TACKLING the cost of living crisis, recovery from the pandemic and the climate emergency are at the heart of the SNP’s manifesto for Glasgow.
SNP councillors and candidates will today formally launch their bid for a second term to lead Glasgow City Council, joined by First Minister and Glasgow Southside MSP Nicola Sturgeon.
At the core of the SNP’s commitment to the people of Glasgow is building on national polices such as the £25 Scottish Child Payment and the work already carried out by the SNP council to address Tory austerity and Labour “neglect”, and deliver on Glasgow’s needs and ambitions.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: Tory-made cost-of-living crisis is focus of SNP campaign
Council and SNP group leader Susan Aitken said: “Our plan for Glasgow addresses Covid, climate and the cost-of-living crisis – the issues of our times.
“These past five years have seen Glasgow face several unprecedented challenges thrust on top of the immense task we inherited to turn this city around.
“In the face of that we are proud of the progress we have made and our aim now is to build on the strong foundations for change we have laid.
“Driving everything we do is our core commitment to tackling poverty and inequality, improving our communities and creating better life chances for every Glaswegian.”
Setting out the party’s record over the five years of its first-ever term leading Glasgow, the SNP pointed to the delivery of 1140 free hours of universal nursery and childcare provision, the best-ever results for city school leavers and extended free school meals.
The SNP also highlighted homelessness, citing a large reduction in city centre rough sleeping and the introduction of policies such as the Holiday Food Programme to support struggling households.
The SNP council also compensated thousands of women workers, paying out £500 million so far, over the equal pay scandal that had lingered under Labour.
The SNP pledged, if re-elected, to further extend free school meals to all primary pupils, work to ensure more firms pay the Real Living Wage, and build 6500 new affordable homes for the city while supporting the roll-out of home energy retrofit in a bid to secure greener, more efficient and more affordable energy for Glaswegians.
The SNP’s city manifesto sets out hopes to accelerate work to transform Glasgow into a net-zero carbon city by 2030 and towards a Clyde Metro system of light-rail, publicly owned and run buses and integrated “tap and cap” ticketing.
City treasurer and deputy group leader Councillor Ricky Bell saidd: “In our recent budget we were the only party which committed to spending on tackling the cost of living crisis, addressing fuel poverty, and reducing financial exclusion.
“And in the weeks ahead, we’ll be distributing over 80,000 gift cards worth £110 to hard-pressed Glasgow families.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here