Holyrood 2016: Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto at-a-glance

15 April 2016

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have published their manifesto, external ahead of the Holyrood election on 5 May. Here are some of the key points.

Key messages

In his introduction, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie sets out his vision of how to "make Scotland the best again".

He argues that Scottish education, healthcare, civil liberties, climate change targets and local services were once the envy of the world, but have been allowed to stagnate.

Mr Rennie also states that the five Liberal Democrats elected in 2011 "punched above their weight" over the next five years, and that electing more this time would allow the party to do "so much more".

And he reiterates his opposition to Scottish independence, insisting that it is time for the country to move on from the referendum.

Education

The Liberal Democrats believe that "education is the key", and that restoring the Scottish education system to the top of the international rankings should be the priority of the next Scottish government.

The party proposes:

increasing income tax rates by 1p across all bands to raise more than £500m each year to invest in education
a "pupil premium" given to schools to put towards closing the attainment gap between wealthy and more deprived pupils
extend free nursery provision to all two-year-old children, with extra support for the most vulnerable families from an earlier age
reverse cuts to college education through "record investment"

Mental health

The manifesto states that one in four people in Scotland will have a mental health problem during their lifetime, but that the share of the budget devoted to mental health has gone down under the SNP.

Its plans to tackle mental health issues include:

changing the law to put mental health on the same statutory footing as physical health
make more therapies available by training more nurses, counsellors and psychologists
create new units for children and adolescents in Aberdeen and Inverness
make sure that every GP practice has a qualified mental health professional available
set standards for mental health training for other professionals such as teachers, police and social workers so
examine the establishment of Joint Cars - staffed by police officers and mental health nurses - to respond to emergency incidents

The wider NHS

The Liberal Democrats claim "there is no doubt that there is a GP crisis in Scotland", and highlight "stark warnings of a further shortfall of family doctors by 2020".

The party says it would:

Train, recruit and retain more GPs
Increase the number of support staff
commit to funding the Scottish NHS so that it stays ahead of inflation and keeps pace with funding in the rest of the UK
free personal care for the elderly extended to make sure care services are available free of charge for people with dementia at all ages
maintain free prescriptions, and free eye and dental checks
treat drug use as a health issue

Taxation

As well as its "penny for education" income tax proposals, the party calls for a "fairer system of local taxation to replace the Council Tax".

It says it is attracted by the "economic and social benefits that could be brought about by a system of land value tax".

It says the system would not penalise people who improve their property as the tax is based only on the land value.

The party also backs a full review of business rates.

Welfare

The party says that new powers over welfare being transferred to Holyrood should be "underpinned by respect for the dignity of individuals".

It has committed to increase Carers' Benefit to bring it into line with the rate for jobseekers' allowance.

It has also pledged to ensure the bedroom tax is fully removed from the Scottish system, and to use the new powers to help people who are at risk of losing their job, or entitlement to other benefits, because of a mental health problem.

The Lib Dems also propose allowing housing benefit to be paid directly to landlords, and has pledged to retain the entitlement to housing benefit for those aged 18-25.

Housing

The Lib Dems believe that increasing the supply of affordable, rented housing will directly give families and individuals the security and stability to lead their lives.

It has proposed:

increasing the number of affordable homes by 50,000 over the next parliament.
40,000 of these are would be for social rent rather than purchase

Local democracy

The manifesto accuses the SNP of "centralising the life out of Scotland" during its time in government, and calls for the next five years to be about reversing that centralisation.

Among its proposals are:

giving councils the powers to set local domestic and business taxation
allow local communities to establish a burgh council to serve their area
build the case for a "diverse, federal UK as the alternative to divisive nationalism

Policing

The Lib Dems believe that the creation of Police Scotland has meant that "much of the discretion of the officers, local consensus and accountability has been lost and has been replaced by top down targets".

The party has pledged to restore "traditional Scottish policing" by:

defining in statute the role of the chief constable
allowing the chief constable and the Scottish Police Authority to determine the exact mix of staff required
increasing the funding for Police Scotland by £20m, and protecting it in real terms, to preserve staff numbers
strengthening the role of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner to look into serious incidents

Civil liberties

The Liberal Democrats say they stand for "the individual against the state, and for the outsider against the establishment".

It has pledged to protect liberties and "traditional Scottish freedoms" by:

stopping the creation of the Scottish government's "intrusive" ID database
taking steps to safeguard people from the misuse of their data, CCTV images or biometric information
cutting down on the number of nuisance calls
repealing the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act

Environment

The manifesto calls for strong action in order for Scotland to meet its statutory annual climate change targets, which have been missed for the past four years.

It proposes:

giving priority to warm homes, renewable heat and low-carbon transport
continued support for renewable electricity generation
a move away from "high-polluting fossil fuels" with action to cut carbon emissions from industry
a ban on fracking and similar unconventional processes, and ending open-cast coal mining
establishing new national parks or landscape partnership areas

Transport

Despite its focus on low-carbon transport, the manifesto says the Liberal Democrats will continue to invest in other forms of transport to "secure safety, regional connections and social equity".

It says the party will:

take forward plans to improve the A82, A9 and A96 among others
increase the support for ferry routes serving the Northern Isles, including a cut of 50% in ferry fares between the Northern Isles and the mainland
reintroduce the Air Discount Scheme for business travel from the islands
retain the concessionary bus pass

Culture and sport

The party wants everyone to "realise the benefits of participating in sport and living more active lifestyles".