The SNP budget delivers for people across Scotland
Earlier this week, the Scottish Parliament passed the 2024/25 SNP budget – delivering on funding the Scottish Government’s key missions of equality, opportunity, and community.
Despite huge pressure caused by Westminster’s economic mismanagement, the SNP has prioritised funding vital public services, supporting household budgets and promoting investment in the Scottish economy.🚨 The Tories are slashing public spending, cutting Scotland’s budget and damaging our economy through Brexit.
🏴 Our progressive approach to tax provides an extra £1.5 billion to invest in public services.
🤝 And ensures Scotland has the strongest social contract in the UK. pic.twitter.com/iveZ3rZNay
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) February 27, 2024
The 2024/25 SNP budget funds equality, opportunity, and community through:
- Supporting household budgets by fully funding a council tax freeze.
- Funding free school meals, free childcare and wiping out school meal debt.
- Uprating Social Security Scotland payments by 6.7% – including increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £26.70 a week.£
- 5 billion for NHS recover, Health and social care – giving our NHS a terms uplift in the face of UK government austerity.
- A 5.6% increase to Police Scotland’s day to day budget.
- Over £66 million to anchor a new offshore wind supply chain.
- £12 hourly wage for Nursery and Social Care staff.
- Funding to start the next phase of duelling the A9.
In contrast, Labour and the Tories voted against a 6.7% increase to the Scottish Child Payment, record funding for the NHS, an uplift to Police Scotland’s budget and opposed a progressive approach to income taxation.
An est. 100,000 children in Scotland are being lifted out of poverty by @theSNP‘s policies, like our Scottish Child Payment.
Tackling child poverty will continue to be our driving mission as a Government.
These figures show our interim child poverty targets are within reach. pic.twitter.com/Y7xWK4i5PL
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) February 28, 2024
Despite these extensive measures, Scotland still endures a broken economic model and a recklessly hard Brexit, both of which have been forced on Scots by Westminster. And both supported by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour.
The SNP’s budget charts a different path, putting people at the heart of policy and ensuring the Scottish Government delivers for families across Scotland in what are the most challenging times.
Poverty strips away an individual’s dignity and smothers their hope.
This is why we see our fight against poverty as not just a moral imperative; it is a vital investment in the very fabric of our society. https://t.co/7gR9Lk4uT5
— Shirley-Anne Somerville (@S_A_Somerville) February 28, 2024
Despite Westminster’s economic negligence and attack on public service funding – the SNP has prioritised protecting household budgets and our NHS in the face of unprecedented financial pressure.
The SNP Government is using every penny at their disposal to support those who need it most, fund our vital public services and ensure businesses are backed to sustainably grow the economy. In the face of brutal Westminster cuts – the SNP budget delivers on our promise to the people of Scotland to support those who need it the most and ensure everyone has access to our vital public services.