Jeremy Balfour MSP has wished his constituents a happy new year and stated that his hope for the year ahead is for his proposed Pet Shop (Licensing)(Scotland) Bill to be passed through the Scottish Parliament.

In March 2018, Mr Balfour lodged a proposal for a Bill to improve animal welfare by enhancing local authority pet shop licensing powers and updating the licensing system.

The bill was subsequently adopted by the Scottish Government who plan to reintroduce it in parliament again this year.

He explained his hope for the bill to be passed into law by the end of the year. He said: “I want to send best wishes to all people in Lothian for the year ahead.

“2020 is set to be a year of change. Much of this change, I believe, will be very positive.

“Perhaps one of the main changes that I wish to see this year is change to legislation surrounding the welfare of animals. It is my hope that by the end of 2020 there will be better protection for animals in pet shops across Scotland.”

Jeremy Balfour
Jeremy Balfour MSP
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.