David Green responds to Highland News and Media Readers’ Manifesto
What makes the Readers’ Manifesto so compelling is that the issues it highlights come directly from the people who live here. Anyone, regardless of political affiliation, who is serious about serving the Highlands should root their priorities in these concerns. We must all also acknowledge the public’s undeniable hunger for change. That is exactly what readers are telling us this election is about - and we should listen.
When talking about healthcare, we all remember a time when you could see your GP at the first time of asking and when your dentist offered NHS treatment. Today, patients are suffering because waiting time targets are constantly missed. I know one patient waited a shocking seven and a half years to begin mental health treatment. In social care, the care homes where we once visited loved ones are gone, and too many patients are stuck in hospitals because home care cannot be arranged.
People deserve better. We must prioritise reinvigorating local services so people can access care close to home. That means resourcing GP surgeries, recruiting and training more mental health specialists, and raising the minimum wage for care workers to reflect the vital job they do.
No issue speaks more to that sense of being forgotten than the downgrading of maternity services in Caithness. Families have long warned about the 100-mile journeys women are forced to make to give birth. Liberal Democrats pushed for - and won - a vote in Holyrood for an independent review, only to be told the SNP has “no plans” to commission it. Alongside the Caithness Health Action Team, I will fight on until we win.
Turning to roads, the broken promise to dual the A9 - one of Scotland’s most dangerous roads - is symbolic of the SNP’s attitude to the north. So too the state of local roads, all too often compared to the moon. Across the Highlands, £233 million of repairs have been identified, yet only around £22.5 million per year is being allocated by the SNP-led Highland Council. We need long-term planning, not short-term patching. Funding from the Scottish Government must better reflect the Highlands’ unique challenges.
Housing is raised wherever I go. I see too many young people forced to leave their communities, and businesses struggle to recruit because affordable homes cannot be found. We need to bring empty properties back into use, match housebuilding with local demand, re-establish social rent as a viable long-term option, and tackle rising energy costs with an emergency insulation programme.
Education matters because everyone deserves the best start in life, yet many in the Highlands face comparatively fewer opportunities. We see Scotland’s education falling in international rankings, teachers feel overstretched, and violence is rising. My sister, a teacher, regularly reminds me to listen to teachers and invest in in-class assistance so pupils get the support they need.
None of these commitments can be delivered without a strong local economy. When small businesses succeed, communities are vibrant and young people see a future. That is why Liberal Democrats helped protect jobs and investment by securing £178 million in business rates relief. That is just a start, but it shows we get things done.
Let me be clear: the Readers’ Manifesto reflects the distinct needs of the Highlands and signposts the issues that all parties should act on. Yet those needs have too often been overlooked amidst years of SNP centralisation and a one-size-fits-all approach, evident in policing and fire and rescue services.
That has to change. People should not feel decisions are imposed on them, but instead shaped by them. That is particularly true where energy development is concerned. I believe in empowering people - including writing rural proofing into law - because I trust people to make the best decisions for their communities.
My priority is to champion Caithness, Sutherland and Ross and ensure our communities are heard loud and clear in Holyrood - no longer forgotten and left at the back of the queue.
David Green
Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.