The Economy and Fair Work Committee has called for action to halt the long-standing decline of Scotland's town centres, as it publishes a new report following an inquiry into the issue.
The inquiry concluded that the planning system needs to be strengthened to ensure no new developments unfairly compete with town centre provision.
Alongside this, a rebalancing of the cost of doing business is required to make town centres more competitive, including how non-domestic rates currently operate, to support investment in town centres.
