A Budget that delivers for Scotland: the rundown

by Olaf Stando
Posted on
3 years ago
5 min read

While Westminster stumbles from crisis to crisis, we’re delivering on the needs and ambitions of Scotland’s people.

Our Scottish Budget 2022-23 puts into action our ambitious, progressive plans to tackle the climate emergency, build a stronger recovery and create a fairer Scotland.

Here’s a summary of the key announcements.

Record health funding

This Budget provides record high funding of £18 billion for health and social care, to address immediate pressures on the NHS, to increase services and make our NHS fit for the future.

£1.2 billion for mental health

We’re delivering £1.2 billion for mental health, taking forward our commitment to increase mental health funding by 25%.

By the end of this Parliament, we’re aiming to spend at least 10% of all frontline NHS spending on mental health.

3,500 additional teachers

We’re providing increased resources for local government to recruit at least 3,500 additional teachers and 500 classroom assistants by the end of this parliament.

Additional £200 million to tackle the attainment gap

While recruiting more teachers and investing in Scotland’s education system, we’re delivering a further £200 million for the Scottish Attainment Challenge – part of our £1 billion commitment over this parliament to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap

Doubling the Scottish Child Payment

Tackling child poverty is our national mission, and at the heart of it is our £4 billion investment in social security and welfare payments.

From April 2022, we will double the Scottish Child Payment – which was labelled “game changing” by charities – to £20 a week, four times the amount campaigners originally called for.

The Adult Disability Payment

We’re also delivering £1.95 billion for the roll-out of the Adult Disability Payment – which will open for applications in three pilot areas from 21 March 2022.

This payment will be the 12th benefit delivered by the Scottish Government, and will replace the UK’s PIP, taking a very different approach – focusing on providing more dignity for disabled people, abolishing assessments in the form taken by DWP, and removing private sector involvement.

Free bus travel for under-22s

We’re investing £110 million to provide free bus travel for young people under 22, which is now fully rolled out – putting more money in their pockets and encouraging more use of public transport.

Delivering 1,140 hours of free childcare – and expanding further

Our £544 million investment will continue the delivery of free high-quality funded early learning and childcare for 3 and 4 year olds, as well as 2 year olds from lower income households.

And we’re working hard to expand childcare even further, to one year olds from low income households, within this term of parliament.

Investing in green jobs, greener transport and our natural environment

Meeting our climate targets, which have been praised as world leading by the UN, will require transformative action – and this Budget lays the groundwork.

We’re investing £414 million in energy efficiency, low carbon and renewable heat – cutting emissions, making homes warmer and tackling fuel poverty, all while creating jobs across Scotland.

Our £150 million investment in active travel infrastructure is record high, and we’re investing in our natural environment too – £53 million to restore Scotland’s peatlands, and £69.5 million to step up woodland creation.

No business rates for small businesses

A small business on a Scottish high street, with a rateable value of under £15,000, will continue to pay no rates for the entirety of next year, irrespective of what sector they’re in.

And we’re continuing to support businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure and aviation, with a 50% rates relief for the first three months of the new financial year.

£831 million to deliver 110,000 more affordable homes

We have already delivered over 100,000 affordable homes across Scotland since we took office – and in this Budget, we’re committing £831 million to progress our commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable, efficient homes.

Paving the way for our National Care Service

We’re investing over £1.6bn in social care and integration – progressing our commitment to increase spend in social care by 25% by the end of this parliament.

We’re also laying the groundwork for the establishment of a National Care Service – and working to deliver the £10.50 minimum wage for social care staff.

Majority of Scots will continue paying less tax than anywhere else in the UK

We’ve built a fairer and more progressive tax system in Scotland, protecting those on low and middle incomes. Thanks to our changes, the majority of Scottish taxpayers pay less income tax than if they lived in England.

The starter and basic rate income tax bands will increase in line with inflation, while the higher and top rate bands will be frozen at current levels – meaning only the top earning 10% will have to pay a little bit more.