Renfrewshire Lib Dems back new manifesto with investment in care, agriculture and warm homes

Renfrewshire Lib Dems back new manifesto with investment in care, agriculture and warm homes

Grant Toghill the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Paisley and Renfrewshire North has backed the party's Scottish manifesto which sets out plans to fix the broken care system, invest in Scottish agriculture and ensure everyone has a warm home.

At the heart of the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto is a £500 million rescue package for care, enabling people to be released from hospital, relieving pressure on the NHS and giving a fair deal to family carers. It will:

• Create a new Carer's Minimum Wage, boosting the minimum wage for care workers by £2 an hour;
• Give unpaid carers a fair deal, lifting Carer's Allowance/Carer Support Payment by £1,040 a year and removing the earnings cliff-edge.

The party's plans will also:

• Establish the world-class mental health services Scotland needs, meaning every school pupil has fast access to a mental health counsellor, new mental health staff working alongside GPs and A&Es, and extra help for businesses, backed by £150m from taxing social media companies;
• Deliver £170m more for Scottish agriculture;
• Generate an extra £1 billion in capital funding for Scotland which the party say could be used to build new local health facilities, tackle the housing emergency, end the scandal of crumbling concrete in public buildings, and stop sewage dumping.
• Make homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme, starting with free insulation and heat pumps for those on low incomes.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"Every vote for the Liberal Democrats at this election is a vote to elect a strong local champion focused on getting you fast access to GPs and dentists, and giving our nation's carers a fair deal.

"We will stop sewage being dumped in our rivers, lift up Scottish education, and deliver warm homes that insulate you from the cost of living crisis.

"Our vision is of a better Britain where we work in partnership, restoring your faith in politics and fixing our broken relationship with Europe.

"Just like they Conservatives, the SNP have got to go. Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats can beat the nationalists in huge swathes of Scotland.

“Hope and change are just around the corner, you only need to vote for them. Back the Liberal Democrats for a fair deal for you, your family, and for Scotland.”

Grant Toghill the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Paisley and Renfrewshire North said:

"People across Paisley and Renfrewshire North are fed up with being taken for granted by both the Conservatives and the SNP.

“Our manifesto offers bold ideas including a new carer’s minimum wage as we are the party putting care at the heart of our campaign.”

“If people across Renfrewshire back the Liberal Democrats on 4th July then they will get a local champion who will work hard them on the issues that matter week in week out.”