Committee publication · Scrutiny evidence · 14 May 2026 · HC 1489
Note of Scottish Affairs Committee visit to Paisley
Summary
On 13 April 2026, the Scottish Affairs Committee visited Paisley to investigate Scotland's high street future. The town, named Scotland's Town of the Year 2025, exemplifies retail decline driven by out-of-town shopping centres and e-commerce. Council witnesses outlined £100 million in cultural regeneration (Town Hall, Library, Museum); business groups highlighted barriers including non-domestic rates, empty properties, and landlord inaction; and a Scotland-wide roundtable discussed Town Centre First principles, funding gaps, and the need for local leadership to shift from retail-centric models.
Key findings
- Paisley's retail decline stems from 2000s competition from Braehead and Silverburn shopping centres (offering free parking) combined with online shopping; heritage buildings impede modern reuse and town centre living remains financially unviable without public subsidy.
- Council-led investment totals £100 million across regeneration projects (Town Hall, Central Library, Paisley Museum); however, the Paisley Centre redevelopment remains unviable without further council contribution amid constrained public finances.
- Business participants cited non-domestic rates and employer National Insurance as onerous burdens; stressed empty and poorly maintained properties damage town perception; and called for stronger compulsory purchase powers and property maintenance enforcement.
- Roundtable participants advocated Town Centre First governance, empower local 'ringmasters' (not necessarily councils), establish dedicated Neighbourhood Boards/Towns Boards, and introduce a dedicated Towns Fund with seed capital for agreed projects.
- Cross-cutting barriers include fragmented property ownership, absent landlords holding property speculatively, insufficient incentives to occupy vacant premises, and the need to address 'basics' (cleanliness, retail crime, police presence) before major attractions can succeed.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Patricia Ferguson MP, Renfrewshire Council, Paisley First Business Improvement District, Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, UK Government
Notable line
“There was felt to be a need to 'bring the high street along with' the Museum renovation and other projects, and not forget about 'the bits in the middle' between attractions.”
Key Quotes
“The demise of physical retailing in Paisley was felt to be illustrative of the problems facing many towns across Scotland, though with Paisley serving as a particularly noteworthy example of these trends due to the town's size.”
“It was suggested that local authorities across Scotland should be given stronger powers to encourage negligent or absent landlords to better maintain their properties and let out vacant premises (for example, making compulsory purchase powers stronger and easier to use).”
“Participants felt that the key thing Scottish Government could do to support high street businesses in Paisley and elsewhere would be to reform the non-domestic rates system, which was felt to be onerous, opaque and unpredictable.”
“Government can help enable this shift by insisting on a Town Centre First approach across all levels of decision-making, and by ensuring policy encourages a sustainable mix of activity and property uses, centred around the needs of local people and visitors.”
“… the meeting with Renfrewshire Council) that government should empower local 'ringmasters' who can bring partners together and make (re)development happen, to help support the transition towards a more mixed town centre model.”
“A dedicated Towns Fund, providing seed funding to get projects agreed through such forums underway, was proposed as a response to this challenge.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗