Chamber and committees

That will be the issue of interest and the challenge. We have not always got that right. I know that Highland Council was subsidising all its EV charging points so that people got very cheap charging across the council area. Some people felt that that was wrong. Similarly, we have seen that in other services that we provide, including hospital television, where people have been charged through the nose because we have attracted private finance for that provision.

My concern is how we balance that and how we let people who are benefiting from a service know that it might cost them something in return. Unless we do that, we will not take the communities with us.

I see that you are nodding, Councillor Macgregor, so we are not disagreeing.

Agenda item 2 is an evidence session following our inquiry into the role of local government and its cross-sectoral partners in financing and delivering a net zero Scotland.

The committee reported to the Parliament in January after a major inquiry that lasted over a year and which ranged over a variety of issues relevant to local government. On 14 March, we held a debate in Parliament to highlight the conclusions of the inquiry. We received a response from the Scottish Government on 20 April and agreed to invite back the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and its partners in sustainable local governance to share their views on the response and the way forward.

I am pleased to welcome Councillor Gail Macgregor, environment and economy spokesperson, COSLA, and leader, Dumfries and Galloway Council; David Hammond, representative of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers and head of sustainability, corporate property and transport, North Ayrshire Council; George Tarvit, director, Sustainable Scotland Network; and Silke Isbrand, policy manager, environment and economy team, COSLA. Unfortunately, due to an accident at the weekend, Silke Isbrand is joining us remotely. I hope that you are fully recovered and fit—I would not say fighting fit—for this session.

I thank you all for accepting our invitations. We are delighted to have you here.

I think that Councillor Macgregor wishes to make a short opening statement.

There seems to be a fight to answer the question. Who wants to do that?

Okay. That is well put. How are you getting on with the Scottish Government on the new deal for local authorities? You can tell us all.

Okay. It has been a really interesting session. It is also interesting, from the committee’s point of view, how well our report has gone down, as well as the fact that you have welcomed it and that you are working on it. I say on behalf of the committee that that is good news.

Also on the committee’s behalf, I wish Silke Isbrand good luck with her healing. I hope that you are back to full fitness shortly.

I suspend the meeting to allow our witnesses to leave.

Welcome back. Our next item is consideration of a Scottish statutory instrument. The instrument 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 motions to annul have been laid.

As no member has any comment on the instrument, I?invite the committee to agree that it does not wish to make any recommendations in relation to the instrument.?Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

That concludes the public part of our meeting.

Yes, but you might upset Silke Isbrand if you do not bring her in. She is waiting very patiently.

I call Monica Lennon. Please be very brief, Monica.

I would love to come in by train on a Tuesday morning. As long as I am happy to arrive after this committee has started, that is possible. There were some cheers of excitement there. We will move on to the deputy convener.