Marie delivers keynote speech at the ‘Reimagining Public Service Delivery’ conference in Edinburgh
Tuesday 22nd September | Hoxton Hotel Edinburgh
Marie was the keynote opening speaker at Monday’s conference on Reimagining Public Service Delivery, hosted by Holyrood magazine and held at Edinburgh’s Hoxton Hotel.
Addressing an audience of public sector workers and other stakeholders, the speech comes at a key moment in the debate about the future shape of public services in Scotland, including proposed reforms to the health service and local government.
Marie took the audience through her own personal journey, touching on her early career in the City of London, her health battle with endometriosis and then her success as a businesswoman and investor, creating the HALO project to help regenerate former industrial heartlands, whilst at the same time engaging in community projects and wider philanthropy.
The conference came a day after the Scottish Government announced proposals to cut the number of councils in Scotland from 32 down to as few as six regional authorities, with between 120 and 160 community authorities operating below them.
Marie opened her speech by paying tribute to the work of the public sector, noting that without its input on a daily basis, the essential services we all need simply would not function.
She went on to caution whether the plans for local government reorganisation were the right way forward.
She said: “We do not want to see a situation where we get rid of 32 local authorities to the detriment of the communities they serve – especially when those councils are staffed by people who know what they are doing.”
Marie finished her contribution on an upbeat note, calling on the public and private sectors to work together to create a successful economy and society for all.
She said: “My key message is always founded on hope – hope for a better and brighter future for all our communities.
“I want Scotland to be the most aspirational and enterprising country in the world, delivering that better future, especially for our young people, who will be the gatekeepers and protectors of they legacy we give them.”
