Scottish Liberal Democrats will give rural Scotland a voice

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a visit to Elite Falconry in Fife to say that the more MSPs that Scottish Liberal Democrats gain at the forthcoming election the louder the voice of rural Scotland.

The party has announced a package of measures to support rural Scotland including:

• Introducing a ‘Fair Deal for Rural Healthcare’, aimed at increasing the range of services, treatments and diagnoses available locally, and recognising that the current model of centralisation has left people in many parts of Scotland with longer journeys. We will do this by creating strong clinical networks to give peer support to professionals working in remote and rural communities and changing professional education to support this new decentralised, rural-proofed model.
• Extending the amount of teacher training that can be undertaken remotely, making it easier for people in remote, island and rural areas to train and carry out their placements locally.
• Introducing a new support package for childminders in rural and remote areas.
• Supporting the model promoted by the Community Housing Trust with a rural burden to develop more homes in rural areas.
• Subjecting new policies and legislation to Rural Communities Impact Assessments to put the interests of rural and remote communities at the heart of decision-making.
• Re-writing the rules so local people and councils get much more of the money companies make from generating renewable energy near them
• Securely funding Scotland’s agricultural and rural colleges, helping people join industries or upskill
• Making it easier for new and diverse talent to establish livelihoods by establishing a new NextGen scheme to attract young people into the sector, providing them with a clear career path and a salaried year of sustainable farming experience, training and skills.
• Double the fixed penalty for littering and introduce a new restitution order to tackle flytipping by making offenders pay for the clean-up of dumped waste with fines that are reflective of the damage the polluter causes.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“Scottish Liberal Democrats believe that power is better when it is wielded close to him. We want to push more power out into communities because local people know which issues matter most to them; whether that be access to local GPs and dentists or action on the cost of living.

“Ever since the days of Alex Salmond, the SNP have believed that the answer to any problem was more power for ministers in Edinburgh.

“It has been a tough few years for rural and remote communities. People are tired and frustrated.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats are putting forward positive ideas to deliver change; cutting red tape for farmers, a new Fair Deal for Rural Healthcare and making it easier to recruit teachers in rural areas. There is no doubt that we are the best party for rural Scotland.

“In areas like Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and the Borders, people are rediscovering the value that Liberal Democrat representatives provide. And in this election, there is no such thing as a wasted vote. You should back us on your peach regional ballot paper, because we are so close to depriving the SNP and Conservatives of seats in Parliament and giving rural Scotland a louder voice.”