►
Description
Portfolio Questions (Virtual): Communities and Local Government
A
A
good
afternoon
and
welcome
to
this
virtual
meeting
of
the
scottish
parliament,
the
first
time
with
businesses,
portfolio,
questions
on
communities
and
local
government
now
remind
members
of
questions.
Three
and
five
are
grouped
together
and
if
any
member
wishes
to
ask
a
subcommittee
to
any
question,
please
enter
r
in
the
chat
function.
When
that
question
is
being
asked,
that's,
except
for
questions
three
and
five,
which
are
grouped
together
and
I'll.
Take
the
supplementaries
on
those.
After
taking
both
questions
in
the
group
question
number
one
gail
ross.
Please
thank.
B
B
Scottish
government
has
committed
330
million
pounds
of
additional
support
for
local
authorities.
Discussions
with
kozlow
on
further
financial
support
and
flexibility
are
currently
ongoing.
Help
with
the
local
authority's
cash
flow
difficulties
have
been
agreed
with
kosla
to
front
load.
Our
weekly
grant
payments
by
455
million
pounds
during
may
june
and
july.
We've
also
replaced
972
million
pounds
of
non-demand
rates
income
for
the
cost
of
covert
19
rates,
release
with
additional
grant
revenue
grant
of
the
same
effectively
protecting
local
government
funding
from
the
potential
loss
of
non-domestic
rates
income.
B
Alongside
these
measures,
the
scottish
government
are
providing
an
additional
35
million
over
the
next
two
years.
On
top
of
the
hundred
million
funding
previously
announced
to
help
support
the
return
to
school
and
a
total
of
up
to
100
million
with
the
challenges
in
the
social
care
sector
which
will
be
provided
through
integration
authorities,
gail
ross.
B
B
B
Thank
you.
We've
already
provided
a
considerable
support
to
local
authorities,
including
50
57.6
million,
to
provide
coordinated
support
with
food
and
essentials
for
people
at
risk
and
have
doubled
the
scottish
welfare
fund.
Our
programme
for
government
commits
to
more
investment
in
people
and
communities,
including
275
million
over
five
years
to
support
multi-level
generation
and
town
senator
revitalization
and
a
10
million
pound
tenant
hardship.
Loan
fund
revolving
ends
a
further
increase
in
discretionary
housing
payments,
support
of
three
million
pounds,
bringing
total
investment
to
88.1
million
in
20
20
21..
B
Thank
the
cabinet
secretary
for
that
answer
in
my
constituency
of
strength,
kelvin
and
bear
stein.
Community
organizations
have
been
a
lifeline
for
many
vulnerable
people.
Eastern
barnshare
voluntary
association
provided
expert
coordination
and
support
for
local
groups
in
a
cabinet
center
advice.
Whether
guidance
will
be
given
to
local
authorities
as
to
how
to
prioritize
the
needs
of
these
vulnerable
people.
Now
and
after
the
scourge
of
19.
B
Thank
you
and
a
thank
you
to
kai
for
bringing
her
attention.
The
phenomenal
work
that's
clearly
happening
in
her
constituency
through
the
local
groups
across
scotland.
That's
replicated
and
people
have
provided
enormously,
inspiring
work
to
keep
people
looked
after
and
safe
and
well.
Local
authorities
have
a
really
deep
understanding
of
their
communities,
and
community
needs
will
be
different
across
all
areas
of
scotland
and
local
authorities
will
prioritize
and
support
their
communities
based
on
that
local
need
and
will
use
a
range
of
tools
and
data
to
support
their
analysis
of
it.
B
But
mckay
is
absolutely
right
to
point
out
the
need
to
learn
from
what
has
happened
and
to
use
that
to
look
forward
to
prepare
for
future,
especially
with
concurrent
risks
and
horizon
of
winter
and
brexit,
and
I
know
that
from
cosla
that
that
work
has
been
looked
at
and
it's.
Why
cause
a
lot
of
participants
in
our
social
renewal
advisory
board,
which
seeks
to
work
out
how
we
don't
just
simply
recover
from
this
situation.
C
Please
thank
you
presiding
officer
today,
more
than
a
hundred
priorities,
including
one
period
of
pay
from
huge
proposed
cuts
to
their
funding
through
the
glasgow
communities
fund,
but
it's
not
really
clear
what
they
will
do
to
fill
the
financial
gap.
I
had
organizations
for
my
career
for
people
contacting
me
scheduled
they'd
have
to
close.
B
Thank
you
believing
officer
I
had
trouble
hearing
some
of
what
annie
wells
said
with
her
line
was
pretty
poor,
but
I
think
I
get
the
gist
of
what
she
was
asking.
The
scottish
government
continues
to
treat
government
local
government
fairly
and
my
response
to
gail
ross.
I
outlined
a
significant
range
of
levers
that
we
have
used
to
help
support
local
authorities
through
this
really
difficult
time.
I
I
understand
and
clearly
why
there
are
so
many
concerns
following
some
of
the
discussions
that
are
ongoing
in
glasgow
and
understand.
B
The
paper
has
gone
to
to
glasgow
to
the
city
council
to
finalize
and
confirm
their
decisions
today.
There
has
also
been
no
movement
in
case
in
the
case
of
a
gen
lady,
making
the
announcement
of
a
transition
fund
to
help
someone
support.
Some
of
those
local
authorities
is
some
of
those
local
groups
from
the
local
authority,
local
authority,
port
and,
of
course,
continuing
dialogue
is
also
really
important
to
make
sure
that
they
can
help
support
community
groups
as
best
they
can.
B
That
would
go
some
way
to
help
support
people
as
well,
but
we
need
to
pull
together
and
we
need
to
make
sure
that
we
can
support
our
communities
and
I'm
very
confident.
The
continued
dialogue
that
we
see
happening
in
glasgow
will
enable
community
groups
to
feel
it
supported.
But
we
have
to
make
sure
that
we
do
so
collectively
to
ensure
that
we
recognize
the
valuable
work
that
the
third
sector
does
across
the
country.
B
Thank
you.
Our
communities
have
responded
to
covering
19
in
partnership
with
local
authorities,
third
and
biology
sectors
and
others,
and
we
want
to
build
on
that
as
we
move
forward
into
recovery
and
renewal
as
part
of
the
joint
local
government.
Here
with
kosla,
we
will
work
with
councils,
wider
public
service
partners
and
our
communities
to
develop
place-based
proposals
for
alternative
governance
arrangements
which
reflect
the
principle
of
subsidiarity
and
our
commitment
to
local
democracy.
A
D
Please
thank
the
cabinet
secretary
for
that
answer.
Cabinet
secretary
restrictions
are
increasingly
being
posed
based
on
local
authority
areas,
but
the
rate
of
covert
19
cases
broken
down
by
local
authority
is
not
publicly
available.
The
will
the
scottish
government
commit
to
publishing
this
information
as
soon
as
possible,
so
that
councils
can
respond
to
rising
cases
quickly.
Ministerial
decisions
can
be
understood
and
scrutinized
and
that
funding
can
be
allocated
to
support
our
local
communities
who
are
going
back
into
lockdown
cabinet.
B
But
I
would
put
the
point
across
that
the
the
scottish
government
and
the
first
minister
in
particular
answers
questions
daily
about
some
of
the
decisions
that
she's
having
to
make
and
was
very
open
about
how
she
has
to
make
those
based
on
public
health
advice.
The
advice
of
a
experts
and
making
a
the
judgment
of
the
basis
to
protect
the
public,
and
if
there
is
more
we
can
do,
I'm
sure
that
will
be
something
that
we
can
look
at.
E
B
As
we
move
from
the
immediate
response
to
recovery,
we
will
now
refocus
part
of
the
community's
fund
into
25
million
community
and
third
sector
recovery
program.
This
will
include
business
support
and
investment
to
help
organizations
adapt
their
operations
and
income
generation
to
increase
sustainability.
E
Can
I
can
I
thank
the
cabinet
secretary
for
her
answer
and
can
I
ask
the
cabinet
secretary
if
she
could
send
out
in
general
and
specifically
with
regard
to
dundee,
how
the
initial
350
million
pounds
community
fund
has
supported
and
targeted
those
communities
and
individuals
most
in
need?
Who
don't
always
have
the
expertise
and
resources
to
make
applications
for
funding
cabinet
secretary.
B
Thank
you
so
that
initial
350
million
pounds
funding
package
has
been
distributed
in
a
number
of
different
ways,
with
flexibility
added
to
ensure
that
support
reached
communities
and
exactly
the
way
that
shona
roberson
describes,
particularly
those
that
maybe
don't
always
have
the
capacity
or
the
expertise
in
accessing
that.
So
the
supporting
communities
fund
was
delivered
using
a
targeted
approach
through
community
anchor
organizations
enabling
that
funding
to
be
distributed
locally
to
active
groups
supporting
covered
work
across
dundee.
Seven
ceos
have
been
awarded
a
total
of
269
000
pounds.
B
In
addition,
organizations
and
projects
in
dundee
have
received
awards
through
the
well-being
fund
of
six
hundred
and
five
thousand
for
110
projects.
The
third
sector
resilience
fund
of
686,
8
000
pounds
to
46
organizations
and
through
the
food
fund
of
2.8167
million
pounds,
has
been
delivered
through
the
local
authority.
B
It
we
published
and
we'll
look
to
refresh
again
the
geographical
spread
of
these
awards
to
enable
people
to
really
be
open
and
up
upfront
and
honest
about
where
the
money
is
going
and
how
that's
been
distributed.
So
again,
that's
on
the
scottish
government
website
for
other
msps
who
wish
to
see
how
their
communities
have
been
supported.
F
Thank
you
very
much
presiding
officer.
I
suppose
further
to
that.
Does
the
cabinet
secretary
agree
that
steps
taken
with
local
governments
during
the
pandemic
so
far,
including
relaxation
of
some
ring
fence
budgets,
front
loading,
normal
weekly
grants
and
working
closely
with
kosla
has
given
authorities
additional
flexibility
during
the
pandemic
and,
as
you
begin
to
move
forward.
B
Yeah,
absolutely
we
took
decisive
action
to
alligate,
allocate
an
additional
350
million
pounds
funding
and
to
relax
some
of
the
previously
ring-fenced
funding
to
enable
that
flexibility.
That
is
so
important
at
this
time
it
to
enable
the
local
authorities
to
respond
effectively
to
the
pandemic,
and
we
also
agreed
with
with
kosla
to
to
bring
forward
455
million
pounds
of
grant
payments
to
help
alleviate
those
cash
flow
problems.
B
So
again,
it's
not
static
and
discussions
are
ongoing
with
kosla
to
examine
what
further
financial
support
and
flexibility
it
could
could
be
delivered
and
those
discussions
are
ongoing.
But
it
has
been
essential
that
we
we
have
that
flexibility
and
that
we
put
that
in
place
to
help
local
authorities.
E
B
You
so
we're
aware
of
the
difficulties
that
sector
are
facing
and
the
scottish
government
has
taken
action
to
support
the
third
sector
during
the
cover
19
pandemic.
That
includes
the
350
when
it's
funded,
which
100
million
has
been
committed
to
the
third
sector
and
has
been
delivered
rapidly
ahead
of
other
parts
of
the
uk
and
to
a
much
greater
scale.
B
It
also
includes
the
25
million
third
sector
resilience
fund,
the
well-being
fund
and
the
communities
fund,
which
have
played
vital
roles
in
supporting
the
third
sector
and
ensuring
that
we
could
support
people
in
communities
and
we're
now
working
quickly
to
develop
a
communities
and
third
sector
recovery
program
to
support
organizations
to
adapt
their
operations
and
income
generation.
I
expect
to
be
able
to
announce
further
details
of
that
too.
E
Thank
you
and
the
question
was
redrafted
by
the
chamber
desk
and
what
I
intend
to
ask
about
is
the
allios
and
the
community
and
leisure
trust,
and
I
was
advised
to
describe
them
as
charitable
trusts.
But
apologies
if
the
cabinet
secretary
has
misunderstood
the
initial
intention
of
the
question
and
what
I
wanted
to
ask
about.
E
It
was
the
local
government
income
compensation
scheme
which
I
understand
in
scotland
will
apply
to
the
sport
and
leisure
trust,
and
that's
very
welcome,
and
I
wonder
if
the
cabinet
says
we
could
advise
of
the
time
scales
for
distribution
of
the
funds
related
to
that
scheme
and
whether
it
will
follow
the
spec.
The
expected
time
scale
for
the
funding
in
england,
which
would
mean
the
first
payments
would
be
in
october.
B
B
G
B
Yeah,
thank
you
and
I
understand
how
much
of
a
a
necessity
this
will
be
for
many
communities
say,
and
particularly
the
communities
that
keith
brown
has
described
in
his
constituency.
So
the
museum's
recovery
and
resilience
fund
has
been
administered
by
museums
and
galleries,
scotland
and
museums
who
are
seeking
to
support
seeking
support
from
that
fund.
They
should
visit
the
museums
and
gallery
scotland
website
for
details
on
how
to
apply
that
I'll.
B
Have
some
fuller
information
about
what
organizations
need
to
do,
how
they
need
to
do
it
and
what
they
need
to
do
to
engage
in
a
and
access
those
fundings.
And
if,
if
keith
brown
requires
us
to
forward
the
link
happy
to
do
so,
but
he
should
direct
his
constituents
to
the
museum's
gallery.
Scotland
link
to
get
further
advice,
question
six,
colin
smith.
A
I
The
government
has
also
brought
forward
455
million
pounds
of
grant
payments
to
help
alleviate
local
authorities
potential
cash
flow
problems.
Discussions
with
kosla
on
further
financial
support
and
flexibility
are
currently
ongoing
and
working
in
partnership
with
kosla.
The
scottish
government
will
continue
to
suppress
the
uk
government
for
additional
financial
support
and
fiscal
flexibilities
for
both
the
scottish
government
and
local
authorities,
and
would
welcome
any
support
that
the
parliament
can
provide
in
this
respect.
H
Can
I
thank
the
minister
for
that
answer.
We
know
that
councils
are
facing
a
shortfall
between
what
they've
had
to
spend
on
their
efforts
to
support
communities
in
the
fight
against
covert
19
and
what
extra
resources
they've
received
from
government
and
report
to
confusion.
Gallery
council
alone
last
one
showed
that
even
excluding
the
cost
of
the
return
to
schools
that
local
shortfall
was
2.5
million
and
rising.
I
President
officer,
I
won't
go
over
all
of
the
the
things
that
the
cabinet
secretary
went
on
about
pre
and
previous
answers
around
about
additional
monies.
But
I
would
what
I
would
say
to
mr
smith
is
that
in
terms
of
dumfries
and
galloway,
thus
far
that
king
so
has
been
allocated
an
additional
7.6
million
pounds
to
deal
with
the
challenges
of
covet
19.
I
and
beyond
the
priest
and
galloway
will
receive
a
fair
share
of
a
further
75
million
pounds
which
is
currently
undistributed,
but
will
be
our
agreement
on
the
distribution
methodology
with
kosla
and,
as
the
cabinet
secretary
pointed
out,
we're
continuing
to
look
at
all
of
the
other
flexibilities
that
come
into
play.
And
I'm
more
than
happy
to
continue
dialogue
with
mr
smith.
As
we
move
forward.
J
I
A
I
President
officer,
we
are
aware
that
hanging
obligations,
it
can
be
a
source
of
delay
and
sometimes
significant
delay
in
the
planning
process,
and
the
government
would
encourage
negotiations
to
be
conducted
as
to
mistimiously
as
possible.
Negotiations
between
stirling
council
and
the
developer
over
the
planning
obligations
in
this
case
are
ongoing.
Under
the
current
circumstances.
I
Debt
for
those
relating
to
anti-social,
behavior
or
criminality,
and
by
ensuring
the
emergency
legislation
remains
in
place.
We're
providing
extra
time
and
protection
to
tenants
who
are
struggling,
enabling
enabling
them
to
secure
the
financial
support
that
is
available
to
them
so
that
we
can
keep
paying
their
rent
and
remain
in
their
homes
over
this
unprecedented
period.
Yet.
K
I'm
very
grateful
to
the
minister
for
the
detail
in
that
answer.
I
want
to
ask
specifically,
however,
about
the
concern
that
there
is
that
as
more
jobs
become
risky
as
the
pandemic
continues,
what
support
can
the
government
hope
to
give
to
the
third
sector,
which
is
obviously
so
important
in
helping
people
who
have
struggled
with
homelessness?
I
Please,
presiding
officer
will
continue
to
work
with
all
partners
over
the
forthcoming
period.
Third
sector
partners
have
been
absolutely
vital
in
helping
us
deal
with
situations
over
the
course
of
the
emergency
period,
and
it
was
1.5
million
pounds
worth
of
funding
to
third
sector
partners
that
allowed
us
to
get
rough
sleepers
off
the
streets
and
into
hotel
accommodation,
damn
very
organizations
like
the
simon
community,
streetworks
and
others
for
the
work
that
they
have
done
in
that
regard.