60 Second Briefing: April 23
LibDems
- LibDems highlighted the effect of the London Olympics on cuts worth more than £1m to sportscotland and community projects, contrasting this with their plans for 1000 new sports coaches and an hour every day of PE in schools as well as the use of school facilities as community hubs at weekends.
SNP- Nationalists hailed the latest poll which show them retaining their lead into the final stages of the campaign. In a speech pledging to retain health services closer to local people, health spokeswoman Shona Robison promised to overturn the closure of Monklands and Ayr accident and emergency departments. She also pledged to phase out prescription charges and health checks for the over 40s.
Labour- Environment secretary David Miliband, having ruled himself out of the party's leadership race, joined Jack McConnell on the stump in Glasgow to claim the party had already put climate change at the heart of its policy - while the SNP's environmental record was described as a sham.
Conservatives- The current lack of affordable homes will be tackled by Tory plans to pump £100m annually into local trusts to help young families get on the housing ladder. Annabel Goldie said their plans would be the biggest boost to home ownership since the right to buy - which critics blame for the continuing renting crisis.
Others- Both the Greens and the Scottish Socialists reacted with fury to backtracking by the SNP on bringing back regulation of the bus industry. The nationalists remain committed to integrated public transport and deny "cash for policies" linked to donation from Stagecoach's Brian Souter, but critics say it amounts to a commitment dropped since their last manifesto.
