DOUGLAS Ross launched the Scottish Conservative local government manifesto on Thursday with promises to cut council tax, fill potholes and fund tutoring for kids whose education has been hampered by Covid.
The party leader attempted to move on from the damaging partygate row, however, a key section of the Tory manifesto claims that they are “the only major party in Scotland that is prepared to be tough on crime.”
He denied this promise was undermined by his support for Boris Johnson to stay in post, despite the Prime Minister being handed a fixed penalty notice by the Met Police for attending a party during lockdown.
“At different times there would be different outcomes but I'm also - and I again accept this is not a universally agreed position - but there is also a war in Ukraine which we have to focus on," Mr Ross said.
"I think it's right that we show as much support as possible for the UK government and their response to the atrocities that are currently ongoing in Ukraine.”
The Scottish Tory leader refused to be drawn on reports that Mr Johnson may end up with more fixed penalty notices for attending other lockdown breaking parties, describing the situation as “hypothetical.”
He did admit that the "national issues" had dominated “much of the discussion” during the local election campaign.
“But I also understand that voters are looking for local champions,” he added. “We are electing individual councils, we are electing administrations to deliver on these local priorities and I do think the public is able to differentiate between national issues and what's important to them locally.”
Mr Ross said he disagreed with Tory MSP Brian Whittle’s call for the Prime Minister to resign, saying it would take until the end of the summer for any leadership election to be concluded.
“The fact that it would several months, by Brian's own admission, is part of the issue why people understand that it's right that we support the UK government's response to this crisis."
He also criticised Nicola Sturgeon after the First Minister said it was the “lowest of the low” to “use the horror and suffering of people in Ukraine as a reason why Boris Johnson should stay in office."
Mr Ross said: “Nicola Sturgeon just a couple of weeks ago was calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. That would have been an extremely aggressive policy to adopt, but that was Nicola Sturgeon's response just a couple of weeks ago.
“Now she's saying we shouldn't mention Ukraine, we shouldn't have any consideration for what's going on. Since then the situation has only got worse. I just find Nicola Sturgeon's views on this deeply puzzling.
“Does she not think there are hundreds of people being killed on a daily basis? Does she not see the pictures of shallow graves? Does she not read the reports of potential chemical weapons being used in some of the cities? Does she not see the destruction that is going on in Ukraine on a daily basis?
“This is all continuing to happen and it may be convenient for Nicola Sturgeon to say something else, but that's not the truth.”
The Tories were the big winners in terms of gains at the last council election, adding 164 new councillors to their tally, doubling their share of seats, and replacing Labour as the second-largest party in Scotland's town halls.
Only they and the Greens gained any councillors, while the SNP lost a handful, while Labour haemorrhaged elected representatives, losing 133.
The Tories are hopeful that they can fend off a challenge from Anas Sarwar's revitalised Labour and keep their second place.
Key promises in the manifesto include a pledge to keep council tax rises as low as possible, and, once pressure on public services has eased, increase the single person’s discount to 35 per cent.
The Tories say this would amount to a tax cut for almost a million households.
They’ve also promised to oppose the SNP government’s “war on motorists”. As well as opposing plans for a workplace parking levy, they’ve also committed to removing parking charges in council-owned car parks “for set times at weekends” with a promise to “pressure the SNP government to fully fund their scrapping entirely.”
Other car-friendly policies include a new Pothole Action Fund “to give communities the right to request repairs to local roads,” and a promise to upgrade major roads.
The party has also hit out at 20mph zones, saying that while they can improve safety around schools, they can “also cause unnecessary delays to travel.” Tory councillors will “oppose blanket zones being enforced.”
The party has also pledged to raise the national threshold for Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) to encourage home ownership, and allow councillors to vary thresholds locally to take account of house prices in different areas.
The party also wants to deliver a "fair deal for communities" by funnelling more cash from Holyrood to town halls, with a new “Barnett formula” for councils.
Meanwhile, school pupils could face longer days, with every council under Tory control enforcing the maximum 22.5 hours of schooling a week.
They’ve also promised to push for a national tutoring programme to provide one-to-one or small-group tuition for those children and young people who need the most help.
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