Parliament, we work constructively together to identify ways in which we can deliver net zero in Scotland.

As a previous member of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, I really enjoyed my time spent on the inquiry, listening to such a wide variety of witnesses give evidence and reading feedback from a wide range of stakeholders. I was sad to miss the final stages and I keenly looked out for the release of the report. I am delighted to be taking part in this debate.

Local authorities are, and will continue to be, absolutely crucial in the delivery of net zero, not only because they are at the forefront of delivering many of the policies but because they know their areas and communities best. Recommendation 22 in the report is that

“the Scottish Government and COSLA promote models of community engagement on climate change and net zero, building on the good work some councils are doing ... The effective engagement of communities and community groups, drawing on their local knowledge, is vital to embed a place-based approach to climate change and net zero at local level.”

Some of my colleagues have already touched on that. I believe—and the evidence taken during the inquiry reaffirms—that collaboration between local authorities and local communities is key. I want to focus on the potential that that joint working can have.

Some great examples of joint working were highlighted during the evidence sessions, and I want to use an example from my own constituency. Renfrewshire Council is leading the way in working with the community and getting community buy-in. The team up to clean up campaign, which was launched in 2018, has been massively successful and has involved the community and the council taking a joint approach to the scourge of litter. The campaign kicked off by asking people to take pride in their area, in an attempt to change behaviours and change attitudes towards littering. The idea was that, if a person sees people in their community actively picking up litter, that might make them think twice about dropping it in the first place.

The campaign began with just a handful of people in each community, who took time out of their day every day to pick up some litter. However, it has grown into so much more than that and has taken on a life of its own. Not a day goes by in Renfrewshire without someone picking litter or clearing something out, and we have seen people really taking it to the limits—for example, through riverside clear-outs, which are not for the faint-hearted.

With that idea of changing attitudes in mind, Renfrewshire Council worked with Renfrew author Ross MacKenzie to create “The Clumps’ Big Mess”, a lovely wee story about a dad who dropped litter, much to his children’s dismay, and who then had to deal with some tricky consequences until he changed his behaviour. That is the kind of initiative we need if we are to change attitudes.

I know that the climate crisis will not be solved by our dealing with litter alone, but the campaign was about so much more than just litter picking. More than 4,000 people are now interacting and communicating through the online group, which has become a hub that is not only opening people’s eyes to so many more environmental issues, but allowing discussions to take place about how to solve those issues. Different ideas on issues from biodiversity to up-cycling and reducing plastic are being shared, promoted and discussed. What is even more exciting is that people are sharing best practice. The campaign is enabling people from different communities to explore ways that would work for their own locality. We cannot forget that what works for one town might not work for the town or village next door—every community is unique.

The campaign could not have worked without buy-in from the community, and it deserves great recognition for its hard work, as does the council for enabling all of that to happen. As we go forward, we need to be aware of best practice in local authorities and ensure that it is supported and promoted, where applicable.

I was pleased with the report’s recommendations on transport and active travel. It is clear that changes in transport patterns and behaviours will be pivotal in achieving net zero goals, so the recommendations to create a more joined-up and strategic approach to public transport and active travel at regional level, which reflects actual travel and commuting patterns, are welcome. I am thinking of the declining bus services in my constituency, which also has limited rail travel, but there is such decline in local authorities across Scotland. The public has fallen out with public transport in many areas, because of the decline in and unreliability of local services. Councils are best placed to understand the needs of their communities, and we need to work to incentivise and encourage people back on to public transport. I am therefore genuinely excited to see the aims of the Scottish Government’s national transport strategy, which include supporting local authorities to look at different ways of delivering more localised services.

Another issue that was raised during the committee evidence sessions was 20-minute neighbourhoods, which align well with transport. The aim is to ensure that people within a community can gain access to the services and facilities that they need within 20 minutes, which will also be key in transforming our travel habits. However, such neighbourhoods will be achieved only through a joined-up approach to public transport and active travel, and we need to ensure that they are built around the needs of the whole community.

I am running out of time, so I will close. I believe that this mammoth enquiry has been useful and provides real food for thought on our delivery of net zero goals and the creation of the greener Scotland that we all want to see.

That would be great. Thank you.

We move to questions from Paul McLennan on theme 2, which is on the general principles of the bill.

I have one final point on that. The bill would give OSCR the power to create a database of people who have been removed from being involved in the administration of a charity by the courts. The consequences for individuals who are mistakenly thought to be in that position could be significant—for example, they might not be able to work in the charity sector. Can OSCR explain how the risk of mistaken identity will be minimised in relation to public searches of the database?

Good morning, and welcome to the sixth meeting in 2023 of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. We have received apologies from James Dornan. I welcome Evelyn Tweed, who will be his substitute.

Our first item of business is consideration of a negative statutory instrument—the Council Tax Reduction and Council Tax (Discounts) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023. The instrument is an annual update and amends three existing principal sets of council tax regulations. It is laid under the negative procedure, which means that its provisions will come into force unless the Parliament agrees to a motion to annul them.

No motion to annul has been lodged. If members have no comments on the instrument, does the committee wish to make no further recommendations in relation to it? Are members content to note it?

Members indicated agreement.

Our second item of business is an evidence session on the Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Bill.

The bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 15 November 2022, following two consultations by the Scottish Government, in 2019 and 2021. It aims to strengthen and update the legislative framework for charities by increasing transparency and accountability. It also aims to make improvements to the powers of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and bring Scottish charity legislation up to date with certain key aspects of regulation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Last week, we heard from representatives across the third sector, as well as from designated religious charities and a local authority. Today, we will hear from two more panels that span charity regulation, law, academia, accountancy and audit. All our witnesses will appear in person.

I welcome to the meeting our first panel. Martin Tyson is the head of regulation and improvement at the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator; Alan Eccles is a solicitor and a member of the charity law sub-committee of the Law Society of Scotland; and John Maton is the assistant director of legal services at the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

I have a few points to mention about the format of the meeting before we begin. The witnesses should not feel that they all have to answer every question. If you have nothing new to add to what has already been said, that is absolutely fine. We have a lot of questions to get through, so I ask everyone to keep questions, answers and any follow-ups tight. Committee members who are in the room should indicate to me or the clerk that they wish to ask a supplementary question, and those who are online should use the chat box or WhatsApp.

We move straight to questions from members. Our first theme will be covered by Pam Duncan-Glancy.

Actually, my next question is on routes to appeal. What routes to appeal will be in place for charities that fail to publish their accounts on time? You have just talked about communication, but can you expand on that?

Thank you. That was very helpful. I call the deputy convener, Emma Roddick, who is joining us online.

I am sorry, Emma—before you continue, Martin Tyson would like to comment.

There are some supplementary questions on that line of questioning.

I have some questions before we move on. Is it appropriate for OSCR to be able to issue positive directions following inquiry work, and is it appropriate for designated religious charities to be exempt from that provision?