Kirsteen Sullivan
Main Page: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)Scotland’s Economy
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Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East (John Grady) on securing this important debate.
I welcome the opportunity to speak about Scotland’s economy, not least because of the huge breadth of businesses in the towns and villages across my constituency, which is situated in the heart of the central belt with road and rail links to Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond. From small independent businesses to large multinationals, spanning manufacturing, construction, hospitality, engineering, telecommunications, biosciences and retail, they all play a vital role in contributing to our local economy and supporting local jobs. Film and TV production makes an increasingly important contribution to the economy, with the filming of “Outlander” at Blackness castle and in the Bathgate hills showcasing the beautiful and versatile backdrops that the area has to offer. More recently, Bathgate welcomed Colin Firth for the filming of “Lockerbie”.
However, there are significant challenges that threaten to undermine our economic growth and prosperity, with the Scottish Government underfunding the vital investment needed in infrastructure projects and cutting initiatives to get more people on to public transport, with a £23.7 million in-year cut to the travel budget. Although my constituency is home to many fast-growing towns and villages, investment and infrastructure are not keeping pace with development, and nowhere is that more starkly seen than Winchburgh, which continues to await a new train station that would not only support a shift to sustainable travel and ease motorway congestion into Edinburgh, but unlock further economic growth, supporting local businesses and improving links to employment opportunities.
Another significant challenge facing communities is the swingeing cuts to council budgets. West Lothian council has had to find savings of £10 million per year for the last 16 years, while Falkirk council has the second-largest budget gap in mainland Scotland as a proportion of revenue spend. This is a story of two councils—one Labour-led and one SNP-led—both facing devastating cuts that will impact people and services across my constituency.