Dundee SNP Manifesto 2022 by SNPDundee

DELIVERING FOR

DUNDEE

Dundee Manifesto 2022 1

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

DELIVERING FOR

DUNDEE

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Contents

Foreword

Delivering for Dundee: A Summary

Children & Families

Employment & the Economy

Housing & Communities

Tackling Social Inequalities and the Cost of Living

Net Zero and the Environment

Health & Wellbeing

Sport & Culture

Independence: Scotland's Right to Choose

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Foreword Vote SNP 1 & 2 on 5th May This election is one of the most important in Dundee’s history. There is much to celebrate and be proud of, as our city’s confidence and reputation grow, but there is also more to do. Dundee’s continued transformation and regeneration is not guaranteed. As we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, you must decide who will lead our city out of the pandemic and who will determine our city’s future. If we want to make sure that the city is led with kindness, compassion, fairness, equality and enterprise at its heart, then we need ambitious and proactive leadership and the right plan. And those values are the heart of the SNP’s offer at this election, building on the competent, passionate and determined leadership the SNP has already demonstrated. We are already leading a bold and ambitious policy programme to kickstart and drive recovery, building upon improvements such as a 9.4% increase in employment delivered under the SNP since 2017. Our aim is simple - to create a fairer, more equal and more prosperous future for our city. Let’s build that future together. On May 5th, vote SNP 1 & 2.

John Alexander, Leader of Dundee’s SNP Council Group 8

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Delivering for Dundee: A Summary In 2017, Dundonians once again put their trust in the SNP. Since then, we have delivered our ambitious agenda to improve the city’s fortunes and the lives of our citizens. We have worked diligently with a renewed and reinvigorated agenda over the last 5 years. This has been supported by an equally ambitious Scottish Government and that partnership has led to several significant improvements. Improving our schools and nurseries We’ve invested more than £150 million renewing, rebuilding and refurbishing nursery, primary and secondary schools, with another £70 million planned. We delivered 1,140 hours of free extra learning and childcare. Creating jobs and attracting investment Thanks to our bold agenda, Dundee has recorded an unprecedented 9.4% increase in employment levels in just five years. Employment is at its highest since records began. Giving communities more say Our hugely successful Dundee Decides participatory budgeting exercise empowered communities to decide how to spend £1.2 million. We’ve invested in new community facilities in Menzieshill, the Hilltown and Mill O’ Mains.

Investing in housing and communities Hundreds of new council and housing association homes have been built under the SNP. We’ve delivered more than £50 million investment to tackle fuel poverty and climate change through external wall insulation and district heating systems across the city. Over 5,000 properties are benefitting from this investment, which is helping to tackle rising energy bills. Improving sports and exercise facilities We’ve invested £500,000 on improving tennis courts, £150,000 to deliver outdoor exercise equipment and £32 million on the Regional Performance Centre for Sport at Caird Park. Sports facilities within our new community centres have also been a priority, and we supported the establishment of the Change Centre by Street Soccer in the former Lynch Sports Centre in Charleston. Tackling climate change Our 64-point Climate Action Plan has helped us reduce the Council’s carbon footprint by 50%. We’re planting 10,000 trees every year. We’ve increased funding for sustainable transport and plan to invest more than £10 million in parks and open spaces in the coming years. We created the first council-led ‘Community Climate Change Fund’, putting power in the hands of Dundonians. Our Promise Our promise to you is that we will not take you or Dundee for granted and that we will strive to improve the city on all fronts – social, economic, environmental and educational. The SNP have delivered on the priorities set out in 2017 and with your support, we can continue to deliver for Dundee.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Children and Families Our Ambition The SNP want to improve the life chances of our children and young people through improving educational standards and securing positive long-term outcomes. Equality and human rights are at the heart of our education policies and making sure that all our young people fulfil their full potential is a key priority. Our children are Scotland’s future.

ultimately close the attainment gap. Dundee SNP led the way in removing all music tuition fees in 2013, 8 years before such charges were removed nationally, benefitting all children. We also led the way by increasing the school clothing grant to £100, which led the way to a national increase. The grant is now £120 for primary school pupils and £150 for secondary school pupils – and we will ensure that it increases each year with inflation.

What we’ve done so far We have invested £150 million in creating high-quality schools across our city, from the brand new Baldragon Academy to Tayview Primary School and from the Coldside Campus, incorporating Our Lady’s Primary, Rosebank Primary and Frances Wright Nursery, to the proposed Craigie/Braeview High School. Every year, we’ve delivered over £5 million in Pupil Equity Funding to enhance learning, improve outcomes in the classroom and Opposite: The North East Campus, delivered by Dundee's SNP Council working in partnership with the SNP Government, which provided £9 million towards the construction of £17 million project. 12

We’ve rolled out free school meals to all children in Primary 1-5, supporting children to learn better and saving families around £400 per child per year. With Scottish Government support, we provided more than 3,000 IT devices and connection packages to children and families, helping children continue their education throughout the pandemic. We developed the Safer School Streets initiative, encouraging more children to walk, cycle and scoot to school. We’ve also introduced new measures outside some schools to create safer spaces for children and their families.

Manifesto 2022 Dundee Council Election 13

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022 14

Children and Families A re-elected SNP Council will:

active forms of travel.

Improve educational outcomes, to ensure that none of our young people are left behind. We will increase the number of pupils moving on to positive destinations and deliver improvements to literacy and numeracy performance across our schools.

Build on the #MakeItRight Campaign, to ensure that all our young people know that they have rights underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Invest a further £70+ million in new and improved schools, including a new primary school at the Western Gateway and a new secondary to replace Craigie High School and Braeview Academy. Through partnership, we will continue to work to reduce the cost of the school day, which is just one part of our approach to reducing inequalities. Develop a strategy for improving school play and outdoor education, seeking to utilise the incredible green spaces available within our city as part of the curriculum. Drive down exclusions and work to improve behaviour in our classrooms. Reducing disruption and keeping children in the classroom is vital to delivering educational progress.

Implement the recommendations of the Promise, ensuring that the voices of care experienced children, young people and their families are heard, and that children and young people are provided with the strong foundations they need to thrive. Support the Scottish Government in delivering high quality anti-racism education and LGBT inclusive education across our school curriculum in order to improve the learning environment for all children and young people. Increase and enhance employment pathways for our young people and seek to expand apprenticeship opportunities within the Council, in partnership with the private sector and third sector. Look to create a ‘Dundee Guarantee’, an offer of an apprenticeship opportunity to all care experienced young people.

Continue to empower our young people, working with the Dundee Youth Council, Scottish Youth Parliament, Dundee Youth Fund and the Pupil Council. Expand the rollout of our ‘safer school streets’ initiative, encouraging less driving to and from schools and more

Opposite: The new Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery, delivered by Dundee's SNP Council working in partnership with the SNP Government to deliver over £8 million funding.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Employment and the Economy Our Ambition The SNP want Dundee to be a thriving and prosperous city. Our ambitious economic agenda will continue to attract international and national attention. As well as becoming a centre for innovation, renewables, new technology and life sciences, we will continue to tackle in-work poverty by ensuring more Dundonians are paid the Living Wage and provided with fair working conditions. We are also committed to community wealth building and will work to ensure that as much public money as possible stays in our local communities.

We’re delivering on the Waterfront Development and we have created new, well used public spaces and amenities within our city centre, including Waterfront Place, Slessor Gardens and a newly pedestrianised Union Street.

What we’ve done so far

We’ve supported the Port of Dundee to become the manufacturing base for the world’s most powerful tidal turbine, created by Orbital Marine and delivered by Dundeebased Texo.

Dundee’s economy has grown and prospered under SNP leadership. We have overseen record breaking employment levels – up 9.4% in the last five years alone.

We’ve attracted investment. From BT to Social Security Scotland’s Headquarters, thousands of jobs have been created, helping transform Dundee’s economic fortunes.

According to the Office for National Statistics, Dundee’s estimated employment level now sits at 74%, surpassing the Scottish average for the first time since current records began. Against a long history of unemployment this is a remarkable achievement for our city.

We helped deliver the £700 million Tay Cities Deal, working with partners across Tayside to ensure that a 10-year programme of investment delivers transformational change and thousands of new jobs in key growth sectors.

Dundee was the first city in the UK to achieve ‘Living Wage City’ accreditation, with thousands of Dundonian employees benefitting from the campaign. The work to tackle in-work poverty continues.

We’ve developed a series of sector-specific growth plans to ensure that Dundee is best placed to nurture new business, provide incubator space to support growth and create opportunities for expansion. From life sciences to renewables, we are positioning Dundee for the future.

We supported local businesses throughout the Covid-19 pandemic with Business Rate relief and grant assistance, supported by over £61 million funding for Dundee from the Scottish Government. With support from the Scottish Government, we ensured the development of the Michelin

Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP) to provide an innovative skills academy, flexible manufacturing and office accommodation and an ecosystem in which new businesses can thrive.

We’ve worked to position the city as an exciting and dynamic destination. This approach has brought major music acts, events such as Radio 1’s Big Weekend and sporting events. Dundee’s vibrant music and arts scene has never been so active.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Employment and the Economy A re-elected SNP Council will: Deliver an extensive community wealth building strategy which ensures that the maximum level of investment possible is retained within the region to support local jobs. Work with the SNP Government to continue to support businesses who have been negatively impacted throughout the pandemic by maintaining the Small Business Bonus, ensuring 100,000 business properties pay no rates. Develop further support packages which support growth and job creation, whilst also protecting businesses that remain fragile in the aftermath of Covid-19. Deliver a City Centre Investment Plan to create a renewed, focussed and vibrant city centre and explore further pedestrianisation, greater business diversity and an increased resident population. We will also look to support our district shopping centres to thrive and prosper. Work with our partners to attract a greater number of jobs and increased investment to the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP) and to support the delivery of the ambitious longer-term plans for the site. Ensure that the £700 million Tay Cities Deal delivers investment over the next decade in cyber security, tech, life sciences, innovation, culture and tourism in Dundee. Deliver the EDEN project, which an SNP Council has brought to the city, and ensure that its benefits are felt city-wide. The city will benefit educationally, environmentally and economically. We will work to ensure that locals receive discounted access through a ‘local pass’ so that Eden is accessible to all.

Support further expansion of the Port of Dundee’s activities in attracting opportunities in decommissioning and renewables, such as the current construction activity related to the assembly of 54 giant offshore wind turbines as part of the £2 billion Neart Na Gaoithe (NNG) wind farm. Invest £380+ million within our capital plan over the coming 5 years to support jobs across the city, particularly in the construction industry, which will improve the city’s infrastructure. Create a Dundee Economic Advisory Group to provide a forum for regular engagement between the city’s businesses and political leadership. This informal group will look to build on the city’s long established strength in fostering partnership. Work with the private sector to increase jobs and raise wages, through our relentless focus on the Scottish Living Wage. Maximise apprenticeship opportunities within the council and work to develop a city-wide scheme, combining public, private and third sector efforts under one umbrella. Increase Dundee’s voice and visibility at national and international events. We will ensure that Dundee is represented, helping build on our economic successes. Build on the successful “Scotland Loves Local” campaign, encouraging people to shop and eat out locally. We will further explore the direct funding of a pilot scheme, focussed on Dundonians on lower incomes. Endorse the ‘Social Economy Pledge’ and work with social enterprises to expand and enhance their work within the city.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Housing and Communities Our Ambition Dundee SNP see our communities as the beating heart of the city. We want our neighbourhoods to be safe, with good access to local facilities and great connections to transport systems. We want more affordable, high-quality housing and we want existing housing to benefit from insulation and energy saving measures. We want to see more “20-minute neighbourhoods” where people can live their daily lives within a 20-minute walk and live better, healthier, and more sustainable lives. What we’ve done so far Supported by the Scottish Government’s ambitious multi-billion pound social house building programme, nearly 2000 affordable and mid-market homes have been delivered in Dundee. We supported the construction of new council and housing association homes in Lochee, Charleston, the Hilltown, Stobswell, City Quay, the City Centre, Whitfield, Fintry and Mill O’ Mains and there's much more to come. We introduced our ambitious "Not Just a Roof" strategy to tackle homelessness and support settled accommodation for people. Our ‘Housing First’ approach prioritises the need for a home first, with wraparound support to enable people to sustain their tenancy. We continue to invest more than £5 million in tackling homelessness and in providing early intervention and support services for those that may have challenges during their tenancy.

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We’ve delivered more than £50 million investment to tackle fuel poverty and climate change through external wall insulation and district heating systems across the city. Over 5,000 properties are benefitting from this investment, which is helping to tackle rising energy bills. These efforts contributed to a 7% decrease in fuel poverty levels, prepandemic. We invested more than £1 million improving security and CCTV coverage and we’ve also provided additional funding for our anti-social behaviour team to support our communities. We will work with Police Scotland to make our streets safer. We created new community spaces in the Crescent in Whitfield, Menzieshill Community Hub, the Hilltown Community Facility and Mill O’ Mains Community Facility. Every year, we devolve £1 million for community decision making, dispersed through funds like the Dundee Youth Fund, the Community Regeneration Fund and the Festive Fund. We’ve now created a £750k Climate Change Choices Fund. We’ve created a £750k Climate Change Choices Fund, a first of its kind in Scotland. We will work with communities to identify projects of importance to them. We’ve invested heavily in our road infrastructure and Dundee features in the top five council areas in Scotland for the quality of our category A, B & C roads.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Housing and Communities A re-elected SNP Council will: Build new homes for Dundonians, utilising more than £90 million to increase the delivery of the house building programme. A total of 1179 homes will begin construction/ be completed between now and 2027. We will also explore the use of planning agreements to secure further social housing in private-sector led developments. Aim to meet the Scottish Government target of 68% reduction in emissions from heating by 2030, and to meet our share of the Scottish Government’s target of 1 million homes with zero-carbon heating systems. We will continue to improve the fabric of our council properties, which will in turn reduce heating costs as well as emissions. Review house building standards, to ensure new house building meets the highest environmental standards. Work with the Scottish Government to develop 20-minute neighbourhoods, where people can live their daily lives within a 20-minute walk and live better, healthier, and more sustainable lives. Improve the efficiency of the repairs and reletting services within Dundee City Council, significantly reducing the number of empty council properties.

Expand our work on empty homes, making more proactive use of Compulsory Purchase Orders where residential buildings have been neglected and advocate for additional powers to deal with this issue. Increase investment in play parks, parks and open spaces by £1,75 million in 2022/23 in addition to Scottish Government funding. Increase funding to tackle anti-social behaviour and improve safety in our communities, as well as exploring ways to enhance estate management. Deliver the £750,000 Community Climate Choices Fund and seek to build a coalition of partner funders to expand its reach and impact. Working with communities, we will aim to maximise participatory budgeting in all its forms. Deliver community hubs, which maximise the benefits derived from the new and improved school estate whilst also working to leverage in external funding to increase activities in communities.

Opposite: Tenements on Caird Terrace, among many to have received significant investment in external cladding to help reduce fuel poverty.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Tackling Social Inequalities and the Cost of Living Our Ambition Dundee SNP believe in equality, fairness and social justice. We will work to ensure that everyone living in Dundee is treated with dignity and respect. We will do everything we can as a council to protect people in Dundee from the worst impact of the UK cost of living crisis. We will never stop working to eradicate poverty and inequality. What we’ve done so far We were the first council in Scotland to take decisive action against the Tories bedroom tax and we have continued to take action to protect Dundonians, including the creation of a tenant hardship fund. With Scottish Government support, we have also provided Discretionary Housing Payments, Scottish Welfare Fund payments, Tenant Grants and support for fuel and food, all designed to assist our most vulnerable families at a time of great need. Last year, our administration created the Fuel Well scheme, offering direct financial assistance to those struggling with the cost of energy. This provided nearly £1 million of support over two rounds, with nearly 7000 people benefitting from a grant award of up to £150 towards energy costs. We have committed further funding for a third round. During the pandemic we worked with charities and organisations within the city to create the Dundee Community Food Network, coordinating our response to the food crisis in the city. Their efforts

have been supported with around £10,000 of funding per week. We invited a representative of the Poverty Alliance to join the Dundee Climate Leadership Group to ensure that the city-wide efforts to tackle climate change also take into account the disproportionate impact upon those experiencing poverty or economic hardship. Our efforts to improve Dundee’s economy have been driven by a relentless focus on the city’s underlying social inequalities. That is why Living Wage accreditation is a cornerstone of the city’s economic strategy, coupled with the development of a community wealth building programme. Both will help us to address poverty. We created a Fairness Commission (now Fairness Leadership Panel) and an Independent Drugs Commission, where, with advice from experts, we worked with charities and people with lived experience to develop action plans to tackle some of the underlying issues of poverty and drugs in our city. These plans are supported by the Dundee Partnership – an umbrella body representing bodies and organisations from across the city. We supported the expanded scrutiny of key areas such as the work of the Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP), providing clear leadership and accountability on issues which affect every community. We also increased funding by more than £750,000 through the SNP administration budget.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Tackling Social Inequalities and the Cost of Living A re-elected SNP Council will: Ensure that every household in receipt of a Council Tax reduction and every occupied household in Bands A to D of Council Tax, receives the £150 made available by the Scottish Government. This means that 73% of all Dundee households will receive this financial support. Support the manifesto commitment of the Scottish Government to scrap the council tax for everyone under 22. For a young person living alone in a Band B property that will mean an annual saving of around £750. Set aside an additional £1.6 million to alleviate social inequalities and work to increase support for our city’s most vulnerable and those most affected by the cost of living crisis. We will launch a third round of the Fuel Well scheme, to ensure that Dundonians have access to grant support to cover energy costs which they may not ordinarily be in a position to do. Work with our partners in the Dundee Community Food Network to continue our collective efforts to deliver targeted support across our communities. This will include continued financial support for their activities in the coming year.

across the public and third sectors, we will continue to drive forward with the actions set out in the Drug Commission action plan. Work with the Fairness Leadership Panel to identify innovative solutions and initiatives that alleviate or ideally, eradicate poverty in our communities. We will fund strategic interventions in communities with high levels of poverty, with the aim of rolling out successful approaches city-wide. Work with local and national partners to identify opportunities to educate and enhance awareness of issues of inequality, including racial inequality. Our work with the Fairness Leadership Panel, Drugs Commission and creation of the City of Dundee and Black History Working Group provides a blueprint for further work. Tackle stigma associated with the city’s social inequalities and work with those with lived experience to inform our approach. Review the Transport Forum and work with the third sector to investigate a community transport network that helps to address social inequalities.

Aim to reduce drug deaths and the harms caused by drugs in our city. Through collective action, 27

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Net Zero and the Environment Our Ambition Dundee SNP want to ensure that Dundee is an active and positive contributor to tackling climate change and playing our part in achieving net zero by 2045. We want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this demanding agenda for the benefit of everyone in Dundee. This will impact on the way we build and heat our homes, the way we travel round the city, the way we shop and the food we eat, how we cultivate our public spaces and gardens and the jobs we will be attracting to the city. Every organisation and citizen will play their part. Your SNP councillors are up for that challenge. What we’ve done so far We declared a climate emergency in June 2019, and within six months, we had launched the Dundee Climate Action Plan alongside partners and environmental groups. This action plan sets out 64 key recommendations with which the city can make significant inroads in contributing to tackling climate change. We created the Climate Change Leadership Panel, bringing together public, private, third sector and campaign groups with a shared interest in tackling the climate crisis. Our leader co-chairs this group, providing clear political leadership and support. With increasing demand from across the city for more active support on issues related to the climate emergency, we increased the capacity within the council’s climate change team by 150%. We also increased the value of investment in projects that aim to reduce carbon emissions. In January 2022, the Scottish Government introduced free bus travel for under 28

22-year-olds, making public transport more affordable and giving young people wider access to education, leisure and work opportunities. It also embeds the concept of sustainable travel early in life. Dundee has become an international leader in Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure, winning the ‘Most E-Visionary City in Europe’ award. So far, Dundee City Council has one of the largest EV fleets of any council in the UK, delivered the UK’s first EV taxi rank, opened 3 solar canopy covered EV hubs and a further 3 based within multistorey car parks. We’re working to remove carbon intensive transport from our streets, increasing the council’s fleet of electric vehicles to include refuse vehicles. Dundee will also see a greater rollout of fully electric buses as a result of Scottish Government funding and partnership with Xplore Dundee. We’ve continued to develop the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, with a key focus on innovation in mobility. This work includes the potential development of hydrogen as an alternative energy solution. Multi-million pound investment has resulted in the installation of solar panels on multi storey developments, external wall insulation on domestic properties and delivery of district heating systems in Dundee communities. We are also working with communities and organisations such as Eden to deliver expanded wildflower and biodiverse areas. The latter partnership will see 14 hectares of greenspace becoming luscious biodiverse ecosystems.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Net Zero and the Environment A re-elected SNP Council will:

expansion of the Low Emission Zone.

Encourage our youngest citizens to participate in active travel by supporting the Scottish Government's plans to provide free bikes for all children who qualify for the scheme.

Explore further opportunities for pedestrianised areas, pocket-parks and encourage communities to guide local plans and initiatives that increase biodiversity or community spaces, where communities are able to nominate appropriate local streets to be considered for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

Deliver the city’s first cycling storage solution and explore models for their wider delivery, following a short pilot. Support the Scottish Government’s plans to invest £500 million over the next 5 years to support walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, making active travel choices easier, helping to tackle climate change and increasing health and wellbeing. We'll work to develop a policy that ensures that all new cycling infrastructure meets Cycling By Design standards. Set out proposals to radically improve the city’s sustainable transport infrastructure through a ‘Sustainable Transport Delivery Plan’, including advanced planning of expanded city-wide walking and cycling networks.

Invest in new control methods to support reduced use of herbicides. Increase funding for initiatives aimed at reducing litter and fly tipping in our communities and enhance our open space management plans. Deliver Scotland’s first Community Climate Choices project, giving communities £750k of direct funding to decide upon. Invest £60,000 in behavioural change campaigns and events, including World Environment Day, Clean Air Day, Scotland's Climate Week, COP27 as well as other opportunities that arise over the year.

Invest £100,000 to assess the feasibility of a number of strategic active travel corridors throughout the city and develop preliminary designs for each of them.

Following the success of the pedestrianisation of Union Street, we will complete the planned improvements and use this as a blueprint as we consider further expansion of pedestrianised areas.

Embed a Cycle Network Plan within the Local Development Plan, enabling the Council to seek developer contributions for cycle routes within or adjacent to new developments.

Support further work to develop community transport options to enhance connectivity across communities, working with the third sector.

Work on a plan for reducing car travel by 20% by 2030. This will highlight where car journeys are still needed, but also set out how we will encourage and make it possible for people to use the bus, local rail services, and walk and cycle more. Seek to improve air quality by combining direct improvements along key routes and reducing car reliance, including possible

Take forward a new policy for the assessment of pedestrian crossings and islands to ensure appropriate weighting is given during decision making. Work with the Scottish Government and Regional Transport Partnership to explore opportunities for ‘park and choose’ solutions at key arteries into our city.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Health and Wellbeing Our Ambition The importance of our social care services has never been clearer. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our nation's carers, paid and unpaid, for the commitment and compassion we have seen throughout the pandemic. SNP councillors will work closely with our Scottish Government partners to establish a National Care Service, changing the way we deliver support and services for people who use community health and social care in Scotland. The delivery of services under the National Care Service will be codesigned with the people who use and rely on these services. The National Care Service will oversee the delivery of care, improve standards, ensure better pay and conditions for workers and provide better support for unpaid carers. And it will transform how we look after our most vulnerable, providing a genuine safety net for people in need. What we’ve done so far Record investment in NHS and Social Care Services has been delivered under the SNP. Locally, the Health & Social Care budget has increased by around £35 million in the last few years. The Scottish Government has also recognised the significant contributions of health and social care staff by providing a £500 ‘thank you’ payment, in stark contrast to the Tories in Westminster.

We have expanded free personal care to people of all ages who are assessed as requiring it – regardless of their age, condition, capital or income – backed up with national funding of £30 million. Everyone who uses social care services can now control their individual care budget through the Self-Directed Support Act. We’ve worked collaboratively with city partners, including NHS Tayside to develop a clear strategy on Mental Health. We realise a strategy is not enough. That is why we’ve increased financial support for services and worked with Hillcrest Housing Association and others to bring forward a 24/7 mental health facility. Working with charities such as SAMH, we have supported the delivery of projects which contribute to mental health recovery including Duntrune Gardens and aim to increase participation in such projects. We’ve targeted resources and efforts in tackling Dundee’s longstanding and negative relationship with alcohol and drugs. The introduction of measures such as minimum pricing and the work of groups such as the Dundee Drug Commission are helping make inroads into these areas.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2017

Health and Wellbeing A re-elected SNP Council will: Work with the Scottish Government to establish a National Care Service to ensure that social care has parity of esteem with Health Care. Use Frank’s Law to expand free personal care based on need, not just age, supporting at least 9,000 families. Work to strengthen mental health strategies and through the Dundee Partnership, encourage joined-up thinking and solutions. We will also improve our mental wellbeing through community initiatives, by leveraging additional funding and support. Deliver a Community Wellbeing Centre to support those experiencing a mental health crisis, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure that everyone is able to access the support that they need, when they need it. Work to offer mental health first aid training to everyone in the public sector in Dundee by 2026 in order to tackle stigma and raise awareness of mental illness.

proposals and fund initiatives that reduce alcohol related harms. Continue to develop Dundee as an autism friendly city, ensuring understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity to enable access to all necessary facilities and services. Drive forward the delivery of the drug commission action plan, working with public bodies and the third sector. This approach must focus on a person centred approach and provide clear routes to recovery, reducing drug related deaths and harm. Work with local and national organisations to support the delivery of projects such as Duntrune Gardens. Access to high quality open space and opportunities like community growing are proven approaches to engaging those suffering mental and physical ill health. Continue to support the Green Health Partnership’s work and green health prescribing approach to reduce the need for medical intervention, where other solutions are appropriate and impactful.

Ensure that alcohol addiction and the harms it causes are given equal prominence as we seek to address underlying social ills in the city. We will work with city partners to drive

Sport and Culture Our Ambition Dundee SNP wants our City to have “thriving local cultural and heritage sectors and renewed place-based pride and identity”, so we were delighted when RSA’s ‘Heritage for Inclusive Growth 2020’ report described Dundee in exactly those terms. Following relentless and focussed effort, the city’s cultural sector is now recognised nationally and internationally. We’ve featured in Time, Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast Traveller as a must visit destination thanks to our efforts. Our sporting heritage also forms part of the culture of our city. From football and rugby to ice hockey and tennis, our city has a diverse offer. We want to build upon that success and connect communities through sport. What we’ve done so far We invested more than £40 million in outstanding sporting facilities such as the Regional Performance Centre for Sport and McTaggart Gymnastic Centre. These facilities are providing the highest quality venues and equipment and showcasing the incredible talent that exists within our city. We also invested in community spaces that provide equipment, activities and venues for sport and exercise.. From the Menzieshill Community Hub to the Hilltown 36

Community Centre, these spaces are offering people the opportunity to exercise in their local community. We invested £500,000 to improve tennis facilities across Dundee and we plan to continue to enhance such facilities, with communities now having access to high quality courts on their doorstep. We've invested £150,000 to provide accessible outdoor gym equipment. This investment is bringing free to access equipment to every community, encouraging positive physical and mental wellbeing. Dundee successfully provided the launch point for the inaugural Women's Tour of Scotland in 2019, helping place the city on the international cycling map. We want to continue to position the city as a destination for sporting events and activities. Dundee was highlighted by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) as a leading example of a citywide regeneration project providing inclusive growth. Through our leadership, we have brought the internationally renowned Eden Project to Dundee, completing the feasibility study and identifying the preferred site. We are now undertaking the detailed development design and planning before moving to construction.

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Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Sport and Culture A re-elected SNP Council will: Build upon our designation as the UK's only UNESCO City of Design, contributing to and participating in global events that showcase our cultural progress. Support the doubling of the number of accredited museums. With new prospects such as the proposed redevelopment of the Dundee Museum of Transport, delivery of the Eden Project and the long-anticipated Comic Book Museum, Dundee’s cultural scene is bristling with opportunities.

Further enhance Dundee’s reputation as a cultural centre by working with key partners to promote and improve the range of cultural opportunities within the city. This will be complemented by the further development of Dundee’s Cultural Strategy. Align the development of the EDEN project with a wider public engagement strategy which seeks to build on the world renowned expertise of EDEN in education, community engagement and environmental science.

Work with Leisure and Culture Dundee to improve facilities across Dundee and increase access to sporting, leisure and cultural opportunities in our local communities.

Deliver an events strategy which seeks to enhance Dundee’s cultural position and provide a wider array of activities throughout the year, including summer festivals, Christmas Celebrations and a renewed focus on St Andrews Day.

Work with partners to ensure children and young people from low-income backgrounds access these facilities and explore proposals for cross-venue access.

Explore opportunities to provide Dundee’s youngest citizens with improved access to sport, working with local sports organisations and interested parties.

Improve access to good quality green spaces in our local areas and ensure these vital spaces are kept clean, safe and easily accessible.

We will also continue to invest in sporting infrastructure from tennis courts and outdoor exercise equipment to community and swimming facilities.

Work to bring Radio 1’s Big Weekend back to Dundee, following its cancellation due to Covid-19.

Dundee SNP Manifesto Council Election 2022

Independence: Scotland's Right to Choose We believe that the people best able to decide how Scotland is governed are the people who live here. Based on those principles we believe the people of Scotland should have the opportunity in a referendum to decide whether Scotland should be an independent country, when the Covid crisis is over. Independence provides the opportunity to pursue priorities tailored to Scotland’s needs. An independent Scotland would have the power to make different choices, with different budgetary results, making choices best suited to Scotland’s interests. Independence will give Scotland the powers we need to grow our economy, invest in our people and public services, for a fairer, wealthier, greener country. Opposite: Dundee's Steeple Church. Photograph courtesy of Paul Robbins.

As SNP Councillors, we will support the Scottish Government’s clear mandate to hold a referendum on independence. It must be up to the people of Scotland – not a Westminster government we didn’t vote for – to decide how Scotland is governed. Dundee voted overwhelmingly in support of independence in 2014 and after failure, lies and cover-ups at the hands of the Tories in Westminster, we believe that demand has only increased. We will campaign, alongside our colleagues across Scotland and in the Scottish Parliament to win Scotland’s independence. We believe that our destiny lies in an independent Scotland.

Manifesto 2022 Dundee Council Election

Promoted by Kate Young on behalf of Dundee SNP, 8 Old Glamis Road, Dundee, DD3 8HP. Printed by Mail Boxes Etc. Dundee, 10 Dock Street, Dundee, DD1 4BT.

DELIVERING FOR

DUNDEE