Fresh start or reheat?

On the SNP leadership campaign trail, Humza Yousaf was billed as the ‘continuity candidate’ by party top brass.

In the days that followed his appointment as Scotland’s new First Minister, the leadership he closely tied himself to has been marred in controversy over party finances, high profile arrests and a certain luxury campervan.

The return from Easter recess marked the opportunity for Yousaf to put his own stamp on Scotland’s highest public office, but after 16 years in government, the real challenge is finding new soil to till.

Yousaf’s optimistically titled ‘New leadership – a fresh start’ policy paper focuses on the key themes of equality, opportunity and community.

Humza Yousaf vs the cost of living

Tackling poverty is where Yousaf’s ambitions stand out.

For those struggling with the cost of living and spiralling energy costs, the trebling of the Fuel Insecurity Fund to provide £30 million of support will be welcome.

Our client Advice Direct Scotland administers the Home Heating Support Fund which is part of this package, and it has been transformational for households struggling to heat their homes.

Many are championing the additional £1.3 billion investment in the Scottish Child Payment.

But there are calls to go further with Save the Children Scotland and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation seeking to increase payments from £25 to £40 as household costs continue to rise.

The Housing Bill has the potential to make some serious impact with rent controls and an overhaul for tenants’ rights.

Alongside proposals to double council tax on second homes and the commitment to repurpose empty properties to provide affordable housing in rural and island areas, the ambition to overcome the high cost of housing is clear.

Our client Salmon Scotland has been leading the campaign to tackle the rural housing crisis, and you can read more about that here.

It will be interesting to see what further measures come out of the planned anti-poverty summit as Yousaf looks set to roll out the welcome mat at St Andrew’s House to policy experts, anti-poverty campaigners, and somewhat surprisingly, members of the opposition.

Climbdowns and U-turns

The National Care Service looks set to be delayed following criticism of a perceived lack of any detail on its operation and how it would work alongside the NHS.

Major unions, such as the Royal College of Nursing, have voiced concerns over staffing and the need to improve pay, terms and conditions in the adult social care sector.

COSLA, the umbrella body for councils, has also warned that local authorities will be unable to deliver social care services in addition to other critical services without serious changes to local government funding.

Yousaf’s commitment in his statement to “set out a timetable” to increase salaries in the sector to £12 per hour will have done little to allay these fears.

In a major step change in the Scottish Government’s approach to transparency, Yousaf and his newly appointed Education Secretary, Jenny Gilruth, have their eyes set on restoring Scotland’s global reputation for education with a return to two major international league tables for maths and literacy.

Good things come to those who wait

Things are looking less bright for the Deposit Return Scheme. The scheme, aimed at increasing the number of single-use drinks bottle and cans that are recycled, was due to start in August. But it has now been marked for a ten-month delay in the face of vast opposition from across the food, drink and hospitality sectors.

According to opinion polls, the measure remains popular among the public, and with the UK Government seeking to bring in its own scheme Yousaf may be best advised to sit back and wait for a UK-wide approach.

Not quite all change; not quite more of the same. With questions over the ongoing police investigation into SNP finances dominating his first few weeks in office, it remains to be how much this agenda will allow Humza Yousaf to make the office of First Minister his own.

Fresh start or reheat?