By Bill Heaney
Large numbers of town centres – including Alexandria, Dumbarton and Clydebank – are dying on their feet.
Shops which have closed are showing no signs of re-opening and the number people using them – the footfall in local government speak – is rapidly diminishing.
There are times when Dumbarton Town Centre looks abandoned altogether and West Dunbartonshire Council’s alleged efforts to inject new life back into the inherited concrete monstrosity can be described in one word – pathetic.
Even with the aid of £20 million, they have done no more than shift the problem down the Quay, creating a huge problem with car parking.
And embarking on a “refurbishment” of Glencairn House to create a new library at a cost of £8.5 million when most local people think the one we have in Strathleven Place is perfectly adequate.
Murdo Fraser, a Tory MSP, asked the First Minister how the Scottish Government plans to support town and city centres as retail destinations. That question has been a long time coming.
“That support includes funding the Scotland loves local campaign, more than £3 million in funding to address retail crime and the most generous business rates relief in the United Kingdom. Our competitive non-domestic rates regime in 2025-26 includes a freeze on the basic property rate, delivering the lowest such rate in the United Kingdom for the seventh year running and maintaining the lowest property tax rate in the UK for more than 95 per cent of non-domestic properties in Scotland. Those are some of the measures that we are taking to support towns and city centres.”
Murdo Fraser then told MSPs what most of them know already and do nothing about.
“Despite what the First Minister has just said, in the past three years, the Scottish Government has not passed on to businesses here the far more generous rates relief that is available south of the border. Will the Government now rethink its position and give retailers here the support that they need?”
“The Government has taken a number of steps to support town centres. As I indicated in my earlier answer to Mr Fraser, we maintain the lowest property tax rate in the UK for more than 95 per cent of non-domestic properties.
“The Government has a long track record of ensuring that businesses in our town centres are supported by a competitive business tax regime and we will look to reflect that in the policy and budget proposals that the Government brings forward.”
“However, I know that too many of our hospitality businesses are struggling at the moment, largely because of the increases in employer national insurance contributions that were made earlier this year, as well as other factors.
“Does the First Minister agree with the view, which I and UK Hospitality share, that the United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer [Rachel Reeves] must consider a VAT cut for hospitality in the UK Government’s upcoming budget?”
“Mr Macpherson set out the arguments that the UK Government will need to consider in the budget. We will, of course, make representations to the UK Government on that question. In addition to the steps that we are taking in Scotland to support many businesses in our town and retail centres, we will continue to consider any changes in regulation and in the planning system that we could apply that would make it easier for businesses to trade and to create the type of economic opportunities that we want to be available in our town and retail communities.”
Top of page: The all but derelict Dumbarton Town Centre from the air.