Conclusions and recommendations
The south of Scotland
1. We are sympathetic
to the calls we heard from the south of Scotland for more job
creation schemes in the area. We urge both the Scottish and UK
Governments to locate public sector jobs beyond London and Edinburgh,
and recommend that both Governments provided a detailed breakdown
of the location of public sector jobs, and their future plans
for further relocation, to our successor Committee. This work
should run in tandem with UK Government support for communications
and transport infrastructure development in the region.
(Paragraph 24)
2. We recommend
that the UK Government take seriously Michael Moore's reminder
that its responsibility does not stop at the Border. It should
demonstrate this by lending its full support, through expertise,
ministerial participation and financial resource where possible,
to employment initiatives in the south of Scotland, such as the
Borders Employability Forum. (Paragraph
25)
3. While we recognise
the concerns of employers in the south of Scotland, particularly
those running small businesses and micro-businesses, of the potential
costs of the living wage, we see no justification for not paying
workers a living wage in the UK in 21st century. We have addressed
the issue of fair wages in our inquiries into zero hours contracts
and into compliance with the minimum wage in Scotland. At the
very minimum, the UK and Scottish Governments should ensure that
all public sector employees in the south of Scotland are paid
the living wage. (Paragraph 29)
4. We recognise
the work being done in the area to provide training opportunities
for young people. To effectively combat youth unemployment the
UK Government, which is responsible for employment policy, and
the Scottish Government, which is responsible for higher education,
training and skills development, should produce a joint strategy
specifically to tackle youth unemployment and underemployment
in the region. (Paragraph 37)
5. We look forward
to the re-opening of the Borders Railway link between Edinburgh
and Galashiels. We urge the UK Government to work with the Scottish
Government and with key agencies on both sides of the border to
extend the Borders Railway southwards from Galashiels, to Hawick
and on to Carlisle. (Paragraph 41)
6. We recommend
that the UK Government produce a clear strategic plan which sets
out key principles for joint working with the Scottish Government
in relation to transport infrastructure issues. We also recommend
that both Governments take steps to monitor the efficacy of the
collaboration between the Highways Agency and Transport Scotland
on cross-border sections of major road infrastructure. Performance
measures should be put in place for both organisations in respect
of this. (Paragraph 43)
7. We are concerned
about the lack of transparency and accountability in relation
to the rollout of superfast broadband. We agree that the Scottish
Government is best placed to oversee the rollout on the ground,
but this is a reserved area of policy, and does not absolve the
UK Government of the responsibility for ensuring targets are met
in terms of timetable and delivery. (Paragraph
53)
8. Access to superfast
broadband is not a luxury add-on for rural communities, but a
key part of the infrastructure required for those communities
to thrive and develop. We note the evidence in relation to the
link between a lack of infrastructure and youth migration, and
while this is a complex issue, it also serves as a stark reminder
of the significant and damaging potential consequences for rural
communities when the rollout of crucial infrastructure programmes
is delayed. (Paragraph 54)
9. We welcome the
recent deal between the UK Government and the four major mobile
networks in the UK. Given that vast swathes of the south of Scotland
do not have adequate mobile phone coverage, we seek assurances
from the UK Government that it will prioritise this area in the
implementation of this agreement. We also recommend that it works
closely with the mobile phone providers and emergency service
providers to evaluate the options with respect to using the emergency
service communications infrastructure to, temporarily at least,
improve coverage in the south of Scotland.
(Paragraph 59)
10. We are also
persuaded that the UK Government should tighten the regulations
which require operators to extend coverage to remote rural areas,
although this will only have an impact if simultaneous steps are
also taken to improve the infrastructure. We recommend that the
UK Government consult on the current guidelines and report progress
on this to our successor Committee early in the new Parliament.
(Paragraph 60)
11. We accept that,
since devolution, there are some areas of legitimate policy divergence,
for example, in terms of health and education policy, north and
south of the Scotland-England border. However, this should not
impinge on the access of residents living on both sides of the
border to essential services. We recommend that the UK Government
work closely with the Scottish Government and local authorities
on both the English and Scottish side of the border to provide
adequate access to essential public services, and for the social
and economic benefit of the region as a whole.
(Paragraph 63)
12. The specific
challenges faced in the south of Scotland require effective collaboration
and joint strategies between the different levels of Government
in both Scotland and the UK. The UK and Scottish Governments need
to find new ways of working together, and with local government,
to deliver for the people of Scotland. This is arguably one of
the least developed areas in the post-devolution landscape and
should be a major area of work in the context of the implementation
of the Smith Agreement during the course of the next Parliament.
(Paragraph 64)
Cross-border working
13. We welcome
the creation of the Borderlands Initiative as a first step in
effective cross-border and collaborative working, and recognise
its role in delivering major benefits for this economic region.
However, this potential will only be delivered if both the UK
and Scottish Governments provide the vital political support and
leadership required to deliver tangible benefits. We recommend
that an inter-ministerial forum is set up to work alongside the
Borderlands Initiative. (Paragraph 77)
14. As we have
repeatedly stated, collaboration and co-operation is key - not
only across the border, but at all levels of government - including
at local and community level. To avoid duplication of effort and
the spreading of resources too thinly, community-level involvement
and decision making should be underpinned by a regional framework
of the type offered by the Borderlands Initiative. We recommend
that the Borderlands Initiative work closely with community councils
to develop a clear strategy in relation to how all levels of government
should work together to deliver for the benefit of the people
of the south of Scotland. (Paragraph 83)
Economic development and enterprise
15. We believe
that the restructuring of Scottish Enterprise, and the centralising
impetus behind that restructuring, has had a negative impact on
the economic development and enterprise culture in the south of
Scotland - not least because of the subsequent decline in both
the visibility of the region and of services tailored to the specific
economic challenges it faces. (Paragraph
101)
16. We are not
convinced that the efforts and resources required to restructure
Scottish Enterprise yet again are justifiable, but urge the UK
Government to work closely with the Scottish Government to identify
how the negative consequences of the initial restructuring for
the south of Scotland should be remedied, and to identify how
a re-focusing of existing resources may best address the specific
needs of the south of Scotland. We also recommend that there should
be more collaboration and formal joint working between Scottish
Enterprise and bodies operating across the south of Scotland,
such as the South of Scotland Alliance.
(Paragraph 102)
17. We note the
success of Highlands and Islands Enterprise in invigorating the
economy of the Highlands and Islands and in promoting the distinctive
identity of that area of Scotland, and in particular, we recognise
the value of its social remit. We see no reason why Scottish Enterprise
could not work with other bodies to promote such a social remit,
and we recommend that it does so. The success of the Highlands
and Islands Enterprise is as much about culture, energy, commitment
and leadership as it is about structures. We are confident that
the south of Scotland can achieve similar success. (Paragraph
103)
European Union structural funding
18. We recommend
that the NUTS 2 boundaries in the south of Scotland should be
redrawn to ensure greater structural funding for the region. We
are satisfied that this can be achieved without compromising other
existing administrative boundaries, and without causing a reduction
in the likely overall levels of funding which would be allocated
to Scotland. This could result in significant sums of additional
funding being allocated to the south of Scotland.
(Paragraph 112)
- We urge the UK Government to work with the
Scottish Government and local authorities to redraw the NUTS 2
boundaries in Scotland in order to create a NUTS 2 region for
the south of Scotland that does not incorporate the Central Belt.
We also expect the UK Government to facilitate this at an EU level.
(Paragraph 113)
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