Chamber and committees

You mentioned city deals and alluded to what has happened as a result of the Tay cities deal. Do you think that, because that deal was one of the later ones, it perhaps has more of a focus on delivering net zero skills than some of the earlier city region deals?

Good morning. Thank you all for joining us.

Robbie, you mentioned the draft national planning framework 4, which will place a number of new net zero-related commitments on developers and planning authorities. I am interested to find out whether you think that the profession is prepared for such changes and what you think needs to happen. What should planners be doing to help to deliver net zero?

Thank you very much for that.

Jane, can you comment on the draft NPF4 and your views on the role of planners in particular? Does the young generation of planners see itself as leading on net zero within local authorities?

I want ask Jamie Brogan for his overview: is there a demand for reskilling and upskilling in local authorities? I would like to focus on local authorities, in particular, because they and their partners are the focus of our inquiry. Is there a demand for that training and are there any bottlenecks that might constrain it? If there is not sufficient demand, does it need to be stimulated to make sure that the upskilling and reskilling happens right across lots of different areas of staff and professions within local authorities?

How far have we gone on that journey? Is it the same across all of Scotland or are some local authorities better at doing this than others? Are there any good examples you might want to give us?

Thank you very much.

That was a very comprehensive answer on NPF4 and what we need to do in that regard.

I want to ask about the profession itself. Are you saying that it is just a case of having the right evidence, the right guidance and so on? As a profession, do planners not need to change and develop themselves? Are you saying that no upskilling is required for existing planners in relation to net zero? Could they just hit the ground running now, or will they need to develop professionally?

Pam, you talked about the importance of and need for a delivery plan for the draft NPF4. However, that plan is not there. What would you like to see in it?

I am not sure whether you have finished, Pam. You have frozen.

Good morning. The focus on transformation and change means that you want to do things differently. There is a focus on the entrepreneurial aspect as well as on the need to be streamlined and focused on delivery. One of the things that is mentioned in the entrepreneurship section of the strategy is expansion to all sectors of the tech-scaler model. That model comes with a cost. Expanding it to all sectors will mean that it is not necessarily streamlined or focused, but it will have a cost, which will mean that other things will not happen unless you have additional budget. Will you unpack some of that thinking for us?