SNP in five-year council tax vow

Alex Salmond is challenging for a second term as Scottish first minister

The SNP is launching its Scottish election manifesto with the promise of a £50m fund to help young people and pay for a national football academy.

The pledge will come as the party makes its bid for a second term in government, following its win at the polls in 2007.

SNP leader Alex Salmond has pledged to protect vital, front line services while promoting economic recovery.

Voters go to the polls in the Scottish Parliament election on 5 May.

The SNP said its young Scots fund formed part of the £250m Scottish futures initiative, which the party said would be paid for after making savings in the cost of building the new Forth Road Bridge.

Nicola Sturgeon, the party’s deputy leader, said that with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games being held in 2014, young sports stars needed help to realise their potential.

“This is a manifesto brimming with exciting and innovative policies to take Scotland forward, such as our young Scots fund, and which we are confident will help re-elect an SNP government working for Scotland,” she said.

“This £50m fund will help more talented young Scots realise their potential, in sports, business and the arts.”

Ms Sturgeon added: “There are many thousands of youngsters across the country who have huge gifts but never get the chance to make the most of them.

“This fund will help change that by investing in the facilities we need to make the very most of our young talent.”

Elsewhere, the SNP has pledged to protect police numbers and health spending, while ruling out tuition fees or graduate contributions for university students.

The party also wants to stage an independence referendum, for which it did not have enough support in the last parliament, and maintain the small business bonus scheme with a £450m investment.

The minority SNP administration also froze council tax throughout the last parliament, with a pledge to extend it for a further two years, if re-elected.

And the nationalists want to see 10% of journeys on bike by 2020 and establish a green bus fund to reduce public transport carbon emissions.

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