Category: News

Local Linlithgow MSP, Fiona Hyslop, has officially unveiled a new plaque at the Carmelite Friary site which is sited off the path leading to Rosemount Park from Manse Road in Linlithgow. The improvement works include replacement seats, a bin and a new interpretation panel.  The old Marches Stone recording the Linlithgow Parliamentary Boundary has also been surrounded with setts and can be viewed in the woods that lead to Rosemount Park. Commenting at the event, Fiona said; “I am delighted to be invited by Linlithgow Civic Trust to officially unveil the plaque and environmental improvements of Linlithgow’s Carmelite Friary. This lovely quiet and historic spot can now be enjoyed even more by the increasing numbers of local people who are choosing to include the paths as part of their regular…

Local constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, welcomes news that fees for children learning a music instrument at school will be removed thanks to more than £7 million funding from the Scottish Government. This funding covers the 2021-22 academic year and marks a further commitment from the first 100 days of this Scottish Government. In West Lothian, the previous Labour led Council in 2018 introduced charges for individual music tuition and this led to a drop in the number of young people taking music lessons. Fiona commented; “Learning music can be life-changing for many young people and West Lothian has historically had a great tradition in music making in the county. It is essential that all young people receiving additional music tuition in schools can do so because of their talent and…

Following on-going representation by local Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, on behalf of her constituents who work at St. John’s Hospital, Fiona Hyslop has further highlighted to NHS Lothian the need for greater accessibility to car parking for staff at the hospital. Availability of staff car parking is a long-standing issue, and in Fiona’s letter to NHS Lothian she highlighted the need for a commitment to improve the current situation, to bring back pre-Covid measures such as the lift share programme and the shuttle service for staff at Livingston FC Stadium. Fiona highlighted that these measures are essential to ensuring the accessibility of car parking and the safety of all staff. In response, NHS Lothian committed to continuing to host virtual sessions to seek ideas from staff on how they can…

Local Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, has expressed her delight as West Lothian Council is set to receive £541,000 from the Scottish Government to encourage children to play and socialise as part of the recovery from the pandemic. The Scottish Government has set aside £15m to support summer activities across Scotland, and West Lothian will receive a share. The support will specifically target those under 25 from low income households that may otherwise struggle to access such experiences during the holidays. Additionally, £5m will also be distributed among prominent Scottish children’s charities such as Barnardo’s and Who Cares Scotland. Fiona commented: “I am absolutely delighted that young people and children in West Lothian will benefit from this funding by the Government. Young people and children have experienced significant disruption to all…

Local Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, delivered a speech to the Scottish Parliament on the climate emergency in which she praised the work of Linlithgow Community Development Trust (LCDT). Fiona highlighted the work which is already underway and the ambitions to make Linlithgow the first Net-Zero Town in Scotland. Achievements included the successful Community Bonds initiative of LCDT which invested in local community energy, helped clubs save money and created a surplus. This builds on the achievement and work of Transition Linlithgow and other bodies in the town. The LCDT have been at the forefront of this movement with the Climate Action Group currently drafting a ‘Linlithgow Ready Vision for 2045’. This strategy focuses on 5 key objectives and looks to involve a range of people and aspects of the town.…

Fiona Hyslop MSP has welcomed a commitment by the SNP to deliver 100,000 affordable homes in Scotland by 2032, if the party is re-elected in May. The Housing to 2040 plan will create 14,000 jobs and invest £16 billion in housing infrastructure across Scotland, including in West Lothian. Key plans from the scheme include: delivering 100,000 more affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these being for social rentsetting a single set of standards for housing quality and accessibilityestablishing a new fund to help local authorities bring empty homes back into residential useending homelessness and rough sleeping once and for alldecarbonising heating in all homes in line with Scotland’s climate ambitions Fiona commented, “This is a big announcement from the SNP Government. Committing to deliver 100,000 affordable homes…

As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Fiona Hyslop has urged employers in West Lothian to apply for the SNP Government’s £15 million Apprenticeship Employer Grant. Marking Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Fiona has encouraged employers to make the most of the fund which would provide £5,000 for taking on or upskilling a 16 to 24-year old apprentice for those aged up to 29 years who are disabled, care leavers and minority ethnic, and £3,500 for taking on or upskilling an apprentice over 25. Apprenticeships are an integral part to the Scottish Government’s ‘Young Persons Guarantee’, which was introduced by Fiona in her Ministerial role. The ‘Young Persons Guarantee’ ensures that everyone aged 16 to 24-years old has the opportunity to access work, education or training.  The Apprenticeship grant will help increase the…

Tesco are attempting to force approximately 280 staff at the West Lothian distribution centre to agree to new contracts which will deduct their retained pay which was part of their legally agreed contracts when they joined Tesco. This change in contract will translate into an individual monetary loss of thousands of pounds for affected employees. Local Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, convened a meeting with the UK Director of Distribution and Fulfilment for Tesco along with local MSP Angela Constance and MP Hannah Bardell. Hyslop raised concerns on behalf of those affected, and she has called on Tesco to rethink this decision which will have a negative impact on several long-serving members of staff within the constituency. Fiona commented, “I am extremely disappointed that Tesco have broken legal pay arrangements for…

The SNP have been urging the UK Conservative Government to maintain the £20 boost to Universal Credit and extend it to legacy benefits. All six Scottish Conservative MPs abstained on a vote which would have ensured that. Figures revealed that the UK Prime Minister’s plans to remove the £20 uplift in April would push 15,675 people in West Lothian further into poverty. The SNP Government has led the way in tackling poverty, with new benefits such as the Scottish Child Payment and a social security system based on dignity and respect. It has been estimated, by the anti-poverty think-tank the Resolution Foundation, that the weekly £20 cut to Universal Credit could see the incomes of low-income families fall by more than 4% and push a further 820,000 children into poverty…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed the news that new brown tourist signs on the M8 and M9 have been erected to direct tourists to the Korean War Memorial in the Bathgate Hills. The signs were produced by Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, a social enterprise that provides employment and development opportunities for Armed Forces Veterans in Scotland. Fiona initially raised the installation of the brown tourist signs directly with then Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans, Graeme Dey MSP. Following this, the Scottish Government entered into discussions with Transport Scotland regarding a review of its signage policy as it pertains to war memorials that are of national significance. Fiona then wrote to the Minister inviting him to visit the Korean War Memorial, and asking that he…