Supporting Scotland's vibrant voluntary sector
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
How do the manifestos measure up for the Scottish third sector?
21 April 2015
Posted in
Voluntary sector support
Charity campaigning
Devolution
Public finances
Support for workers
Tax
Unemployment
Fuel poverty
Renewable energy
Pensions
Sanctions & benefit cuts
Universal Credit system
Disability support
Equality
Human rights
Climate change
Nature & wildlife
NHS budget
Contracting NHS services
Integration of health & social care
Support for carers
Voluntary sector support
Expand National Citizenship service to Scotland.
Workplace entitlement to volunteer leave of 3 days per year.
Extend support for community transport schemes.
Not mentioned specifically in the manifesto
Help co-operatives and mutual organisations grow; consider how to support employee buy-outs.
Support social investment, ensuring charities and social enterprises can access the support and finance they need to deal with challenges in their communities.
Not mentioned specifically in the manifesto
Charity campaigning
No repeal of lobbying act.
Roll back recent legislation which gags small campaigns and community groups during an election.
Repeal the Lobbying Act, and support proposals for a statutory register of interest.
Strengthen and expand the lobbying register. Consider the work of the independent reviewer into the impact of third party spending regulations to ensure the right balance has been struck
Support strict rules on lobbying but remove restrictions on campaigning charities.
Devolution
Devolution to the Scottish Parliament
Scotland Bill in Queen's Speech
Devolution to communities
Introduce a Community Right to Challenge – for voluntary bodies to express interest in taking over specific council run services.
Further devolution to Scotland - Smith Commission part of a process of more devolution to come including to local communities.
Devolution to the Scottish Parliament
Implement the Smith Agreement in full to ensure that the Scottish Parliament has the final say on benefits in Scotland. Set up a Citizens’ Constitutional Convention.
Devolution to communities
Seek extension of devolution to city halls, towns, and islands. Support City Deals.
Devolution to the Scottish Parliament
Deliver commitments to further Devolution to Scotland (and other nations). Reformed and improved Work Programme for Scotland.
Devolution to communities
Create “devolution on demand” – including supporting Regional Assemblies. Support City Deals in Scotland.
Devolution to the Scottish Parliament
Work towards achieving full fiscal autonomy, and own constitutional framework covering human rights, equalities and the place of local government. For now prioritise devolution of powers over employment policy, welfare, business taxes, national insurance and equality policy.
Devolution to communities
Work towards enactment of Community Empowerment Bill.
Public finances
£30bn ‘fiscal consolidation’, with real terms spending cuts in first two years.
Ensure a clear break from the economics of austerity to invest in homes, health and children
Cut the deficit every year.
Sales from stakes in Banks will be used to cut national debt.
Reduce budget deficit within 3 years, borrow to invest in infrastructure.
Oppose austerity and support modest spending increases in infrastructure and public services.
Support for workers
Real terms increase in Minimum Wage.
Encourage Living Wage (where affordable), including targeted business rates cuts for employers who pay Living Wage.
Increase minimum wage to £10 per hour
Support flexible working rights and greater workplace co-operation
Raise minimum wage to £8.00 per hour by October 2019.
Use government procurement to promote Living Wages and tax rebates to businesses who sign up to pay Living Wage.
End exploitative zero hour contracts.
Ask the Low Pay Commission to look at ways of raising the National Minimum Wage as the economy grows.
Review the way the “Living Wage” is set – aim for it to be paid across the public sector.
Increase minimum wage to £8.70 per hour, by 2020
Support for promoting Living Wage
Support action to end exploitative zero hour contracts.
Tax
Raise Personal Allowance to £12,500; increase threshold at which people pay 40p tax rate.
Tax free minimum wage for employees working up to 30 hours.
Raise at least £5bn from tackling tax evasion and avoidance
Introduce 60p tax rate for top earners.
Introduce wealth tax of 2% on wealthiest 1%
Increase minimum wage for apprentices
Clamp down on tax evasion and avoidance.
50p tax paid by people earning over £150,000,
Introduce 10p starting rate tax – no increases in basic rate tax, VAT, or National Insurance.
Mansion tax on £2m properties.
Close tax loopholes.
Raising the Personal Allowance to at least £12,500 by 2020
High Value Property Levy, the ‘Mansion Tax’ for homes valued over £2m.
Raise £7bn through tackling tax avoidance.
Support changes to tax including 50p tax rate for high earners, mansion tax and bankers’ bonus tax.
Unemployment
Remove employer NI contribution for young apprentices under 25; support 10,000 new apprenticeships every year by 2020.
Not mentioned specifically in the manifesto
£1,600 Future Fund for every 18 and 19 year old not in college, university, or undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship.
Establish a Scottish Jobs Guarantee offering a paid starter job and training for every 18 - 24 year old out of work for over a year.
Double the number of businesses that hire apprentices.
Expand the availability of placements into new sectors including manufacturing, science and technology.
Reduce youth unemployment by 40% by 2020.
Continue to support additional apprenticeships.
Targeted reductions to employer’s National Insurance contributions.
Fuel poverty
Ensure competition reduces energy prices
Expand access to insulation and smart meters.
Green investment Bank will invest in public and community-owned energy schemes
Implement the world’s most ambitious home energy efficiency programme, slashing energy bills and carbon emissions, creating thousands of jobs and helping end the fuel poverty crisis
Freeze gas and electricity bills until 2017.
Reform energy market
Invest in Energy Security Board.
Force energy companies to let customers change quickly to cheaper suppliers.
Easier set up for Community and small energy suppliers and continue fuel discount scheme for rural/remote areas.
Support powers to make sure that energy companies pass on lower prices to consumers.
Renewable energy
Halt spread of onshore wind farms.
Support Councils to create local energy companies to build publicly-owned renewables.
Invest in insulation and energy home improvements for those on low incomes.
National programme to raise the energy efficiency standards of all Britain’s households and eradicate fuel poverty.
£20 million local energy challenge fund.
Work to secure an expansion in community heating schemes and continuation of Renewable Heat Incentive.
Pensions
Retention of Triple lock over the minimum rate at which State pensions will rise
Retain Single Tier pension
Not specified
But will shift to a ‘Citizens Income’ approach.
Retention of Triple lock over the minimum rate at which State pensions will rise
Retention of Triple lock over the minimum rate at which State pensions will rise
Legislate to make this triple lock permanent.
Retain Single Tier pension.
Retention of Triple lock over the minimum rate at which State pensions will rise
Retain Single Tier Pension.
Sanctions & benefit cuts
Restrictions on migrants claiming jobseeker benefits
Reduce benefits cap from £26k to £23k
Freeze working age benefits for further two years (Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payments would be exempt)
Stop “punishing” sanctions regime.
We will roll back welfare cuts.
Abolish workfare.
Stop bedroom tax
Abolish sanctions targets
EU Migrants unable to claim benefits for 2 years.
Cap Child Benefit rises for two years.
Cap social security expenditure.
Keep household benefit cap and consider if it could be lower in some areas.
Axe bedroom tax.
Review sanctions procedures.
Implement 1% cap on uprating of working age benefits until 2017/18.
Support review of sanctions procedures and aim to create fairer approach.
Oppose plans for further cuts in Child Benefit and Tax Credits.
Vote to increase benefits at least in line with CPI inflation.
Axe bedroom tax
Universal Credit system
Continue with roll out of Universal Credit.
Halt roll out of Universal Credit
Shift to a ‘citizens income’ approach.
Support principle of Universal Credit – will pause and review programme.
Complete roll out of Universal Credit.
Halt roll out of Universal Credit.
Disability support
Aim to halve the disability employment gap.
Not specified
But will shift to a ‘citizens income’ approach.
Overhaul the Work Capability Assessment with disabled people given a role to monitor.
Use new devolved powers to give disabled people the support they need to get back to work.
Review Work Capability and Personal Independence Payment assessments – clear backlogs.
Consult people and third sector on Disability and Health Employment Green Paper.
Invest in back to work and health support for those who need it
Halt transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments.
Support urgent review of the system of assessments for disability benefits.
Vote to prevent cuts to Disability Living Allowance by £3 billion across the UK by 2017-18.
Equality
Promote equal treatment and opportunity for all.
Promote opportunities for women in expansion of apprenticeships.
Champion equality of LGBT people.
Require businesses to publish pay data
50:50 campaign for gender balance in parliament
Company boards to comprise least 40% women
Require large companies to publish information on gender pay gap.
Goal of a 50:50 Scottish Parliament.
Strengthen law on maternity discrimination
Use of all-women shortlists.
Companies with 250+ employees will be required to publish information on the gender pay gap.
Take forward a range of actions to tackle Black and ethnic minority discrimination, transport for disabled people, and extend rights for sexual orientation/gender reassignment.
Publish gender pay gap.
Take forward proposals to ensure 50 per cent female representation on public boards.
Press for same across UK and in private companies.
Human rights
Scrap Human Rights Act and introduce British Bill of Rights.
Will respect the basic human rights of all citizens and will celebrate the UK’s Human Rights act.
Protect the Human Rights Act.
Introduce a Digital Bill of Rights.
Introduce a second Freedoms bill to protect civil liberties.
Will oppose scrapping the Human Rights Act or withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights.
Climate change
Halt spread of onshore wind farms.
Reform state owned and state managed forestry estates in Scotland.
Deliver a Green new Deal to invest in Green industrialisation and the homes, transport and energy we need for a low-carbon future.
Industrial strategy for Green economy. Create 100,000 green jobs in Scotland by 2025.
Create a triple lock against fracking and give local people a final say before extraction can take place.
Pass a series of “Green Laws” to put environment at the heart of government policy.
Prepare a national resilience plan to help economy and infrastructure adapt to global temperature rises.
Maximise support for offshore wind, seeking alterations to the current Contracts for Differences (CFD) regime
Maintain fracking moratorium.
Nature & wildlife
Champion farming community and food producers.
Create a new “Blue Belt” to protect marine habitats.
Protect wildlife sites from development.
Ensure that people across Scotland have access to high quality green space.
Not specified
Improve Right to Roam, protect more local green spaces people value as National Nature Parks
Support further animal welfare measures with a global focus.
NHS budget
Increase NHS spending: employ 1000 extra nurses, expand Health Visitor Service and increase GP access in Scotland.
Not specified
Invest in frontline services; 1000 more nurses in Scotland. More investment in GPs and midwives.
Pledge to invest £800m a year above inflation for Scottish NHS
Invest to tackle the bed shortage crisis in Scottish hospitals and the A & E crisis.
Vote for an increase in NHS spending across the UK of £24 billion by 2020-21, equivalent to £2 billion in Scotland.
Contracting NHS services
Not specified
Committed to a publicly owned NHS; oppose Transnational Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
Halt NHS privatization plans.
Make Work Pay contracts in social care.
Crack down on bad care with better pay and conditions for care staff.
Vote against further privatisation of the NHS in England and back moves to restore it to a fully public service.
Integration of health & social care
Continue to pursue integration of health and care.
Invest in community-run health projects through a new Healthy Challenge fund.
Create a “whole person” service – for vulnerable and older, there will be a single point of contact for care.
Establish Mental Health Fund of £200m for those who need support. Consult with charities and service users on this.
Combine public health, adult social care and health outcome frameworks.
Guarantee equal care and support for everyone with mental health problems
Continue with health and care integration.
Carers
Better support for full time unpaid carers. This includes a Carer Break Guarantee of one week, flexible respite for those caring for over 50 hours per week.
Not specified
Ringfence money councils get for carers’ breaks to ensure money goes to carers.
Deliver a package of specialist support to carers seeking part time work or a return to full time employment.
Consult on introducing five days of additional “care leave” a year for carers who qualify for Carers’ Allowance.
Increase earnings limit in Carers’ Allowance.
