8th March 2021: A Week in Parliament

Kilmarnock Business Association

I was pleased to hold a roundtable and question and answer session with representatives of the Kilmarnock Business Association. We covered a variety of matters including Brexit, covid and the future of Kilmarnock town centre. There seemed to be agreement that for the town centre to thrive, we will need more small businesses given so many “anchor stores” have disappeared. There was a feeling the town centre could look a bit cleaner and sharper. Of course, many of the businesses just want to get back to trading in normal (or as close to normal) conditions. One other message that came through loud and clear was just how much these people love their community and want to see it prosper.

Covid Statistics

As we know, emerging out of this lockdown relies on what the infection rates are. Thanks to a combination of the vaccination roll out and the majority of people abiding by the regulations, the infection rate has fallen dramatically. Even ignoring the prison spike, East Ayrshire tended to have higher rates of infection. It is therefore really pleasing that as I write, East Ayrshire is below the Scottish average, probably for the first time since these rates were measured accurately. We are getting close to being below the case rate of 50 per 100,000. This is a key indicator as to the Tier levels that could be applied post lockdown. As spring comes, let's stick to the regulations and hopefully banish the lockdown cycles.

Charity Activity

Over the past year, charities have suffered really badly as most rely on fundraising activities that were not able to take place eg fundraising dinners, volunteers taking part in marathons and the like. Yet some charities have also seen a massive increase in demand and workload due to so many people having a reduced income. A real double whammy. It, therefore, beggars belief that Boris Johnson has been putting in place plans to set up a charity to help him redecorate 10 Downing Street. A completely inappropriate idea for a charity and yet again it shows personal gain is never far from his thought process. I daresay that many of the Tory cronies who benefited from multi-million pound PPE deals – awarded illegally – will be happy to donate to such a charity right enough.

Budget

The budget was once again a damp squib. I welcome the extension of the £20 universal uplift but the reality is this should be made permanent and not just for another six months. When you have record unemployment then the state has to expand until the economy regrows. I welcome the plans to increase future corporation tax rates to 25%. By saying this will bring in more money, it shows the Tories have been lying the entire time they have said cuts to corporation tax would increase tax revenues. Figures I got from the House of Commons library predicted the previous cuts to corporation tax would cost the Treasury £35bn by the year 2025. How useful would this money have been in our time of need?