Third night free on staycation and £75 to spend at shops
Labour’s pledge to kickstart Scotland’s economy
EVERY adult booking a staycation in Scotland would be given their third night free under plans announced by Anas Sarwar.
The Scottish labour leader also said all Scots over the age of 16 would be handed £75 to spend on the high street.
Unveiling the policies before all campaigning was suspended following the announcement of the death of the Duke of edinburgh, Mr Sarwar called them ‘bold and ambitious thinking’ to get the economy back on track.
Under a £341million offer, everyone over 16 would be given a prepaid card
‘Reward families for their sacrifices’
for use in a non-food retailer. The plan has been welcomed by business bosses.
Mr Sarwar said the cards would be limited to six months, with any leftover money going to food banks. he added that the benefits would be felt by the public as lockdown eases, while supporting firms shut for months due to the pandemic.
he said: ‘Without urgent and ambitious action in towns across this country, hundreds of thousands of people face a future out of work, with empty town centres hollowing out once-vibrant communities.’
he pledged to help tourism by offering a government-subsidised third night’s stay which could be used in hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, camp sites or other accommodation. The £90million scheme would be open to anyone from the UK and Ireland, but would run only on ‘off-peak’ days between September and November. This would include weekends but probably exclude school and public holidays. It would be accompanied by a £5million campaign promoting Scotland as a holiday destination. labour said Barnett formula funding would cover all costs. Mr Sarwar said: ‘This is a chance to reward Scottish families for their sacrifices in the last year and help keep fellow Scots in work to support our national recovery.’ he also hinted at the possibility of a windfall tax on the profits of major firms that have benefited from the pandemic, which could be used to support the economy and small businesses.
Mr Sarwar said companies such as Amazon had been ‘huge beneficiaries’ at the expense of Scotland’s high streets, adding: ‘There does need to be a redress of that balance.’
last night, Scottish Retail Consortium director David lonsdale, said: ‘This is a big, bold and imaginative proposal from Scottish labour to help reignite the economy after lockdown.’
Meanwhile, the Scottish Conservatives called for more business involvement in efforts to tackle climate change.
leader Douglas Ross argued business has a ‘key role’ to play in tackling the climate emergency and said his party is pledging an investment of £2.5billion during the next parliament to make homes and businesses more energy-efficient.
Following the announcement of the death of the Duke of edinburgh, all political parties suspended their campaigning for the holyrood election.
Flags were lowered to half-mast at holyrood.
It is understood that many parties – including the Tories – will not resume official leafleting or online campaigning until Monday.
The Scottish parliament is set to be recalled on Monday for MSPs to pay their respects.