I have just submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament about the forthcoming Shawlands Town Centre Action Plan. A report is expected soon with recommendations on ways to improve Shawlands and bring a bit more of a buzz to the heart of the Southside.

Improvements to Shawlands Arcade and a long talked-about cinema could at last be the cards! I look forward to seeing the draft Action Plan and I very much hope to see the views of Southsiders strongly reflected.

Here’s the full text of the motion:

S3M-07503 Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Scottish Green Party): Shawlands Town Centre— That the Parliament notes the longstanding efforts of Shawlands and Strathbungo Community Council as well as residents, businesses and community groups on Glasgow’s south side to push for the improvement of Shawlands town centre; recognises the work of the Shawlands Town Centre Steering Group, which published the results of a consultation exercise in April 2010 and which is working toward an action plan for the area; notes that the priorities identified in the consultation included the regeneration of Shawlands Arcade and better use of public space, including more greenery and facilities for a market; looks forward to the publication of the action plan and a commitment from Glasgow City Council to addressing these and other priorities; values the character of Shawlands and the diversity of local independent businesses, and hopes to see the great potential for improvement turned into a reality.

You can find more detail on the Action Plan at the Council’s website here

I recently showed my support for the 2 million people in Scotland who live with long term conditions. A long term condition is generally one lasting longer than a year, for example: asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, skin conditions, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, stroke, ME, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s and mental health problems. Long term conditions can affect people of all ages and prevalence increases with age, so the number is set to rise sharply.

Last week I met the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland (LTCAS), an organisation which is calling for community-based support so that people can become active partners in the management of their conditions, avoid unnecessary health complications and enjoy high quality, active lives.

Living with a long term condition has a profound impact on people’s lives, and one that reaches far beyond health and the NHS. This group is more likely to experience poverty, unemployment and debt, and less likely to have savings or be home-owners.

In the current economic climate people with long term conditions are likely to be among the worst affected. We must support Scotland’s unpaid carers and invest in approaches that provide a better quality of life for affected individuals and their families, and long-term savings for the public purse.

This week is the European Week for Waste Reduction 2010 (November 20th-28th)

There are many ways in which to reduce the amount of waste a person produces, and the events put on this week should give people some handy ideas on how to lower their personal production of waste. There are plenty of events going on all around Edinburgh, Scotland and Europe simultaneously. In Edinburgh particular highlights are the University of Edinburgh’s Waste Free Lunch, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Reduce & Reuse workshops, and Changework’s Waste Prevention Clinic.

For the full list of events and details see here: Edinburgh waste events

I strongly believe that participation in sport is vital for a healthy community. Participation in sport delivers physical and mental well-being.

Last summer I was involved in campaigning to secure the future of Hillend Ski Centre, and I am pleased with the announcement that a rescue plan has been backed by Midlothian Council. It centres around a bid to sportscotland for £600,000 with the aim that the centre will break even by 2012/13. This is, however, a short-term win and does not mean an instant recovery. I will continue to back this campaign and urge people to show their support by visiting the centre to enjoy the facilities.

I am appalled by the proposals to close sports facilities in Edinburgh. The Crags Sports Centre, Dalry Swim Centre, Kirkliston Leisure Centre and Portobello Golf Course are all under threat now that Edinburgh Leisure’s funding has been cut by the City Council. Local authority budgets are tight but cutting these sports facilities could have a drastic effect on obesity rates and the general health of Edinburgh’s present and future residents, putting a strain on NHS resources. To neglect sport while considering ring fencing of the health budget would be contradictory. With only 50% of our school pupils receiving the Government’s target of 2 hours of P.E. a week, it’s essential we make sure that sport is a part of normal daily life in our communities. If these centres close they are likely to be gone for good. I will be doing all I can to keep these facilities open. In these difficult financial times let’s continue to support sport. It supports our nation’s health.

Both myself and my colleague Councillor Alison Johnstone have written to the acting Chief Executive of Edinburgh Leisure asking for reassurance that facilities will not be closed and seeking a meeting to discuss these issues further.

In October Robin Harper MSP and I launched a report on Land Value Tax (LVT), commissioned from land reform specialist Andy Wightman. The report, called “A Land Value Tax For Scotland – Fair, Efficient, Sustainable”, outlines a progressive taxation system that benefits communities and not property developers. It shifts taxation from the value of a property to the value of the land, which means that home owners are not penalised for making improvements to homes that would increase their value.

It also means that greedy property developers who sit on empty land in the hope that it will rise in value would be financially discouraged from doing so, and so acts as an incentive to bring neglected waste land back into use. This is the first big advantage of LVT. The second is that money is put back into the community when improvements to an area increase the value of the land. Public investment in transport, health or education services for example can result in huge unearned income for landowners. LVT brings a share of this back to the public purse where the investment came from.

With an LVT of 3.16p in the pound, it would be possible to replace the current Council Tax and Uniform Business Rate, while making sure that wealthy people pay more and poorer people pay less. The figures speak for themselves:

A person in Glasgow who owns a property in Council Tax Band A currently pays £808.67. Under LVT they would pay £541.58, which is a saving of £267.10. Someone in Band B would make a saving of £272.30, Band C would save £212.30, and Band D £98.20.

But we could go further. Setting LVT at 4.39p in the pound would bring in around a £1.5bn more than Council Tax and Business rates currently do each year. This could be used to fund local services, create new opportunities for community groups through a Scottish Land Fund, or in the longer term once the UK Government’s cuts have ended the pressure on the Scottish budget, we could even reduce Scottish income tax to make a permanent shift from taxing work to taxing land. The lowest band properties would still save money against their current Council Tax bill, and LVT’s tendency to reduce housing costs would benefit huge numbers of people.

The full report goes into all the detail. Please get in touch if you’d like a printed copy.

A couple of Saturdays ago myself and Green Councillor Alison Johnstone went along to a community volunteering day in Morningside organised by PF Counselling Service as part of UK charity CSV’s nationwide initiative to support and promote volunterring: Make a Difference Day.

I was really impressed with the charity, which has been going for nearly 25 years and provides counselling and psychotherapy to adults in return for donations, not fees.

The focus of the day was to transform the outside garden of the centre and this photo shows us with volunteers painting an outside wall. I had to dash off but Alison stayed painting for an hour after I left.