SNP launches manifesto with pledge to extend council tax freeze

Published on Thursday 14 April 2011 13:29

THE SNP has pledged to extend the council tax freeze for the full five years of the next Scottish Parliament as part of its manifesto for the May 5 Holyrood election.

Expected to run for the next two years under a re-elected SNP Government, the flagship tax policy would eventually be replaced by a local income tax.

The party manifesto states that a consultation would be held to replace council tax with a "fairer system based on the ability to pay".

The new model would be put to the public at the next election, when Scotland has more powers under the Scotland Bill currently being scrutinised at Westminster.

At the launch in Glasgow today, the party also highlighted its commitment to opposing university fees and maintaining an extra 1,000 police officers.

• Read the SNP manifesto in full

The manifesto describes a top ten list of plans for the next five years, including a pledge to protect the NHS and keep it in public hands, an aspiration to secure more "job-creating" powers for Holyrood and an independence referendum.

It sets out a renewable energy target of 100% by 2020, coupled with 130,000 jobs in the "low-carbon economy".

Other aims include training and apprentice places for young people, free education at university, a 250 million Scottish Futures Fund covering five themes and a pledge to cut by half the number of pupils in "crumbling schools".

Policies the SNP failed to muster enough support for in the last Parliament make a comeback, including resurrected plans for minimum pricing on alcohol.

The manifesto document, entitled "Re-elect a Scottish Government working for Scotland", lays the blame for failure on minimum pricing with parliament's opposition parties.

On education, the party said it will "look first to maintain the recent improvement" in reducing class sizes before going on to reduce them further. The party wants to secure additional powers for parliament, such as control of corporation tax and responsibility for Crown Estate.

SNP leader Alex Salmond, the First Minister, took the ten main aims in turn, explaining the manifesto to his audience inside the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

The event was preceded by a video of celebrity endorsements for the SNP, including one from Mark Millar, the Glasgow-based comic book writer behind Kick Ass, which went on to become a film starring Nicolas Cage.

Taking the stage, Mr Salmond said: "We'll do our best to kick ass for Scotland, for Mark Millar."

Announcing the new programme for Holyrood, he said: "This is in every sense a people's manifesto. It's also a manifesto for all Scotland. This manifesto is for the whole country, not a part of it, not a social group, not a section.

"We have an enormous advantage. We can point to a track record of achievement."

He praised his cabinet team, including Finance Secretary John Swinney, who he said had balanced the books for four years while maintaining "important objectives".

• Leader of the Scottish Greens Patrick Harvey will be taking part in a live webchat on scotsman.com on Monday, April 18 at 12pm.

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