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Local Constituency MSP for Linlithgow, Fiona Hyslop, spoke in a Scottish Government debate on Wednesday (8th Dec) supporting the Scotland Loves Local Initiative, where she highlighted the community input of businesses and individuals across West Lothian. Fiona said, “Local businesses are the beating heart of our communities and of course their contribution to the local economy offers opportunity for regeneration, resilience and development. “In Bathgate, where I started my own Christmas shopping at the weekend on Small Business Saturday, the Choose Bathgate Group had actively been promoting shopping locally. And I was particularly impressed to see the Phoenix Health and Wellbeing Centre championing other businesses, encouraging shoppers to explore their high streets and support each other. “I also visited Whitburn South Church Hall craft fair, which brought local businesses and…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, praises the hard work and dedication of the Boghall Drop-in Centre team, particularly throughout the course of the pandemic. Fiona visited the Boghall Drop-in Centre to hear of their plans for Christmas and how the organisation adapted to the pandemic and the needs of the local population. The Boghall Drop-in Centre is a community led organisation which helps everyone from young children to the elderly in Boghall and beyond. The small team at the Centre worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to provide meals and services to all, with no barriers to access. Coming up to Christmas, the team are doing daily raffles and daily Christmas story time, Elf Academy activities, pensioner meals and providing Christmas toys and hampers.  Fiona commented: “Boghall Drop-in…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed the announcement that projects in West Lothian will receive £48,000 from the first round of grants from the Scotland Loves Local Fund. The funding, announced this week, is supporting over 100 organisations, who will receive a share of the £1.5 million funding boost to help revitalise cities, town centres and neighbourhoods across Scotland. They will encourage support for local economies which were impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and help restore local tourism, make town centres more environmentally friendly and sustainable, and support communities to refurbish shop fronts and public spaces ahead of the festive season. In West Lothian, funding was awarded to three different organisations. Green Action Trust in Broxburn has been awarded £20,000 to support the creation of a new community park on…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed the First Minister’s announcement that the Scottish Child Payment will be doubled from April 2022. The announcement will see at least 4,280 eligible children across West Lothian receiving £20 per week per child from spring next year, with more than 106,000 children across Scotland immediately benefitting from the increased payment. Since the launch of the Scottish Government payment on 15 February 2021, 1,143,880 has been issued in payments to families in West Lothian. It is now expected that over 400,000 children could be eligible for the doubled payment by the end 2022, which is when the benefit, which is unique in the UK, will be extended to children under the age of 16. Commenting, Fiona said: “I am delighted that at least 4,280 children across West Lothian will have…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, urged the Scottish Government, during First Ministers Questions in the Scottish Parliament on 11th November, to continue the discussions and networking established by the Glasgow Climate Dialogues as COP26 has now come to a close. Fiona asked the Scottish Government if they will use their role as the co-Chair of the Under2 coalition to promote a similar dialogue among members of the coalition and raise important issues such as ‘loss and damage’. The Deputy First Minister responded to Fiona’s question stating the Scottish Government’s intention to continue to engage with the Coalition after COP and highlighted the Coalition’s commitment to Net Zero by 2050 and the importance of a Just Transition. Fiona commented; “I am pleased to have raised this issue in Parliament…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, has led a members debate at the Scottish Parliament expressing the importance of listening to the voices of the Global South in our efforts to tackle the climate emergency. Fiona lodged a motion in Parliament acknowledging and highlighting the publication of a communique that set out the conclusions of the ‘Glasgow Climate Dialogues’ –  a series of discussions hosted by the Scottish Government and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland which took place between 6 and 9 September 2021 and provided a forum for civil society and government departments from impacted countries in the Global South to discuss and share their positions on some of the key priorities for action at and beyond COP26. Fiona said: “The effects of climate change are not equal,…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop has welcomed the news that Blackburn in West Lothian is one of seven towns in Scotland that has been chosen to tackle the impact of climate change and secure a just transition to net zero. The Climate Action Towns programme will empower communities to come together and engage in collective climate action, taking account of the unique challenges and opportunities each town faces. That might include looking at what action can be taken on switching to more sustainable food or renewable energy. Communities in the seven towns will be offered support to find ways of making changes at a local level that will help tackle the crisis, giving them a voice and engaging those that may not have previously engaged in climate…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, attended the COP26 GLOBE Legislator’s Summit for international parliamentarians hosted by the Scottish Parliament on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th of November. The Summit explored the role of parliaments across the globe in the climate emergency and explored issues including how to accelerate climate action, the delivery of a green economy and a fair and resilient recovery from Covid-19. Prior to the Summit in the Scottish Parliament, GLOBE International partnered with the Children’s Parliament to create ‘The Moment’, an event designed to give young people from across Scotland a chance to share their thoughts on climate change with their local MSP. As part of ‘The Moment’, Fiona spoke with modern studies pupils at Linlithgow Academy to hear their ideas on tackling climate…

SNP MSP Fiona Hyslop has said that the Tory UK Government’s budget, announced today, makes it clear that “independence is the only way to give West Lothian a fair recovery from the pandemic.” Fiona has said that the budget – which has been described by the head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies as “actually awful” for living standards - is failing the people of Scotland by failing to tackle the cost of living crisis, the Brexit crisis and the climate crisis whilst the Tory Government prioritise cuts to the cost of champagne and giving tax breaks to bankers. Commenting SNP MSP Fiona Hyslop said: “What the Tory UK Government has outlined today does not meet the ambition needed to build a fair and sustainable recovery and to tackle the cost…