UofG Centre for Public Policy

Policy Area

Topic

SNP

Scottish Labour

Reform UK

Scottish Conservatives

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Scottish Greens

Economy and Fiscal

Approach to economy

Expanding welfare without tax rises or new cuts, funded by economic growth (including a High Growth Unit)

Growth first industrial strategy in key sectors, underpinned by stable, long-term fiscal planning

Focus on private sector led economic expansion

Emphasis on productivity through market-led growth

Support fair growth and stable public finances through a new industrial and skills strategy

Redistribution to reduce inequality and rebalance the economy

Tax approach

‘Stable’ tax approach (no change to current income tax rates, simplified system);

Add two new council tax bands

Low‑change tax approach

(five‑year income tax freeze, growth‑linked future cuts);

Reform council tax

Extensive tax cuts to stimulate growth; cancel planned increase to council tax

Low tax, cutting government waste (Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency)

Low change tax approach (aim to align income tax in future if feasible);

Reform council tax

Wealth and land taxes to fund public investment;

Replace Council Tax with Residential Property Tax, two new council tax bands

Investment

Investment in public services specifically the workforce, housing and education and transport.

Targeted investment to boost productivity and regional economies

Deregulation and reduced public spending

Deregulation to stimulate private investment

Strengthen trade and investment through a bespoke UK–EU customs union;

Fund capital investment that will drive growth

Large‑scale green infrastructure and transition spending

Health

NHS Reform

Capacity led NHS recovery approach (more staff, modernised delivery, and expand community access).

Productivity driven NHS reform (modernisation alongside expanded staffing and community care)

Market driven NHS reform approach (expanding private sector use, boosting capacity, and cutting bureaucracy to speed up treatment).

Capacity and choice NHS approach (using independent providers, expanding system capacity, and reducing bureaucracy to speed up treatment).

Service first NHS approach (more local staff, faster GP access, and strengthen community care).

Public first, prevention‑led health approach (expanding universal services, boosting community and mental health care).

Workforce

Increase workforce, focus on rural and island communities;

£530m to recruit more family doctors.

Expand NHS workforce and improve retention

Workforce plan to train more doctors and nurses;

Encourage more staffing through tax cuts

No commitment to changing or increasing workforce

Increase staffing and modernise delivery (10‑year plan, upgraded local facilities, 900 new multidisciplinary roles, neighbourhood teams).

Grow workforce and strengthen staffing (1 GP per 1,000 people, nurse‑to‑patient ratios, more nurses, Automatic Leave to Remain for medical graduates.

Prevention

Shift balance of care to community activity and early intervention and prevention;

Capped Food Pricing for 20-50 essential foods to tackle health equalities.  

Targeted early intervention measures

Shift to a prevention strategy in persistent health inequalities (no details)

Health prevention framed around lifestyle change, screening, and early diagnosis to reduce long-term pressures.

Take pressure off NHS by promoting preventative health

Prevention first approach to population health

Access

Expand community based care and treatment pathways (walk in GP clinics, ‘one stop shops’)

Reduce waiting lists through targeted recovery plans and improve access to quality local care

Focus on rapid access and system efficiency

Reduce waiting times through increased capacity;

Expand diagnostic and treatment access

Expand community based rural care pathways, including walk‑in mental health support

Expand mental‑health services and reduce inequalities through community investment

Energy

Supply

Renewables first strategy for Scotland’s energy future

Large expansion of renewables and grid upgrades;

Include nuclear as part of long-term energy mix

Expand North Sea oil and gas extraction

Expand domestic oil and gas production

Accelerate nuclear development

Renewable first strategy, focus on Scotland’s infrastructure and skills;

Include nuclear as part of long-term energy mix

Rapid phase out of fossil fuels, focus on renewables

Regulation

Call to transfer energy powers to Holyrood including energy regulation

Strengthen regulation to support affordability and security

Roll back Net Zero commitments;

Deregulate energy markets to reduce costs

Reduce regulatory barriers to energy infrastructure

No discussion of energy regulation

Call to transfer energy powers to Holyrood including energy regulation

Cost

Independence will reduce energy costs

Energy efficiency & warm homes discount

Cost of energy due to mismanagement of energy supply in Scotland; no solution proposed

Return offshore wind revenues to households (£100 energy bill discount);

Scottish produced energy will reduce costs

Cut bills through large-scale home insulation and clean heat rollout

Cheaper electricity from renewables compared with volatile global gas prices

Impact on people and places

Just transition support for workers and regions.

Just transition that creates jobs and energy security;

Transition plans for key industrial sites

Moving away from oil and gas impacting workers in Northeast, therefore no Just Transition

Affordable Transition Fund; energy projects based on community support

Stronger community‑benefit rules for renewables; green‑infrastructure investment and a just transition for workers

Public ownership of renewables and grid assets

Justice

Approach to justice

Focus on rehabilitation and reducing reoffending

Safer communities through policing, prevention and victims’ rights

Stronger sentencing and deterrence measures

Tougher sentencing and stronger enforcement

Reduce reoffending through education, community sentences and rehabilitation

Tackle inequalities and underlying harms; reinvest in services that prevent crime

Justice infrastructure

Upgrade justice infrastructure to improve outcomes

Reform justice processes to improve outcomes

Focus on rapid justice and system efficiency

Prioritise victims’ rights and public protection

Expand mental health support across policing and prisons.

Modernise justice estates and expand community justice

Policing

Modernise policing and justice infrastructure

New strategic policing priorities

Expand police powers and enforcement capacity

Increase police numbers and visibility

Stronger local, democratically accountable community policing

Reduce police call outs by shifting mental health crises from Police Scotland to trauma‑informed community crisis services

Community/place

Expand early‑intervention and youth justice support

Strengthen community policing and visibility

No discussion of community/place

Prevent closure of local police stations

Strengthen community safety (e.g. action on retail crime and violence)

Expand restorative justice and community safety models

Prevention/incarceration

Social Impact Partners for preventative and early intervention

Expand prevention and early‑intervention programmes

Higher sentencing, increase prison capacity

Harsher sentencing, including tougher measures for under‑25s and repeat violent offenders

Early intervention and mentorship for young people

Reduce reliance on incarceration;

Invest in prevention and social support

Social care

Approach to social care

Rights‑based social care with national oversight and fair work

Fair work, person centred social care with stronger standards

Tighten eligibility and focus on essential services

Improve standards and accountability with greater local decentralisation

Rights‑based, person centred care with stronger local decision‑making

Public, rights‑based care system

Operating models

Improve social care through integration, flow and community based support.

Reform National Care Service to improve delivery

Reduce bureaucracy in care commissioning;

Streamline care provision and reduce costs

Modernise care delivery models;

Improve efficiency and targeted support

Invest in social care and community care

End outsourcing of social care - private care homes into public or community ownership

Workforce

Improve workforce pay and conditions through collective bargaining

Raise pay and conditions for care workers

No mention of social care workforce

Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy, but little social care specific discussion

Improve pay, conditions and progression through national bargaining and a career ladder

Fair pay and secure contracts for care workers

Place based/local provision

Expand community-based care and support

Strengthen local, community based social care

Give councils greater flexibility and control over social care services

Local commissioning with stronger accountability

Expand community-based support and halve delayed discharge;

Increase help for unpaid carers and young carers

Community‑led and preventative care models 

Transport

Infrastructure

Invest in rail electrification and ferry upgrades

Invest in rail modernisation and regional connectivity

Reduce transport regulation and planning delays

Improve road infrastructure and reduce congestion

Fix core connections with progress on A9/A96, ferries, and rural links.

Reduce car dependency through planning reform

Public transport

Expand public transport integration and ticketing

Improve bus reliability and bring buses back under public control

Prioritise road upgrades and car-led mobility

Focus on ferries, and rural connections, reducing free access for asylum seekers and those committing antisocial behaviour

Revamp buses and rail with more reliable, frequent, and late-night services.

Major shift to public transport and active travel;

Bring more buses back into public control

Affordability

£2 bus fare cap

Treat transport as a public service focused on affordability

No mention of affordability

Focus on lack of affordability for motorists due to LEZ

Support affordability of electric vehicles

Free bus travel for everyone, no first-class tickets in Scotrail

Investment

Investment for tram-trains, rural connectivity and ferries.

Creating a National Transport Connections

Plan

Private and public partnership investment in ferries, harbours, roads, bus corridors

Private sector led transport investment (e.g. ferries and Caledonian Sleeper)

Investment in ferries, active travel

Investment in railways, Clyde Metro scheme,

Low Carbon

Support active travel and low carbon transport;

£2.5m bike repair scheme

No mention of low carbon transport

Scale back Net Zero transport requirements

Cut active travel budget

Support EV uptake and invest in modern, climate ready infrastructure;

Invest in active travel

Invest in low carbon and community owned transport

Housing

Supply

Deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 (70% social rent; 10% rural) with £110m for rural and key‑worker housing;

Tenement reform & heat in buildings.

Build 125,000 new homes through planning reform and targeted investment (no target date) Strong focus on affordability and expanding social housing;

Building 15,000 homes per annum

Emphasis on boosting private sector building and homeownership;

Expand ownership schemes rather than setting national build targets

Build 25,000 homes a year;

Key‑worker housing and empty homes reuse

Large‑scale expansion of public and social housing;

Build 17,500 social homes per year as part of a rights-based housing model

Renters

Prioritise long‑term affordable supply and protecting tenants;

Expand rent controls and improve housing quality standards

Strengthened tenants’ rights and regulation of private renting

Prioritise homeownership and deregulation of the rented sector, repeal new tenancy rules

Scrap rent controls

Re-establish social rent as a long-term option

National system of rent controls and stronger tenant protections

Planning

‘Enhance’ the planning system for new housebuilding;

Remove land transfer fees for people under 30 years old.

Planning reform will help to meet house building target

Simplify planning to meet house building targets

Reduce planning barriers and speed up approvals

Modernise planning and support rural and island housing needs.

New standards for all developments including local public services, green spaces and public transport

Education

Raising attainment

Close the attainment gap through targeted support

Welcome to School Bag for all Primary 1 pupils

Raise core standards in literacy, numeracy, behaviour

Discipline-led, traditional academic model  

Strengthen basics and academic standards, more testing and check ins

Whole system approach to supporting education

Tackling inequalities within the education system and a progressive approach to learning

FE/Skills

Increase apprenticeships to 150,000 over the Parliament incl. 8,000 graduate apprenticeships

Align colleges and apprenticeships into a single skills pipeline

Focus on apprenticeships over universities, focus on ten key areas 

Increase college funding and support apprenticeships; Allow 14–15‑year‑olds to attend college

Restore colleges and protect universities as core parts of the skills system.

Green Skills Hubs linking colleges, employers and unions;

New Deal for Apprenticeships (fair pay, adult entry, recognition of prior learning)

Workforce/teachers

Guarantee teacher jobs and maintain core classroom support (incl Additional Support Needs ASN support)

Increase teachers and support staff to stabilise classrooms

Increase staffing and improve retainment through tax cuts

1,000 additional classroom assistants to support children with ASN

Strengthen classroom support with more pupil support assistants and specialist staff;

Improve teaching conditions and end insecure contracts

Reduce teacher workload, end temporary contracts for teachers;

National register of supply teachers

Curriculum Reform

Reform qualifications and assessment system; Headteachers to have more say in their schools

Strengthen curriculum with knowledge focus and new national standards

Reboot of Curriculum for Excellence and expanded exclusion powers; Increased school autonomy with limited focus on ASN or inclusion

Expand school choice, review ASN mainstreaming, and replace CfE with a new Curriculum for Aspiration

No discussion of curriculum reform

Smaller classes, stronger ASN support, and more democratic, community based education models

Early Years Support

Support focussed on food and clothes for school children;

Primary 1 bag as a ‘starter pack’ based on baby box 

Supporting wraparound care (before and after school).

No discussion of early years support

Support breakfast clubs for all primary school children

Fairer rates for childcare providers;1,140 funded hours from 3rd birthday; Increase take up for eligible 2 year olds;  Develop family support hubs

Universal 570 hours of funded childcare from 6 months to 2 years by 2031; Investment in early learning and childcare workforce; Free breakfast clubs in every primary

Social Security

Approach to social security

Promote dignity based social security delivery;

Focus on child poverty reduction and whole family support

Strengthen anti‑poverty measures and targeted support

Tighten eligibility and reduce welfare spending

Cut social security budget;

Target support at those most in need

Reduce household pressures through childcare, housing and skills, and back UK‑wide income security reforms

Support for universal basic income models; Rights based approach to income support

Employment

Comprehensive review of Employability Support; increase number of apprenticeships by 150,000 over Parliament; create bespoke scheme for disabled young people to enter apprenticeships and employment 

Link social security to wider economic and employment strategy

Strengthen work requirements

Emphasise work incentives and conditionality

Strengthen local service to support people locked out of work by conditions like long covid

Close disability employment gap through specialist employability services

Access

Boost benefit take‑up and cut access barriers

Improve access to benefits and reduce administrative barriers

Simplify benefits system and reduce administrative cost

Reduce fraud and improve system efficiency

Reduce waits, end sanctions, and improve access to key benefits

Expand social security generosity and accessibility

Legally binding targets for the take up of social security benefits

Carer and family support

Expand devolved benefits and introduce legal breaks and annual health checks for unpaid carers

Improving access to respite and support for unpaid carers; employment pathways

Improve lives of carers through the removing of the cliff edge of support

Employment service for carers

Increase support for unpaid carers and restore the full UC rate for under‑25 parents

Strengthen carer support and triple the Young Carer Grant

Support for children

Childcare from 9 months (means tested), £40 Scottish Child Payment (SCP) for newborns, and maintaining SCP for all other ages

Tax free childcare to £3,000;

Expand childcare access and maintain SCP levels

No discussion of support for children

Two child limit for SCP; Expand funded childcare, provide childcare from 9 months for working parents; Funding that follows the child model

Enhanced funded early learning and childcare;

Support young parents through changing UC rules for under 25s 

Parents can choose between funded childcare hours or supplementing income while they stay at home; Increase SCP to £40 with aim of £55 by 2030; Increase SCP for young parents under 25.

Local Government

Funding

No explicit funding discussion

Reform funding to stabilise local services;

Community wealth building 

Cut local government costs

Guarantee councils a fixed share of Scottish budget

Provide fair, multiyear funding and new local tax powers.

Radical local democracy and participatory budgeting;

Community Wealth Fund

Local powers

Strengthen community decision making and continue the Community Wealth Building Act

Strengthen local delivery and accountability

Reduce bureaucracy and centralise oversight

Local Power Bill; Increase local autonomy with performance oversight

Strengthen local economic development and high-street regeneration

Community‑led service design and governance

Service reform

Reform local taxation and fiscal power

Little discussion

Simplify structures and focus on core services

Improve efficiency and reduce administrative burdens;

Support innovation in service delivery

Modernise planning and give councils a General Power of Competence.

Local government service reform, councils should be able to raise at least half their total funding needs locally