Author Archives: Mark Lazarowicz
“For the commoune goode of the toune”
The Common Good property held by Scottish local authorities “The common good is a fund of money and assets, formerly owned by a burgh and now owned and administered by the local authority for the relevant area” Andrew Ferguson, Common … Continue reading
Greening the Scottish Government: What the SNP-Green deal could mean for the natural environment in Scotland
In this post, I look at the commitments made in the deal, and assess how radical an impact they could have on the natural environment in Scotland The ‘co-operation agreement’ between the SNP Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party … Continue reading
Applying for settled and pre-settled status requires genuine residence
Although the UK ceased to be a member of the EU on 31 January 2020, the transition period arrangements mean that EU citizens can still apply for leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme even if they move to … Continue reading
Federalism is not enough
(This post was first published on Labour Hame (8 September 2020), at https://labourhame.com/federalism-is-not-enough/) The Scottish Government has recently made it clear that it will be seeking a mandate at next year’s Scottish Parliament elections to hold a referendum on independence. … Continue reading
The extension of the ‘Community Right to Buy’
The Community Right to Buy (‘CRTB’) was first introduced by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (the ‘2003 Act’)[1]. It allows a ‘community body’ to register an interest in ‘registerable land’, which gave it a pre-emptive right to buy if … Continue reading
Now out! New book on the Scottish Parliament
Along with Jean McFadden, I have written a new book on the Scottish Parliament: The Scottish Parliament: Law and Practice (Mark Lazarowicz and Jean McFadden). It is published by Edinburgh University Press, (£40 Paperback) 296pp. You can order copies here: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-scottish-parliament.html … Continue reading
Picardy Place decision has wider implications
This is my response to Edinburgh City Council’s consultation on the redevelopment of Picardy Place. It is a local issue, but with wider implications: Consultation on Picardy Place – with comments also on Leith Street proposals I am writing in response … Continue reading
Devolution after Brexit: ‘Power Grab’ or a ‘Significant Increase in Decision-making Power’
One of the questions that arose very soon after the EU referendum was what would happen to the powers currently exercised by the EU over areas of government activity which would otherwise be devolved. The initial assumption in many quarters … Continue reading
Time to make the most of trams
It looks like the long-awaited Edinburgh tram extension is finally about to happen. The case for the extension is stronger than ever. Edinburgh’s expected population growth over the next few decades means that the city must develop a modern public … Continue reading
Let’s make Edinburgh’s transport more visitor-friendly
I was sitting on an Edinburgh bus the other day, and a scene developed which will be all too familiar to regular users of our city’s normally excellent public transport. A family, obviously tourists, got on the bus and tried … Continue reading