Holyrood needs fixing now

I fully back Vic’s suggestions on cutting red tape and simplifying planning requirements to stimulate development in rural areas (Vic’s manifesto; SN, 12/04/16).

Indeed, the Scottish Conservatives’ rural plan outlined for the forthcoming Scottish Parliament elections makes exactly those recommendations.

Those ideas form part of our plan to increase housing supply by 10 per cent each year of the next Scottish Parliament, to reverse the 40 per cent decline in new houses coming on-stream that we have seen during the SNP’s time in charge.

I would take issue though with his closing remark: that we need to fix the council first, then tackle Holyrood.

Holyrood needs to be tackled now. The SNP have relentlessly pursued a centralising policy at the expense of rural communities.

A vote for the Scottish Conservatives is a vote for the alternative, a vote for local communities and local decision making.

To ignore the coming elections in favour of fixing the council first leaves us at risk of five more years of a nationalist administration. The experience of the past nine years shows me that there’s no time to lose.

Cameron Smith
Scottish Conservative candidate for Shetland
Swinister
Sandwick