{"id":871840,"date":"2026-04-04T15:56:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T15:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/871840\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T15:56:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T15:56:15","slug":"scottish-liberal-democrats-pledge-to-get-scotland-moving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/871840\/","title":{"rendered":"Scottish Liberal Democrats pledge to \u2018get Scotland moving\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton<\/a> has set out plans to \u201cget Scotland moving again\u201d as he took part in a dance class in Edinburgh<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mr Cole-Hamilton said his party would open up new ways to connect villages, towns and cities, making it easier and more affordable to travel around.<\/p>\n

His party\u2019s manifesto for the Holyrood election in May<\/a> includes plans to improve core connections, driving progress on major projects such as dualling the A9 and tunnels for Shetland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It also plans to pass a c Bill to end the SNP<\/a> Government\u2019s \u201cferries fiasco<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: \u201cScottish Liberal Democrats<\/a> will get Scotland moving again.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter where you live, we\u2019ll help you get around. No-one and nowhere will be left behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will help you get to work and use transport to give you new opportunities for employment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy opening up new ways to connect villages, towns and cities, we will make it more convenient and affordable to reach public services and get to appointments, travel for education and recreation, or bring up a family.”<\/p>\n

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton during a dance class with local dance company, La Belle Arts at LBA Studios, (Image: Jane Barlow\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe SNP Government\u2019s ferries fiasco is a national embarrassment that has left islanders and coastal communities in areas like Inverclyde<\/a> and Argyll & Bute without the lifeline services they need.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 19 years, ministers have overseen the decimation of many local bus services.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoads are in a terrible state, with potholes everywhere and the dualling of crucial trunk roads miles behind schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cScotland deserves better.<\/p>\n

\u201cScottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to get Scotland moving again by fixing our roads and our ferries.\u201d<\/p>\n

His party\u2019s manifesto also includes plans to give local authorities the fair funding they need for issues ranging from fixing more potholes to helping people switch to an electric vehicle.<\/p>\n

Read More:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr Cole-Hamilton, who was limbering up with the La Belle Arts dance company in Edinburgh, said: \u201cPublic transport will better fit your needs because we\u2019ll give you a real say in deciding when and where services go.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy improving core connections, driving progress on major projects such as dualling the A9 and fixed links for Shetland, we will boost regional development and rejuvenate our economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd by investing to move all forms of transport away from fossil fuels, as well as encouraging walking and cycling, we will protect the environment and improve public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Linden, SNP candidate for Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston<\/a>, said: \u201cThanks to the SNP taking ScotRail<\/a> into public ownership we have been able to scrap peak rail fares for good and freeze fares for another year \u2013 saving commuters up to \u00a32,000 a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder the SNP, Scotland has the most generous concessionary bus fare scheme in the UK, meaning that 2.3 million people are eligible for free bus travel. We are now going even further by piloting a \u00a32 bus fare cap in the Highlands and Islands.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we face challenges with ferry services right now, the facts show that under the SNP, we are operating more sailings and serving more routes than ever before having invested more than \u00a32 billion in ferry services.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have delivered major improvements to our road infrastructure including the Aberdeen<\/a> bypass and Queensferry Crossing, and have invested \u00a320 million into improving connectivity in the Northern Isles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what you get from the SNP under John Swinney<\/a>\u2019s trusted leadership \u2013 real action to keep Scotland moving whilst also putting more money in people\u2019s pockets.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has set out plans to \u201cget Scotland moving again\u201d as he took…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":871841,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[116245,748,247459,247460,4884,247461,11518,247462,712,247458,247463,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-871840","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-alex-cole-hamilton","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-cole-hamilton","11":"tag-core-connections","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-la-belle-arts","14":"tag-liberal-democrats","15":"tag-major-projects","16":"tag-scotland","17":"tag-scottish-liberal-democrat","18":"tag-snp-government","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116347259209024204","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/871841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}