Scottish Labour unveils first-time buyer help plan
- Published
Scottish Labour said it would take "bold action" to help people get on the property ladder if it forms the next Scottish government.
The party has pledged to double the £3,000 currently available to anyone saving for a deposit through a first-time buyer ISA.
It said the move would allow a couple saving £100 each a month to save for a £15,000 deposit within three years.
The Scottish Parliament election will be held on 5 May.
Opinion polls have suggested that the SNP is on course to win another majority at Holyrood.
'Out of reach'
Elsewhere in Scottish politics on Tuesday:
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon leads a debate at Holyrood pledging to "earn the right" to an unprecedented third term in government
The Scottish Conservatives have published a paper outlining its plans to ensure Scotland's state schools, external are able to "compete with the best in the world"
Holyrood's finance committee has called for the Scottish Fiscal Commission to be given responsibility for producing official economic forecasts as part of its function in scrutinising Scottish public finances
Follow what's happening at Holyrood on our Scottish Politics Live Page
People saving for a deposit through a first-time buyer ISA currently receive a 25% top up from the UK government,, external up to the value of £3,000.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said this help was welcome, but "still leaves a deposit for a home far out of reach for lower earning young people".
Under Labour's plan, anyone who saves through a first-time buyer ISA up to the value of £3,000 would be entitled to an additional £3,000 from the Scottish government to help toward the cost of a deposit.
How would Scottish Labour's proposal work?
Ms Dugdale said more needed to be done to help young people get on the property ladder
Ms Dugdale used the example of a young couple each saving £100 a month towards a deposit.
Their savings in their first time buyer ISA, over the three years, would amount to £7,200.
They would get an additional £1,800 automatically through the ISA from the UK government
Labour's plan would see the couple receive £3,000 each from the Scottish government, taking their total deposit to £15,000.
The party said 28% of those aged 16-34 in Scotland now own their home with a mortgage - the lowest level since the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999.
And it said the number of people aged 34 and younger who have bought their own home with a mortgage has fallen by 15% since the SNP came to power in 2007.
Ms Dugdale, who is to formally unveil the proposal as her party's first election pledge, said action was needed to ensure the younger generation did not "miss out on the life their mothers and fathers expected as right".
Responding to Ms Dugdale, the Scottish government said that first time buyers are rising as the country leaves behind the recession, with the latest figures showing a 4% increase in the last quarter and a 16% increase in the last year.
It also said it had helped 20,000 move on to, or up, the property ladder since 2007 through its shared equity schemes and Help to Buy programme.
Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil said: "Through some of the toughest times in the recession we have helped young home owners the most with nearly 75% of those benefitting from our schemes aged between 18 and 35."
New Tory policies
Meanwhile, the Scottish Conservatives started their election year by publishing a new paper on ways to improve state school education in Scotland.
The paper - titled The Gold Standard - A world class education for every child, external - sets out a series of new policies which the party said would feed into its election manifesto.
It identifies three key areas where government could act immediately to improve standards - putting schools in charge, improving literacy and numeracy, and delivering greater transparency.
What are the Scottish Conservatives proposing?
Handing control over budgets, recruitment and funding of the new Scottish attainment challenge directly to head teachers
"Buddying" the best and worst-performing schools to help spread best practice
Greater focus on literacy and numeracy, support for parents, and the creation of a new First Minister's Reading Challenge
New standardised tests for pupils at P1, P4 and P7
Backing for a Save the Children campaign to ensure every child by the age of 11 can read well
A new independent inspectorate which is trusted by parents to set high standards
Writing in the introduction to the paper, party leader Ruth Davidson declared that its aim was to ensure Scotland's state schools were able "to compete with the best in the world".
She wrote: "We want to make your local school your school of choice - so that parents who currently feel the need to pay fees or move catchment area to secure a better start for their child, don't have to. They know their local school is as good as any that requires direct or indirect financial outlay.
"I don't want the international experts to be using words like 'good', 'average' or 'satisfactory' when they are describing our schools in future. I want our schools to be 'great' and there is currently room for substantial improvement."
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie kicked off his party's preparations for the election year on Monday when he met workers and management at a manufacturing firm in Fife.
He said that the next five years should be dominated by "a bright, green and liberal programme" for Scotland.