Building Scotland’s future: What the SNP is delivering for you right now

Through our latest Programme for Government, the SNP as the Scottish Government is delivering real, transformative progress for families, communities, and businesses across the nation.

With an SNP government, Scotland is a country focussed on fairness, ambition, and the radical idea that our public services exist to serve everyone – not just a wealthy few insulated from the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

While Westminster governments of all stripes continue to impose austerity, erode social safety nets, and drag the UK economy through self-inflicted and repeated crises, the SNP is creating a country built on dignity and targeted support.

Here is how we are building a fairer, stronger Scotland today.

Eradicating child poverty

We believe no child should grow up in poverty.

While Westminster cuts vital lifelines, Scotland is leading the UK by expanding the targeted Scottish Child Payment, widening universal, high-quality early learning and childcare, and investing £4.9 billion to deliver 110,000 affordable homes.

By rolling out breakfast clubs and freezing local bus fares, we are keeping money in the pockets of hard-working families.

Driving economic growth & opportunity

A successful economy must serve its people.

However Brexit hampers Scotland’s economic wellbeing but with the limited powers of devolution we are implementing policies to grow Scotland’s economy.

So we are fueling innovation through a £1.5 billion Bond Programme, establishing a High Growth Unit, and driving regional investment across our City and Regional Growth Deals.

We are investing directly in key sectors like green energy, advanced manufacturing, and life sciences – creating green jobs and funding over 150,000 apprenticeships to prepare our workforce for the future.

Leading the net zero transition

Scotland’s natural wealth is unmatched and we can be a world leader in the production of cheap, clean renewable energy.

We are seizing the green industrial revolution by enforcing legally binding targets to reach net zero by 2045, backed by a £500 million Just Transition Fund.

Through the ScotWind Wealth Fund and historic investments in community energy and peatland restoration, we are ensuring our transition away from fossil fuels benefits local communities first.

Protecting & strengthening our NHS

While the NHS south of the border faces continuous creeping privatisation, the SNP remains unflinchingly dedicated to a public health service free at the point of use.

We are guaranteeing maximum 26-week wait times for elective care, establishing 24/7 walk-in GP facilities, and expanding our innovative Hospital at Home service to over 10,000 patients.

Reforming public services

We are cutting through bureaucratic red tape to ensure every taxpayer pound goes directly to patient care and public delivery.

By consolidating territorial health boards, streamlining public bodies, and embedding the Real Living Wage across our social care sector, we are building agile, modern public services designed for the 21st century.

Tackling supermarket price gouging

The UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis is the issue of our age.

So while large retail chains enjoy huge profit margins, working families shouldn’t have to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table.

That is why the SNP is introducing groundbreaking draft legislation to place statutory price caps on 20 to 50 essential everyday items – including bread, milk, eggs, and cheese – at major supermarket chains.

Where Westminster turns a blind eye to corporate profiteering and offers up young people as unpaid staff, the SNP is using what devolved powers we have to step in, tackle unfair price gouging, and protect household budgets.

Action on sky-high fuel bills

While Scotland is one of the most energy-rich nations in Europe -producing far more electricity than we consume and exporting billions of pounds’ worth of clean energy – Scottish households are forced to endure astronomical energy bills.

Under the current devolved setup, the Scottish Government is taking every step possible within its limited powers.

We’re shielding people from fuel poverty by restoring Winter Fuel Payments for Scottish pensioners, investing £300 million to help households install energy efficiency measures and save up to £500 a year, and championing a Social Tariff to protect low-income households.

But independence is the ultimate answer to lower Scottish fuel bills.

Despite our abundant natural wealth – from offshore wind to wave and hydro power – the rules of the energy market are entirely controlled by Westminster.

Under Westminster’s broken energy system, Scottish generators pay unfair, exorbitant transmission charges just to connect to the grid, while generators in the south of England are effectively subsidised.

And Westminster ties cheap Scottish renewable power directly to the volatile global price of wholesale gas.

With independence, Scotland can redesign its own energy market so that Scottish families pay rates that reflect our cheap, home-grown renewable energy.

Unlocking Scotland’s constitutional future

Under devolution, Scotland has built a world-leading social security system, protected free university tuition, abolished prescription charges, and shielded our people from the worst excess of Westminster policy.

But we could do far more with independence.

So imagine what we could do with the full powers of independence?

With the largest number of MSPs ever supporting an independence referendum there is a cast iron democratic mandate for such a referendum.

We remain steadfastly committed to giving the people of Scotland the choice on their own future through a lawful independence referendum by publishing a draft Referendum Bill to hand the decision back to where it belongs – the Scottish people.

Brexit has isolated Scotland from the world and it is independence which will allow us to rejoin the global family.

We will continue to actively align our laws and standards with the European Union, preparing Scotland to take its rightful place as an equal, sovereign member state in the EU single market.

With independence we can maintain constructive, friendly engagement with the other nations of the UK on shared priorities, but independence will allow Scotland to fully control its own budget, collect its own revenues, and tailor immigration and economic policy to our distinct national needs.

Without the barrier of Westminster control, we will no longer have to spend time and resources shielding people from Westminster policies imposed upon us against our will.

With the full levers of statehood, Scotland can build the prosperous, green, and equal European nation we know we can be.