ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has published a new resource for retailers in Scotland, highlighting the key policies have been set out in the manifestos of the main political parties ahead of the Scottish elections in May.
The 'Manifestos at A Glance' document is an easy to follow resource summarising the pledges of Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, Reform, the Scottish National Party and the Green Party on the following areas of policy:
- Crime
- Employment
- High Streets and Business Rates
- Environment / DRS
- Public Health
Some of the manifesto commitments highlighted in the document include:
The Scottish National Party have pledged to introduce a new vape display ban that would see vapes treated in the same way as tobacco products. The party have also pledged to introduce a statutory price ceiling on a basket of 20-50 essential food items at large supermarkets only.
On business rates, Scottish Labour have pledged to replace business rates with a new 'local business levy', while the Scottish Liberal Democrats would work toward a new system with a land value element. The Scottish Conservatives have pledged that any business with a rateable value of less than £20,000 would pay no business rates. Reform have pledged to reverse the 2026 rates revaluation.
On the environment, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats have pledged to introduce an additional charge on single use coffee cups, while the Scottish Green Party would seek to extend the scope of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.
The full 'Manifestos at a Glance' document for Scotland is available here.
