Our plan for Scotland: Delivering for all communities

Nicola Sturgeon has announced the Scottish Government’s plan for the next year – the Programme for Government. Here are just some of the things the SNP Scottish Government is doing to support Scotland’s diverse communities.

• We will develop a Rural Economy Action Plan, which will steer our transition to more sustainable and inclusive economic growth in rural areas.
• We’ll set a new mission to increase infrastructure spending to internationally competitive levels. By 2025-26, £1.5 billion more will be spent on infrastructure every year compared with 2019-20. Between now and then, this will mean around £7 billion more invested in our hospitals, schools, houses, transport, low carbon technology and digital connections.
• We are investing over £1 billion in City Region Deals across Scotland and in the coming year will introduce a Bill to establish a new enterprise agency for the South of Scotland.
• This year we will award contracts for first phase of the Reaching 100% broadband programme, which will unlock superfast broadband for all homes and businesses in Scotland by the end of 2021.
• We will continue to support farmers through the difficult Brexit transition by developing a new policy for rural Scotland to replace the Common Agricultural Policy.
• We will develop an islands passport scheme to encourage people to visit more of Scotland’s 80 inhabited islands.
• In the year ahead, we will provide up to £2 million to meet emergency work at fishing harbours which ensures the continued operation of the facility and the safety of the fishermen and wider community.
• To better connect communities across Scotland, we will continue implementation of our Mobile Action Plan. We will deliver new 4G masts and develop a forward-looking 5G strategy for Scotland.
• We are committed to Scotland’s communities having a direct say over decisions which affect them. We have launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA, and the Democracy Matters conversation with communities across Scotland, to inform decisions around new governance arrangements. Where legislation is needed we will deliver this through a Local Democracy Bill.
• We will publish a national discussion paper on the Future of Fisheries Management in autumn, using the views on that to develop policy proposals for consultation at the end of 2019.
• We will introduce an Electoral Franchise Bill to ensure that current EU citizens who live in Scotland can continue to vote in Scottish Parliament and local government elections – sending an important message that we value the contribution of our EU citizens, and we want them to stay in Scotland.