Scotland’s 24 colleges are vital to learners, communities and the Scottish economy. However, all too often, they are treated as the poor relation of the education system, largely ignored by policy makers. This paper aims… Read More »Further Education in Scotland
This policy guide aims to assist our supporters and others with assessing the manifestos of the political parties in the UK General Election on 4 July 2024. It is not a manifesto and doesn’t cover… Read More »Election Policy Guide
The progressive case for taxation is grounded in principles of fairness, social justice, economic stability, and democratic governance. By taxing higher incomes at a higher rate, society can more effectively address income inequality, promote economic… Read More »The Case for Taxation
As more councils in Scotland declare a housing emergency, our April 2024 briefing examines the state of housing in Scotland and what can be done to tackle the crisis. 1.5 million people in Scotland are… Read More »The Housing Crisis and Landlordism
In the context of the Scottish Budget for the coming year, Audit Scotland and the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) have been looking at the finances of NHS Scotland. This has led to further calls… Read More »Health & Care: Finance, Workforce and Reform
Recent surveys indicate that pay settlements may fall following calls from the Bank of England to restrain wages. In this briefing, we look at some of the key issues for Scotland. The STUC analysis of… Read More »Pay in Scotland
In the Guardian last year, George Monbiot highlighted how many chemicals being spread as sewage sludge on agricultural land are untested or can’t be assessed. About a third of the 350,000 registered synthetic chemicals are… Read More »Monitoring Waste Water on Agricultural Land
Embargo – 01:00 Tuesday 6 February The outline case for devolving employment law has been made by a wide range of organisations in Scotland, from political parties to trade unions and anti-poverty organisations. In a… Read More »Devolving Employment Legislation
From next month (4 December 2023), local transport authorities (LTAs) in Scotland will have the power to explore the bus partnership and franchising powers contained in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. Also included with the… Read More »On the Buses
The Jimmy Reid Foundation has published a paper prompted by the Scottish Government’s consultation proposals to introduce a Human Rights Bill for Scotland on devolved matters. In the paper, we accept that the Scottish Government… Read More »A Human Rights Law for Scotland