SNP PUT JOBS, GROWTH & SPENDING MONEY WISELY AT HEART OF AGENDA

For Immediate Release: Friday 15 October 2010

Attn:  NEWSDESKS
        CONFERENCE / POLITICAL CORRESPONDENTS


SNP Conference in Perth today [Friday] firmly placed growing Scotland's economy and businesses, job creation and protecting Scotland from the worst of Westminster cuts on the political agenda.

Debating motions on business rates, banking reform and public finance, SNP delegates in Perth criticised the London government’s cuts agenda, which was implemented by Labour and accelerated by the Tory/LibDem government, and called for greater support for the country’s small and medium sized businesses.

Commenting, Bob Doris MSP – Deputy Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee – who sponsored two of the motions said:

“What SNP conference has done today is show that the SNP’s and Scottish Government’s belief that together with communities, business and the public sector, we can do all we can to boost Scotland’s economy, protect and create employment, and mitigate the Tory/LibDem coalition inflicting savage cuts on the country.

“That we can all work together to make Scotland succeed. That we can have both a strong public sector as well as a strong private sector. That we can all be part of better.

“Over the past 3 and half years the SNP Government has worked tirelessly to stimulate the economy and protect jobs in both the private and public sector. From the small business bonus scheme - which has helped thousands of small businesses - to starting a green energy revolution, creating thousands of jobs the length and breadth of the country, the SNP has been working with the people of Scotland to create jobs and grow the economy.

"The First Minister has also taken the lead in calling on the Westminster government to realise that it is public money which has propped up the banks and that those banks should release money to help small businesses grow. Labour failed to do that so the onus is now on the present government to ensure the public's money is used to help grow Scotland's economy and create jobs. Because by doing that we then raise the revenue to provide our public services.

“The challenge after next May is to protect services, jobs and the economy in Scotland. Yesterday we showed that it is only the SNP which has alternative to the dire and depressing agenda of Labour cuts or Tory/LibDem cuts. Instead of accelerating cuts for Scotland we need more powers - and quickly.

"The choice next May will be an inexperienced Labour party led by Iain Gray, proposing no more significant powers for Scotland, unfair tax rises and just implementing cuts which are 'deeper and tougher" than Thatcher's. Or an experienced and known SNP team with a track record and which will be offering a plan to grow Scotland's economy, create jobs and protect public services.”

ENDS

The resolutions discussed and passed are as follows:

* THE PRIVATE FINANCE INITIATIVE

Conference notes with concern the current and future costs of past Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects to local authorities and to the Scottish Government. Conference further notes that from 2010 -2011 onwards, the payments for all existing PFI contracts in Scotland total £27.7 billion. Conference regrets that local authorities and NHS boards, in a time of financial pressure on budgets, are obliged to pay the costs of Labour's past PFI projects even before they consider spending money on their priorities. Conference believes that PFI projects have represented an expensive method of procuring capital projects, through excessive repayments and therefore, have not represented value for money for taxpayers in Scotland. Conference therefore calls on the Scottish Government to pursue procurement methods to build future infrastructure projects which represent greater value for money for Scottish taxpayers; and resolves to push for an apology from the Labour and Tory parties for their legacy of debt in Scotland.

Conference congratulates those local authorities which have used the prudential borrowing powers available to them to fund major capital projects and calls on the Scottish Government to investigate ways of extending this power to other parts of the Scottish public sector. Conference further reiterates its support for the Scottish Future Trusts and welcomes the broad support in favour of non-PPP/PFI models such as those being discussed by the SNP Administration of West Dunbartonshire Council and its local Voluntary sector through Public Community Partnerships


FEDERATION OF STUDENT NATIONALISTS

Amended by INVERNESS EAST BRANCH

* BUSINESS RATES

Conference welcomes both the support given by the Scottish Government to small businesses in the form of the Small Business Bonus Scheme, the lowest ever rates poundage and attempts to improve business rates income with a proposed business rates incentivisation scheme. Conference acknowledges that there is a variety of problems faced by Local Authorities in collecting business rates and believes that there should be a review of how business rates are collected. This review should consider proposals similar to those that exist in terms of Council Tax collection which ensures that the landlords of tenants who have leases of 6 months or less that default on Council Tax payments are liable for outstanding debt to councils.

Conference notes that such measures in relation to housing means that many landlords simply collect Council Tax along with rent and therefore ensures higher collection levels. Conference believes consideration should be given to extend similar obligations to commercial landlords.

BOB DORIS MSP, ELECTED MEMBER

GLASGOW MARYHILL CONSTITUENCY BRANCH

* BANKING REFORM

Conference notes with concern the unwillingness of UK banks to increase their lending to small and medium sized businesses, and the lack of action by successive UK Governments to ensure such lending is readily available.

Conference believes that, in comparison to most other developed economies, two major banking institutions, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS effectively control banking services provided to small and medium sized businesses in Scotland, and that this stranglehold on the provision of financing for growth businesses is having a negative impact on the economic recovery in Scotland.

Conference calls for action by government at all levels to ensure the bail out of the banks is reflected in the levels of new lending to Scottish businesses, and further calls on the Office of Fair Trading to consider the implications of such a concentration in business banking services in Scotland.

GLASGOW KELVIN CONSTITUENCY BRANCH

* PUBLIC FINANCE

Conference shares the concerns expressed by trade unions and campaigners across the country, that the significant cuts to government expenditure proposed by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition put at risk many public sector workers employed directly by the UK government.

Conference calls on the UK government to follow the example of the Scottish Government and institute a policy of no compulsory redundancies; and believes that the UK government's commitment to putting public finances in order would be better demonstrated by working to collect the billions of uncollected taxes estimated by the Public and Commercial Services Union.

Conference notes the research carried out by UNISON demonstrating that 66p in every £1 of public money goes into the private sector economy and therefore agrees that these cuts will damage the whole economy and risks putting the country into further recession.

Conference further agrees that only the SNP are the credible voice in Scottish Politics who argue for growing the economy as a means of tackling the financial crisis.

JAMIE HEPBURN MSP, ELECTED MEMBER

BOB DORIS MSP, ELECTED MEMBER

Amended by SNP TRADE UNION GROUP

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