The SNP MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Roseanna Cunningham, will take over the front bench role within the Scottish Parliament from today (18 May), the Scottish Government has announced, having previously served as a Minister for the Environment from 2009 to 2011.
The appointment also sees a slight change in focus the department, with the environment brief also encompassing climate change, while rural affairs will be handled separately by the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing.
A low carbon economy brief has also been created and will be overseen by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown.
According to the Scottish Government, the new Environment Secretary will lead the Scottish Government’s “ambitious plans to further reduce carbon emissions, protect and enhance Scotland’s environment and take forward the Government’s work on land reform”.
Background
Born in Glasgow, but raised in Perth, Western Australia, Ms Cunningham is a trained solicitor and was first elected as an MSP in 1999, having also served as MP for Perth and Kinross from 1995 to 2001.
Reporting to Mr Lochhead for two years, she led the Crofting Bill and the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill through Parliament as Environment Minister, before taking on the role of Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs. She then took on the post of Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training in 2014.
Commenting on the appointment, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “With climate change one of the defining challenges of our generation, I can confirm Roseanna Cunningham will take up the new post of Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. As well as driving forward work to allow Scotland to meet its ambitious climate change targets, Roseanna will have responsibility for implementation of our radical land reform agenda.
“The Cabinet I have announced today will ensure our priorities of education and the economy are given fresh impetus; our public services are reformed and improved and we are able to respond to challenges such as climate change in the years to come.”
Lochhead
Ms Cunningham replaces Mr Lochhead the architect of the country’s Zero Waste Strategy who yesterday (17 May) wrote to the First Minister to signal his intention to leave the ministerial job due to a ‘change in priorities’.
The MSP for Moray, who was re-elected at this month’s Scottish Parliamentary Elections, had held the job since the SNP took power in 2007.
The minister noted that stepping back from the SNP front benches would allow him to spend more time with his wife Fiona, who is battling against breast cancer, and his sons Angus and Fraser.
He will remain an MSP and has said that he is looking forward to ‘continuing to serve my constituents to the best of my ability’.
Mr Lochhead wrote: “I am very proud of the SNP Government’s record and what we have been able to achieve together in recent years including achievements in my own portfolio.
“I will take away with me many precious memories of the people I have met across Scotland during my time as Cabinet Secretary, and of the people I have worked with, and of the many often historic moments I shared with the team during my term in office.”
Mr Lochhead’s nine years in the top environmental job in Scotland will be remembered for having set in motion the Zero Waste (Scotland) Regulations, which came into effect in early 2014 (see letsrecycle.com story).
These included stringent requirements for businesses to separate waste for recycling, as well as a ban on sending certain biodegradable wastes to landfill by the end of 2020, and requirements for councils to collect food waste where it is economically viable. The minister has also set an aim for the country to achieve a 70% recycling rate by 2025.
During his tenure, Scotland’s recycling rate has risen from around 30% to close to 43%.
Register for free to comment