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Planning-gain Supplement (Preparations) Bill

As I said, I am glad to have the opportunity to express some concerns about the preparations that will be authorised by the Bill. I see no objection to trying to introduce a more systematic way of ensuring that the windfall gains from development are used to provide resources and infrastructure for the local communities that must bear the extra costs or consequences of such development. From my experience in Edinburgh, and from observing other authorities in Scotland—no doubt this is also the case in England and Wales—local authorities often do not benefit from the section 75 process as they ought to. Some local authorities are good at negotiating with developers to ensure that they do benefit; others are not. There are certainly arguments for a more systematic approach, and I do not see any problem with trying to introduce such a system. I hope that certain issues can be addressed when the proposed legislation finally comes forward as a substantive Bill. As I indicated on Second Reading and in my earlier intervention on the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois), I am concerned that we so far have little idea of how the Bill will work in Scotland. In England, and, I think, Wales, most of the sum raised—70 per cent.—would go back to the local authorities concerned. There is no such provision for Scotland; indeed, it has been made absolutely clear that it is intended that the sums should go to the Scottish Executive to spend as it sees fit—not necessarily to support infrastructure in any local authority, but to support any other project that it has in mind. The Scottish Executive may have expressed reservations about the proposal, but I suspect that were it to be given an additional financial windfall, it would not rush to hand it out to local authorities. The experience in my area is that the Scottish Executive has a more centralising approach to the redistribution of funds raised at local level than is the case south of the border. As Edinburgh has provided some attractive opportunities for development in the past—and will no doubt do so in future—the potential financial take from planning gain supplement tax could be substantial. My concern is therefore that sums might be recycled out of Edinburgh and perhaps spent in the constituency of the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Stewart Hosie), in Aberdeen or even further north, or on something entirely different. But that is not just a concern for a city such as Edinburgh; it was interesting that my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk (Michael Connarty) raised such issues in Committee. Because of the way in which development has spilled out from Edinburgh, I suspect that areas such as his might have even greater potential for planning gain, and for money to be raised from planning gain supplement. Similar concerns have also been expressed in relation to Glasgow, and probably all cities. Inevitably, in cities and the areas around them, there will be more potential for sums to be raised and then centralised at the Scottish Executive level.