Council elections 2017: Scottish Conservatives

Ruth Davidson: Picture credit - David Anderson

The Tories manifesto for the forthcoming council elections focuses on opposition to a second independence referendum.

The Scottish Conservatives launched their manifesto for the next month’s local government elections this morning.

Entitled Localism for Growth, it set out the party's plans to oppose a second referendum on independence and to reverse centralisation by the SNP government.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: "The council elections are a chance for people to make clear the priorities they want in Scotland.

"It's to ensure we have local councils focused on your school and your local services, not on a divisive referendum campaign most people don't want.

"We have two key points to make at this election. After ten years of SNP centralisation, we want to make the case for localism - so decisions are put back in the hands of your local community.

"And, after a decade of constitutional division, we want to send a message to the SNP: we don't want your unwanted independence referendum.

"Every Scottish Conservative councillor who is elected on May 4th will demand nothing less."

Local government spokesman Graham Simpson added: “Scotland is fast becoming one of the most centralised countries in the western world.

"The SNP government reserves for itself the right to make the vast majority of economic decisions, so local authorities have been relegated to mere service providers.

"We need to empower councils and give them a renewed sense of meaning and purpose. They can and must be the engines of growth”.