Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 20 April 2022
I am very pleased to bring this motion before the chamber on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in our parliamentary time.
What began as a struggle to get by during the pandemic is quickly turning into a cost of living catastrophe for thousands of people across Scotland, and it is not clear that there is any end in sight. The 54 per cent rise in energy costs has left millions of people across the United Kingdom unable to pay their bills, and if we think that things are bad now, they look likely to get even worse by the time next winter rolls around. In October, families could face a further £145 a month price hike, which has led to warnings that one in four adults in the UK will be unable to afford gas or electricity at all.
On top of that, there is the rising cost of food. The price of pretty much everything is ballooning, while taxes rise and inflation causes the amount of money in people’s bank accounts to shrink. Many people who have donated to food banks for years are now relying on them instead. This is Scotland. It is 2022. Many people cannot afford to eat or to put their heating on in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Enough is enough.
Both the Scottish and UK Governments are sitting on their hands while people’s bills skyrocket. The meagre support that has been announced so far will barely make a dent in those eye-watering increases.
Last week, the First Minister urged people to vote for her party in the upcoming elections, pledging that Scottish National Party councillors would
“help ease the cost of living squeeze”.
Putting aside that lack of detail for a moment, I note that Nicola Sturgeon neglected to admit that her Government is exposing people to the crisis by hiking rail fares, by forcing up council tax and by leaving disability benefits up to 6 per cent behind inflation. Those are all devolved powers. Those are the choices that the SNP-Green coalition Government has made. It is hard to see how endlessly slashing council budgets helps to provide people with the support that they so desperately need.
Unlike Scotland’s current Governments, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have a plan to tackle the crisis. Unlike the pitiful action that has been taken so far, our plan would make a meaningful difference. My party’s cost of living rescue package includes proposals to cut VAT to 17.5 per cent. That alone would be worth £600 to the average Scottish household.