This paper is a policy guide, not a manifesto. It does not cover every policy area; instead, it focuses on the evidence we have published in recent years, which we hope will be helpful for political parties and others as they develop their policies for the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. The guide is in four sections:
On economic policy, we argue that colleges should be the focus of reforming Scotland’s skills system, with investment in the apprenticeship system. There is an urgent need to decarbonise our economy, but plans for this transition have not been ambitious enough, and progress has been slow. Infrastructure investment needs to build on the public ownership of our bus companies and rail integration, coupled with procurement legislation reform. Economic development should help build the local economy with long-term, consistent funding. We set out the principles of progressive taxation to fund the investment we need, and make better use of pension funds. For the workforce, we need to make Fair Work a reality by using all the levers of government.
On health and social care, NHS Scotland needs to be reformed, but this should not distract from the underfunding of services. The pressures on our NHS are largely the result of Scotland’s health inequalities, and there should be a renewed focus on prevention. The biggest organisational challenge facing the NHS is delayed discharge. Social care is the key to tackling this, with investment in staffing and resources, better pay, terms and conditions and enough time for staff to build relationships with the people they support. There is also an urgent need to reform occupational health in Scotland, including an independent, properly resourced and staffed occupational health and safety body.
For education, closing the education achievement gap starts with investment in Early Years, followed by smaller school class sizes. There also needs to be a larger emphasis on active learning, not just at younger levels but at all levels throughout the secondary curriculum. Colleges are treated as the poor relation of the education system, largely ignored by policymakers. There should be a return to a public service focus with collaboration, not competition, underpinned by a sustained increase in funding. The marketisation of our universities reinforces social inequality, and we should also consider restructuring on a cooperative model.
Finally, we set out policies to build stronger communities. This means ending the incentives for private sector landlordism in housing and financing new social homes. Scotland’s public services governance is one of the most centralised in Europe. We make a case for the national government to focus on setting frameworks and leaving the delivery of services to local democratic control, integrating services around community hubs in recognisable communities of place. This also requires investment in social infrastructure like culture, sport and leisure services cut by at least 20% in real terms. We set out six steps to reforming policy for these services. Local action also means protecting our environment and radical land reform. We also need prison reform, using the Netherlands as a model. Reform must also include the courts, NHS mental health services, social work and other related services.