I don't know about you, but the manifestos are piling up in my house: promises from the left, the right, the centre, the Greens, Nationalists and a few raving loonies for good measure.

While I worry about the environmental damage and the number of trees felled to produce the litany of promises, gimmicks and bribes, the organisation I represent in Scotland has fought back.

This weekend we're sending out to every prospective Westminster candidate and to business leaders our manifesto outlining what we, the UK's self-employed, freelancers, entrepreneurs and contractors would like to see from government at Westminster and Holyrood.

Most people recognise the revolution in the way we work is well under way; 4.6 million people are self-employed in the UK, with over 273,000 of us working in Scotland, or 11 per cent of the Scottish workforce.

This converts to a 39 per cent growth in UK figures since 2000 and, within these figures, it is worth remembering that women are the fastest growth group, up 20 per cent in the past six years.

Individuals are realising the numerous benefits that come with the freedom to work flexibly, building their own businesses while managing their work-life balance.

It is clear that this is not a cyclical phenomenon. Self-employment has outstripped growth in permanent employment by three to one in the last decade, and this pattern will no doubt continue in the coming years.

Government at Holyrood and Westminster has started to recognise this structural shift, and important strides have been made to create a better environment for independent professionals and the self-employed to operate in.

My organisation, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE), the UK's biggest body representing the self-employed and independent professionals, has contributed to the Office of Tax Simplification's review of Employment Status and the IR35 Forum to address small business taxation. We have also worked closely with the Cabinet Office to create a Security Clearance Forum, which helps to ensure government departments are fair in their procurement processes for the UK's smallest businesses.

Talking to IPSE about the growth in this sector, Prime Minister David Cameron had this message to those considering joining the ranks of the self-employed: "Go for it. There is an army of self-starters on the move across Britain's economy, working in almost every sector, every region and all age groups. There has never been a better time to start a business."

IPSE is also the Latin word for "self" or "by oneself", a reference to our chosen way of working.

In Scotland, we are ready to work with an administration that recognises this growing community and seems more than willing to engage with us. Like us, it is concerned with the plight of the thousands of specialist freelancers and contractors caught up in the volatility surrounding the North Sea oil industry.

But UK-wide, this piecemeal approach does not go far enough. Bold and joined-up thinking is needed if we are to unleash the huge potential of Britain's secret weapon: independent professionals and the self-employed. Following the independence referendum in 2014, it now inevitable that the Scottish Parliament will be given more powers in the future. A changing political landscape in Scotland also means that Scottish politicians in Westminster will soon have a unique opportunity to ensure that policy is in place, which makes it easy to both become self-employed, and to be self-employed.

We want our politicians to consider:

�¢ Better recognition in government of the needs of the self-employed.

�¢ Maternity pay for the self-employed.

�¢ Work hubs exempt from business rates.

�¢ A small business conciliation service.

�¢ Strong sanctions for late payers.

�¢ A better tax system that is simpler, clearer and fairer for the self-employed.

That's why in the next few days the politicians will have a manifesto popping through their doors, eco-friendly I should add, from one of the UK's fastest growing communities. We're looking for their vote: a vote of confidence.

Gary Sharp is deputy chairman of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed.