'New era of local power': Russell Findlay to set out Conservative vision for Scotland
Russell Findlay, the Scottish Conservative leader, is due to make a speech to set out his party’s priorities for the next Holyrood term.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay will argue for giving councils more power over budgets as he proposes a “new era of local power” in a speech in Glasgow later today.
Mr Findlay will be making the speech to set out his vision for the party ahead of the Scottish Parliament returning from the summer recess next week.
He will use the speech to say the Holyrood political establishment has let down the country and that more powers should be shifted to local councils and communities.
This comes just days after Jeremy Balfour MSP quit the Scottish Conservatives and penned a resignation letter heavily criticising Mr Findlay’s leadership of the party. Mr Balfour is the second MSP to leave the party since Mr Findlay took the helm.
Mr Findlay will also use the speech to help kick start the Conservatives’ 2026 election campaign. He is expected to say there is too much disconnect between people and politicians caused by SNP policies such as business, gender reform, hate crime and named persons.
The latest polling from June suggests the Scottish Conservatives will win 15 seats at next year’s election, down from the 31 the party won in 2021. If this plays out at the ballot box, the Tories would slip to fourth place behind the SNP, Scottish Labour and Reform UK.
Mr Findlay is expected to say: “What happens at Holyrood is often a waste of time and taxpayers’ money. It fixates on fringe issues that the majority don’t care about.
“Parliament seems detached from reality. A new era of local power is needed to bring about change.
“Decision making in Scotland is too centralised. Power should be transferred from politicians to the people, where it belongs.”
He will add: “The people running Scotland have run our economy and public services into the ground.
“The Scottish political establishment believes that taxes must only go up, benefits must keep rising, immigration is always good, free speech must be curtailed to avoid causing offence, and anyone can choose their gender regardless of the rights of others.
“Anyone with a bit of common sense can see that change is necessary.
“Communities deserve a direct day in how money is spent. Council budgets should be bigger and they should no longer be ring-fenced by ministers in Edinburgh.”
Scotland’s spending watchdog, the Accounts Commission, warned in May that councils were facing a budget black hole of almost £650 million this financial year. This has been caused by soaring inflation, increased costs and demands, the commission had said.
Mr Findlay will also use the speech to call for an end to civil servants spending taxpayers’ money on planning for Scottish independence.
“We would stop SNP ministers from directing the civil service to agitate for the break-up of Britain,” he will say.
“If the SNP wants to waste its time and ring-fenced donations on this folly, that’s their right, but it’s not their right to do so with taxpayers’ money.”
Deputy leader of the SNP Keith Brown MSP said: “The power the people of Scotland need is the power of independence.
“Independence is the only change that will actually make a difference for the people of Scotland because it puts Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands.”
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