A healthier, wealthier and fairer Scotland: four years of Nicola Sturgeon’s government
by Four years ago, Nicola Sturgeon became the first female First Minister of Scotland, leading a nation that’s increasingly confident, innovative and brimming with hope.
We’re proud of the ways Scotland keeps moving forward. We’re at the forefront of progressive change in the UK, tackling some of the biggest issues and continuing to build a healthier, wealthier and fairer Scotland. Here’s how.
🤝 Scotland is championing fair pay, closing the gender pay gap, and has the highest proportion of employees paid the Living Wage in the UK
A fair day’s work has to mean a fair day’s pay. There are now almost 1,300 accredited Living Wage employers in Scotland, and we’re working hard to increase that to 7,500 by the end of 2019, leading a fair pay revolution across the UK.
We’re committed to tackling the gender pay gap. We’ve pass the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill – a new law that is the first of its kind in the UK – which will ensure that 50 per cent of non-executive members on public boards in Scotland are women. The gender pay gap has also decreased from 9.1% to 6.6% between 2014 and 2017.
👨👩👧👦 We’re taking the lead in improving social care, and undertaking a root-and-branch review of Scotland’s care system
Every child, regardless of their background, should have the opportunity to fulfil their full potential. By 2021, we want children in care to be just as likely to be in college, training or a job as other children. Now, care experienced young people are entitled to full university bursaries.
More carers than ever are receiving the Carer’s Allowance Supplement, and this year, the SNP government secured a 13% increase on the current allowance.
🌊 We’re passionately committed to tackling climate change and taking real action to protect our environment
We’re working together with other nations and international bodies to tackle one of the biggest issues facing the planet: climate change.
Scotland is now outperforming the UK and most Western European nations in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our Climate Change Bill recently committed to making Scotland carbon-neutral by 2050, and we’re punching above our weight in the Paris Agreement.
By setting out an ambitious vision and leading by example, we’re making Scotland (and the world) cleaner, safer and greener.
🎓 The SNP will always protect free tuition in Scotland, giving everyone an equal chance to benefit from our world-class higher education
Scotland has more universities per capita in the global top 200 than any other country, except Switzerland. We’re guided by our principle of quality education as a right, not a commodity. Free university tuition will be protected by the SNP in Scotland.
Free tuition benefits 120,000 students a year, saving them up to £27,000 compared to the cost of studying in England and record number of people from our poorest areas are getting into university.
We’re also championing our colleges, and exceeded the target of 116,000 full-time college places for four years in a row.
🏳️🌈 Scotland is open to everyone and is the progressive beacon for LGBTI+ rights and women’s rights
Scotland is a relentless champion of LGBTI+ rights, leading the world by example and celebrating its diversity. This year, Nicola Sturgeon became the first UK political leader to lead a Pride march in the UK, when she served as the Grand Marshall of Glasgow Pride.
We’ve also taking the lead in the UK to protect the rights of EU citizens living in Scotland. Everyone who lives in Scotland and contributes to our society is welcome here, is a part of us, and always will be.
👩⚕️ We are protecting, improving and investing in our NHS
We are fully committed to an NHS that’s free at the point of use, efficient and always in the public hands.
The number of people working in the NHS is at an all-time high, and our ambitious 3-year pay deal with ensure that all staff earning under £80,000 per year will receive a basic pay rise of 9%.
We’re spending 7.1% per head more on the health service than elsewhere in UK, and are investing record sums in medical education and mental health.
⚖️ Scotland is leading the way with its cutting-edge social justice policies
We are proud to have introduced the Baby Box, which is provided to all babies in Scotland to give them the best start in life, reduce infant mortality and help families.
We’re also committed to ensuring that no woman or girl in Scotland should face ‘period poverty’. We’ve taken the radical step to become the first country in the world to offer free sanitary products in schools, colleges and universities.
We’ve achieved so much in the past four years under Nicola Sturgeon and even more under the last decade of SNP government. But there is still so much left to be done. Help us continue Scotland’s journey and join the SNP today.