By Bill Heaney
Campaigning, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today set out the choice in front of voters in Thursday’s council election.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said that voters could choose between Liberal Democrat candidates who would offer new hope to Scotland by focusing on key priorities such as insulating every home in Scotland, getting new staff into GP surgeries and reforming business rates to reinvigorate high streets, or SNP candidates who obsess over independence and support a national government that cuts council budgets.
LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton tells Helensburgh – “you will get local champions from us.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “There is a choice in front of voters. If you vote for the SNP you will get representatives that will make excuses for cuts to local services and care more about independence than they do tackling the cost of living crisis.
“If you vote for the Conservatives you will get someone who was happy to stand under the banner of a Prime Minister who was partying while women gave birth alone and people said goodbye to their loved ones by video call.
“But if you vote for Scottish Liberal Democrats you will get a local champion; someone who will sweat the small stuff like potholes and bin collections while fighting for you on the big stuff. Our party wants to insulate every home in Scotland to bring down bills and tackle the climate emergency, get new staff into GP surgeries and reform business rates to reinvigorate high streets.
“From travelling around Scotland I know that more and more people who have voted Conservative or SNP in the past are curious about what a hardworking Liberal Democrat can do for them. I would urge them to give us a try.”
Spreading the LibDem news – Alex Cole Hamilton. Picture by Alan Simpson
The Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto commits to:
- build climate-friendly new homes, keep people warm and reduce household energy costs.
- End the installation of fossil-fuel based heating systems in new homes, make district heating the normal choice for new developments and expect the highest energy and insulation standards.
- Support a major retrofit programme in existing housing, declare insulation a priority and focus on households struggling with costs as part of our aim to end fuel poverty.
- Back local combined heat and power projects and expect developers to co-operate on these initiatives.
- Support the Scottish Liberal Democrat plan to insulate you and your home from the cost of living crisis. This includes an emergency nationwide home insulation programme, doubling and expanding the Winter Fuel Payment and Warm Home Discount, and a one-off levy on firms that have made super profits from the soaring energy prices.
- Support the building of thousands more homes for social rent, and push the Scottish Government to elevate its nationwide target to match our ambition.