‘£3billion’ cost of SNP’s 4-day week
Free bikes and a tax freeze in Sturgeon’s ‘fantasy’ vows
The SNP’s pledge to pilot a four-day week in Scotland could cost the public sector alone £3billion a year if introduced in full, it was claimed yesterday.
Nicola Sturgeon’s manifesto for next month’s holyrood elections was branded a ‘fantasy wish list’ by the Tories after an analysis showed the total cost could be £95billion a year.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned tax rises and spending cuts may be needed to pay for the pledges. They include a five-year income tax freeze, the abolition of NhS dental charges, free bikes for poorer children, free bus travel
‘Not remotely credible’
for under-22s, a laptop or tablet and internet connection for all pupils and an extra £2.5billion for the NhS.
The SNP also pledged a £10million fund for firms to pilot a four- day week which would help allow ‘a more general shift to a four-day working week’ to be considered.
But the Tories say the policy, if introduced in full, would cost £3billion a year for the public sector alone.
The party cited the Scottish Government’s consolidated accounts, which show civil servant and public sector staffing costs were £8.29billion last year. It said it would cost £2.1billion to replace the lost working hours caused by a shift to four days a week.
The cost for schools would be £440million, the analysis found. It would be £432million for Police Scotland, £94million for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and £16milllion for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.
Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross said: ‘It’s clear the SNP manifesto is not remotely credible. It’s a fantasy wish list in pursuit of another referendum.’ The SNP also pledged to begin work on a ‘minimum income guarantee’ which could be introduced if Scotland gained independence. Documents previously revealed Scottish Government officials believe the policy would cost £12.3billion a year if set at £11,500 for pensioners, £9,000 for adults and £4,600 for children.
The Conservatives yesterday highlighted a Scottish Government analysis indicating the total cost could be £58billion. The Tories estimated that if all the policies in the manifesto were introduced in full, the true cost could be £95billion a year – double the current Scottish Budget.
But Kate Forbes, the SNP’s Finance Secretary, said: ‘This is desperate nonsense from the failing Tory campaign.
‘I hope they are better at basic arithmetic when it comes to costing their own manifesto than they are in trying to cost ours. Overall our plans will see an additional £6.1billion in resource costs and £1.7billion in capital costs.’