Lib Dems vow action on NHS and cost of living in manifesto
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have vowed action to improve NHS performance and bring down the cost of living in their Holyrood election manifesto.
Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton announced plans to spend an extra £400m on social care and put an extra 900 NHS staff in GP surgeries.
He also said the party would recruit 2,000 pupil support assistants in schools.
Launching the manifesto at the Edinburgh Food and Drink Academy, Cole-Hamilton made peach and frangipane tarts to help emphasise the Lib Dem call for voters to support them on the peach regional ballot paper on 7 May.
He said: "We believe in fairness for everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from.
"That's why we have a realistic plan to get things done, focused on the things that matter most like access to healthcare and the cost of living."
The Lib Dem leader added: "In many constituencies we are on the verge of winning against the SNP but wherever you are, every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart.
"Scotland deserves better. And with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it."
Cole-Hamilton urged voters to back his party to prevent the SNP from winning a majority.
He said his party would place 900 extra NHS staff, such as nurses, physios and mental health professionals, in GP practices to make it easier for patients to see specialist staff.
The Lib Dems also vowed to increase support for unpaid carers by £400 a year, and invest £400m in care over the next three years to tackle delayed discharge from hospital.
The party also said it would ban mobile phones in schools.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats' other key manifesto pledges include:
- Improve Scotland's finances to allow future tax cuts
- A £100m home insulation programme and use Scottish renewable energy to drive down household bills
- Pilots trialling play-based learning for children until the age of seven
- Dualling the A9 and building tunnels for Shetland
- £12m compensation for islanders and coastal communities affected by ferry disruption
- A tap-and-go transport system, with a Transport for London-style model for communities
- A commuter-friendly guarantee for ScotRail customers, increasing late-night services and opening up new stations
- Build an average of 25,000 homes per year
- Reform council tax, the planning system and business rates
- Accelerate the rollout of smart climate-friendly heating systems, including
- heat pumps and district heating
- Change the voting system for the Scottish Parliament to Single Transferable Vote
