The SNP’s plans for regenerating town centres has been criticised by Murdo Fraser MSP as being totally insufficient in the battle to revive the high streets of Mid-Scotland and Fife. The Town Centre Action plan was published by the Scottish Government and promises to ‘breathe new life’ into neglected centres across Scotland.
However, most of the policies mentioned have been dismissed as re-announcements and the amount of money involved is far too small to undo the negative steps introduced by the Scottish Government in recent years.
The Federation of Small Businesses have also criticised the report as many ‘re-announcements’ will not be implemented for some time.
Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser said;
“The last few years have been very tough for town centres in Perth and Kinross, Fife, Stirling and Clackmannanshire, with many of them seeing a drop in footfall and several shops closing down. We need to be doing all we can to rejuvenate them and that is why I was so supportive of the town centre regeneration fund which the SNP chose to abolish.
“The measures announced by the SNP in their action plan are nothing more than a re-hash of previous announcements. There is nothing new in this report and with little money being put up it is doubtful if it will provide any meaningful help to our high streets.
“Proposed SNP police counter closures have been recognised as a barrier in attracting new businesses to rural areas. The Scottish Government’s centralised agenda is hurting rural communities and what our town centres really need is an action plan with bite and financial backing.”