When The Scottish Parliament returns for its new session the Liberal Democrats have said that there are three priorities to address. These are the cost of living crisis, the NHS emergency and delays and cancellations on the ferry network in Scotland.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton says that government has failed to tackle these issues. He points out that Ofgem has announced the average household bill this winter will rise to £3,549 by October. Shetland Islands council has said that 96% of their residents will be living in fuel poverty. The Liberal Democrats have called for an emergency budget review (which Finance Minister and Deputy First Minister, John Swinney has said will take place when the UK Government reviews theirs).
The fourteen health boards say they cannot guarantee that patient will not wait for more than two years for surgery. The Liberal Democrats call for a replacement for the NHS recovery plan which they believe has failed.
Ferries to Arran and Skye are more than five years late. The party says the Auditor General has said that islanders are being disregarded. The party wanted parliament recalled during the summer to answer the questions about these and all Scottish ferries.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “It continues to astonish me that the SNP have used this summer break to focus on their tone-deaf bid to break up the UK. Meanwhile the Scottish public have been suffering in the face of sky-rocketing bills, drowning in a healthcare emergency and waiting on ferries that might never arrive.
“Unlike this SNP/Green government which only cares about breaking up the UK, my party is absolutely clear on what we must prioritise and what action we must take.
“To tackle the cost-of-living crisis, Scottish Liberal Democrats would scrap the rise in the energy price cap and introduce an emergency nationwide insulation programme to bring down bills and support families.
“To tackle our NHS emergency, Scottish Liberal Democrats would recruit and retain staff through a Burnout Prevention strategy that offers annual leave guarantees, higher pay and better conditions. We would create a staff assembly that listens to health workers, putting their voices at the centre of reform.
“To tackle breakdowns and delays, Scottish Liberal Democrats would give the ferry network the funding it has been starved of for years and introduce an economic strategy that ensures government projects represent value for money.
“These next months will undoubtedly demand hard work; my party and I are committed to putting that work in and leading the way for change in Scotland.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
