Cole-Hamilton: Will Greens still support SNP’s social care power grab?

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has written to the leaders of the Scottish Green party to ask if they will continue to support the SNP Government’s plans to centralise social care services after the Bute House Agreement collapsed earlier this week.

The Scottish Government’s National Care Service Bill is currently going through the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Greens supported it when it came to its first round of votes in February. The Bill would centralise social care services, wrenching away local control and handing it to SNP ministers.

Care providers, trade unions and those with lived experience have all criticised the proposed centralisation. The Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee, including SNP MSPs, has repeatedly expressed concern about the spiralling cost of the billion-pound takeover.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are the only party who have opposed this legislation from its inception.

Mr Cole-Hamilton’s letter is as follows:

Dear Patrick & Lorna

Following the First Minister’s decision to end the Bute House Agreement earlier this week, I am writing to ask whether your party will continue to support the Scottish Government’s National Care Service (Scotland) Bill.

Many people, including my own party and frontline workers, are deeply concerned that the Bill would centralise social care services and remove power from local authorities. The financial memorandum is in a mess.

My party will always stand up for localism, and the National Care Service Bill is at odds with the European Charter of Local Self-Government that both our parties support.

I am hopeful that we can agree that power in Scotland is already too centralised, that ministers don’t always know best, and that the money that will be wasted on this unnecessary bureaucracy should be spent on frontline services and staff instead. The National Care Service legislation needs to be scrapped, not salvaged.

Your MSPs voted for the Bill when it came to the Scottish Parliament at Stage One. However, in light of recent developments, I am writing to ask whether you will consider withdrawing your support for the Bill and ensuring that communities remain in charge of their local social care services.

I hope that you will now feel able to join us in that constructive opposition.  

Yours sincerely

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP

Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats