Oral Answers to Questions

Graham Leadbitter Excerpts

Monday 23rd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Miatta Fahnbulleh)]

I thank my hon. Friend for all the work that he is doing with his community on Pride in Place. We are very clear that communities should be in the driving seat, and we are setting a clear expectation that all places will have forms of community-led delivery by the third year. That creates the opportunity for community interest companies, co-operatives and other models, because at the heart of this is the principle that the people who know their patch the best should be in the driving seat of changing their place.

[Graham Leadbitter (Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey) (SNP)]

T4. With local growth funding from Moray council, in my constituency, stopping, associated progress in digital connectivity will stop, business advice and growth services will reduce, and there will a much-reduced skills development programme. A total of 14 staff will be made redundant, with further scope for redeployment. Why is the Minister content to preside over these funding cuts and redundancies?

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

We have committed to local growth funding to boost growth in Scotland. We have also delivered record investment to the Scottish Government, who have in their gift the ability to invest in communities and in programmes that will drive the prosperity of local areas. The hon. Gentleman should not be looking to national Government; we have done our part—now it is over to the Scottish National party.