Ross to call for transport connections overhaul
DOUGLAS Ross will today unveil his proposals to restart Scotland’s economy – focusing on a transport and infrastructure investment.
The Scottish Conservatives leader will call for a new UK and Scottish government joint investment strategy, expanding on the success of city growth deals.
Tomorrow, Nicola Sturgeon will reveal her Programme for Government – drawn up amid the Covid-19 crisis.
The First Minister will outline the legislation the Scottish Government will table before next May’s Holyrood election and she has committed to deliver “a fairer, greener and more prosperous Scotland for everyone”.
Today, Mr Ross will outline his strategy to increase employment and bolster the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.
As part of Mr Ross’s leadership campaign following the resignation of Jackson Carlaw last month, he promised to focus on delivering a major jobs plan within his first month of seizing control of the party.
The Scottish Tories have proposed a fully integrated
transport system with an Oyster cardlike payment for travel, a three-lane M8 and faster rail links between Edinburgh and Glasgow – as well as quicker journey times from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness.
Mr Ross has also touted the creation of a “Scottish dynamo” to compete with the Northern Powerhouse in north west England – to harness investment north of the Border.
He said: “The Programme for Government this week must focus on how we recover from this crisis, protect jobs and rebuild Scotland’s economy from the brink.
“It should be a programme to invest in infrastructure and connect communities across the country, leaving nowhere behind.
“Scotland has been too divided for too long, not only constitutionally but economically too. We need a massive acceleration of infrastructure projects to bring people across Scotland closer together.”
Mr Ross’s plans also include setting up a tourism infrastructure fund in an attempt to improve travel for tourists and protect local roads in rural Scotland outside the central belt.
He added: “These proposals would better connect businesses across the country and boost productivity, delivering more money for public services and bringing more high-quality jobs to towns and cities that often get overlooked in favour of Edinburgh.
“We need to take power back from the government in Edinburgh and put power in the hands of people and communities across Scotland. We can do that by making it just as easy and attractive for a business to set up in Inverness as in Glasgow.
“We need a long-term strategic vision but it must begin now. We cannot wait any longer to plan a stronger Scottish economy. With both our governments pulling together, Scotland can build back better.”
The SNP has criticised the “empty rhetoric” and has called on Mr Ross to instead demand Boris Johnson thinks again about his decision to withdraw the furlough scheme in October.
SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said: “The First Minister will put Scotland’s health and economic recovery from Covid-19 at the heart of the Programme for Government this week. In the meantime, Douglas Ross’s empty rhetoric gets us nowhere.
“The most useful thing the Scottish Tory leader could do is lobby his Westminster bosses to extend the furlough scheme before the loss of up to 200,000 Scottish jobs, demand a vital package of support for the millions of forgotten freelancers who have yet to receive a penny in support from the UK government and get behind SNP calls for support to those are forced to rely on UK welfare benefits.
“Or he could focus his attention on getting the UK Treasury to put its hand in the coffers and protect the Scottish economy from the impending disastrous impact of a Brexit future that Scotland didn’t vote for.”
The Liberal Democrats have called for the Scottish Government to come forward with a “needle sharp focus” on economic and social recovery when its plans are unveiled tomorrow.
The party has demanded a reversal of the year-long delay in ramping up childcare entitlement to 1,140 hours, better support to local businesses caught up in any local lockdowns and action to help those slipping through the gaps of existing support.
Scottish Liberal Democrats leader, Willie Rennie, said: “The focus of the Scottish Government on economic and social recovery from the virus crisis needs to be needle sharp – there must be no distractions. We have only six months of this parliamentary term left.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for a package of action that addresses the immediate economic need, promotes recovery in health and care services, and plans for future prosperity.”
Labour has called for the Scottish
Government to bring an equivalent to the Scottish child payment into action as soon as possible.
Scottish Labour leader, Richard Leonard, said: “Joblessness, homelessness and poverty are all on the rise. We cannot afford to wait until February to deliver this vital support.
“The Scottish Government has said that the pandemic has made the implementation of the payment difficult, but it is the pandemic which has made the payment more urgent and important than ever.
“The Scottish Government must wake up to the ticking time bomb that is child poverty and bring forward an equivalent to its payment in this week’s Programme for Government. Families need cash now.”
We cannot wait any longer to plan a stronger Scottish economy