The Responsible Business Scorecard Making Holyrood Work for Responsible Business May 2016

Transcription

1 The Responsible Business Scorecard Making Holyrood Work for Responsible Business May 2016 The Responsible Business Scorecard for Holyrood Elections 2016 These are important elections for Scotland, perhaps the most important since devolution given the significant new powers that have been devolved to Holyrood. Business in the Community Scotland wants to see those powers used to change our country for the better. Our members work together to tackle a wide range of issues that are essential to building a fairer society and a more sustainable future, but to be as effective in delivering the change we need, we need a policy background that makes it easier to deliver through responsible business. That s why we have analysed all the main party manifestos to look for those ideas that will make the difference, and this document will celebrate the best of those manifesto concepts. Government, Parliament and responsible businesses can work together to deliver real change across the country, making our society fairer and our future more sustainable. We believe that we need to work together to: 1. Ensure that age, gender, race and health do not limit an employee s engagement and success in the workplace. 2. Design smart ways to generate wealth so that our economy becomes regenerative, ensuring future business success. 3. Prevent social background predicting a young person's success at school and beyond. 4. Help people overcome disadvantage by increasing access to good, sustainable employment. 5. Create jobs and vibrant communities by supporting small local businesses. These are the key criteria against which we have evaluated the manifestos published by each of the main political parties. Scottish National Party (SNP) Scottish Labour Scottish Conservatives Scottish Lib Dems Scottish Greens 137 Shepherdess Walk London N1 7RQ I T: +44 (0) I President HRH The Prince of Wales I Chairman Antony Jenkins I Chief Executive Stephen Howard Business in the Community is registered in England and Wales (297716) and Scotland (SC046226). Company limited by guarantee No

2 What has emerged is that no party has a monopoly of innovation in this area - and real achievement will require all parties, indeed the whole of Scotland, to work together. BITC Scotland will engage enthusiastically in the policy process during the next Scottish Parliamentary term to ensure that the causes we hold dear - a fairer and more sustainable future for the country - are delivered through action in Parliament and a dynamic, responsible business environment. Ultimately, we will achieve more, faster, when responsible businesses and Government work hand in hand. We believe this analysis highlights that there is a genuine wealth of policy development under way, and we can ensure the fifth Scottish Parliamentary term can take some transformative steps, with business, Parliament and Government working together. Scottish National Party (SNP) 1 We have restricted our analysis to those parties who have been represented in the Scottish Parliament between 2011 and 2016, the fourth term at Holyrood. After nine years in Scottish Government, this is a direct appeal to re-elect the First Minister, giving Nicola Sturgeon her first personal mandate for the job. She will want the themes of social justice to stand out in this bid for re-election, and has self-identified that she wants to be judged on whether or not she reduces the educational attainment gap during the lifetime of the next Parliament. By 2021, we will almost double the number of hours of free early years education and childcare to 30 hours a week for vulnerable 2 year olds and all 3 and 4 year olds. We will implement our new National Improvement Framework for schools to drive up standards for all and close the attainment gap between young people from the most and those from the least affluent backgrounds. We will increase investment in the Scottish Attainment Fund by 750 million over the course of the next parliament, with more money allocated direct to headteachers. We will implement the recommendations of the Widening Access Commission to ensure that, by 2030, at least 20 per cent of university entrants come from our 20 per cent most deprived communities. We will set clear targets to measure progress along the way. We will deliver 100 per cent superfast broadband coverage for Scotland by the end of the next Parliament. The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 2

3 We will lead a national drive to improve productivity, giving support for business, innovation, infrastructure, skills and fair work. We will bring forward a new Climate Change Bill to implement the Paris Climate Change Agreement and set an ambitious new target for Scotland to reduce emissions by more than 50 per cent by We will increase the number of Modern Apprenticeships to 30,000 a year by We will use our new powers to establish a Maternity and Early Years Allowance to help tackle child poverty. We will extend payment of the Living Wage ensuring that all social care workers receive the Living Wage by October 2016 and doubling the number of accredited employers from 500 to 1,000 by autumn Scottish Labour Kezia Dugdale has launched a manifesto late in the campaign, which has a focus on fairness and on using the new tax powers recently transferred to the Scottish Parliament from Westminster. She wants to differentiate herself from the SNP through a more aggressive and active opposition to continued austerity, along with active use of new welfare powers to influence poverty outcomes. Protecting the education budget in real terms could provide a 2 billion boost to our economy and give everybody the chance to develop the skills they need to compete for the high-tech jobs of the future We will match the planned increase in pre-school entitlement, but will begin to move towards the flexible, all-age, year-round, wrap-around affordable childcare Scottish families need. In Scotland today, too many of our children are falling behind, so we will ensure that within the next ten years every child leaves primary school able to read to a high standard. The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 3

4 We will make it cheaper and easier to get to work. That s why we will integrate Scotland s transport system, accessible with one smartcard ticket for use on all modes of public transport, the length and breadth of our country. For those who are sentenced to time in prison, we want to make prison work it shouldn t just be a place to hold people who have committed crimes but should provide meaningful rehabilitation to reduce reoffending with opportunities for education, training and voluntary work. We will address the causes of food insecurity by campaigning for a real living wage, the end of exploitative zero-hours contracts and for a more humane approach to social security. We will support community responses to food poverty. We will more than double the Sure Start Maternity Grant for new mums in need to 1,030. This is an example of where we can use the new powers to lift children out of poverty and give them a fair chance in life. We will appoint a Cabinet Secretary for Equalities responsible for mainstreaming gender equality, who will introduce a Gender Equality Bill and support efforts to deliver equal pay We will create a new agency, Skills Scotland, with a clear focus on building the skills communities need, whether people are just joining the workforce or looking to develop their skills and careers. We will develop and boost the role of the Scottish Investment Bank strengthening its capital to support new thinking and invest in Scottish industry, business, and the green and high-tech industries of the future. Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson has positioned the Scottish Conservatives manifesto for 2016 as a job application to become the strong opposition to the SNP that they argue Labour are failing to be. This manifesto is one which focuses on a low tax environment for Scotland, whist advocating continued investment in health, and an education section which is arguably the most radical on offer. We will form a Shadow Council of Economic Advisers to provide continuing advice on tax decisions made by the Scottish Government. The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 4

5 The NHS is the public s top priority and we will demand that NHS funding is increased by 2%, inflation or Barnett Consequentials whichever is higher. We will also call for a significant increase in support for mental health services. We will build the case for boosting funds for our Further Education Colleges and providing more support for training and skills. One of our first priorities will be to call immediately for the repeal of the Named Persons provisions. We will demand that funds are diverted to a new Crisis Family Fund to support projects across Scotland which offer early intervention, help troubled families, and provide tailored support. We will campaign to give schools, teachers and parents more freedom so that every school has the chance to become a unique and great local school in or out of local authority control. The Scottish Government has proposed offering 30 hours of childcare a week, mostly for 3 and 4 year olds. We will push the case for offering more of these hours to 1 and 2 year olds, particularly those from deprived communities. The transfer of significant tax and welfare powers to the Scottish Parliament heralds a new era of devolution. We need to use these powers responsibly and with a clear purpose. Our taxes should be competitive and fair and help boost employment across Scotland. Our welfare system should support our most vulnerable and help those who want to work find employment through ongoing support. Keeping communities safe will always be a priority for us. We will also push for a thorough review of purposeful activity in prisons to ensure that they offer the best rehabilitation opportunities alongside protection of the public. We will demand that the Scottish Government takes a grip and ensures that we see a real homebuilding revolution in the next five years. With over a third of households struggling to heat their homes, we will make the case for a transformative investment in energy efficiency across Scotland. Thousands of jobs will be created in all corners of Scotland, homes will be easier to heat, households will save on their energy bills - all whilst reducing carbon emissions. The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 5

6 Scottish Liberal Democrats Willie Rennie s manifesto and campaign has been focused overwhelmingly on education, and increased education spending is the proposed outcome of a 1p increase in taxation across the board. Education is the primary focus of his Be the best again theme, with secondary focus on the NHS, climate change, civil liberties and decentralisation. Our Scottish Liberal Democrat proposal is to use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to raise half a billion pounds extra every year for education from a 1p increase in income tax across all bands. We will extend entitlement to all 2-year-olds and take new steps to give extra support to the most vulnerable families from an earlier age, working with health visitors. Help schools develop links with local businesses, colleges and universities, echoing the Commission for Developing Scotland s Young Workforce which expressed concern that only one third of Scottish businesses have meaningful engagement with schools. Use Scotland International and the Global Scots network to create a special programme for young women potentially interested in a career in science, using inspiring women scientists from around the world Double the funding to treat children and young people to end the scandal of waits for mental health treatment of up to a year and the long journeys to access it Encourage entrepreneurship and start-up businesses with new networking opportunities, enterprise education in schools, and the expansion of creativity, innovation and excellence through culture and sport Promote new partnerships with the third sector to help more prisoners get into successful employment after release Support growth of social enterprises in Scotland, to promote the innovation they can bring, and the wide group of people they draw into the productive economy Commit to a contactless payment system for travel across Scotland, making The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 6

7 public transport easy and giving automatic access to the lowest fares We support a fullscale review of business rates to consider the fundamentals of the system such as the current penalties businesses face when they improve their premises or install renewable energy machinery - and the difficulties faced by some start-up companies Scottish Greens Patrick Harvie s manifesto for the Scottish Greens balances policies on universal issues of education, housing and tax with environmental and social justice concerns around fracking and equalities. Following party support for independence in 2014, the Greens reiterate their support for a yes campaign should a second referendum take place. Overall, their platform has widened significantly in recent times from its historic focus in environmentalism. We will push for and deliver over 200,000 jobs in clean, green industries; and we can help small businesses, social enterprises and employee-owned ventures to flourish. We will campaign to make government business support available only to those companies who plan to pay the Living Wage, avoid zero-hours contracts, recognise trade unions, reduce the gap between the highest and lowest paid, pay women and men equally and are environmentally responsible. Green MSPs will campaign for a Scotland Guarantee of a job, training or education for every school-leaver. Green MSPs will push for a new scheme delivered on a non-profit basis, contracted locally to the public and third sectors, which recognises the value of voluntary work and makes a genuine investment in participants skills. Such a scheme would address barriers to accessing work on account of age, disability, race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Green MSPs will help tackle educational inequality at the earliest stage by working with local authorities to deliver meaningful access to a GTCS qualified teacher in every nursery and 20 hours early-years education per week. The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 7

8 We will strengthen the Scottish Welfare Fund to enable rapid decisions to be made on applications, and use newly devolved power to support people who are left without income as a result of UK benefit delays. With a guarantee of 27.5 hours a week of education during secondary and 25 hours during Primary we will help avoid cuts that ultimately harm children s education Green MSPs will work with other parties to close the attainment gap with funding that targets pupils in need who do not qualify for the Attainment Scotland Fund. We believe in funding training for teachers so that they are able to tackle diversity issues in the classroom. Green MSPs will focus on creating a child-friendly society. We will support programmes aimed at providing young people with confidence and self-worth and campaigns to reduce stigma and social pressures on children. What this tells us about what can be achieved in the fifth Scottish Parliament In the last year, at Business in the Community Scotland we have seen positive attempts to drive businesses towards embracing the responsible business agenda through government initiatives such as the Business Pledge and the Living Wage, and many of the parties manifesto commitments for this election nod towards that agenda. Whilst commendable in spirit and ambition, we would like to see a movement hatched by business, the third sector and government collectively - and driven by business. In effect, the establishment of a National Action Plan for Responsible Business in Scotland. Our ambitions are long-term and deep-rooted. So often we ve seen well-intentioned short programmes and initiatives unveiled with great fanfare only to splutter out. We need to be aiming for true transformative change; setting long-term goals and coalescing our resources around the vital few issues which in concert we can resolve. In Scotland that means educating all of our children to ensure that they can contribute to, and benefit from, our economy. To do this we must first make sure that the 200,000 children living in poverty are fed well enough to benefit from what their schooling can offer. We need to ensure that our education system is fit for practice the purpose of education is to prepare our young people to enter the world of work yet the world of work has changed beyond recognition over the past 25 years. For over 30 years we have been a leader in promoting the clear benefits to employers from engaging with young people at school and we will continue to do so. Our country must be competitive on a global scale we must look to the dynamic countries of a similar size punching above their weight in the world and study their education systems. We must use our unique sense of community in Scotland to pull together all those who can contribute to, and implement, this plan of action. The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 8

9 Embedding the principles of responsible business would ultimately improve our economy and thus the employability and lives of our people. Every Scot would benefit from an inclusive economy. It will take much discussion and a degree of trial and error but if we can begin by agreeing in principle on the foundation of a National Action Plan for Responsible Business then that s a very good start indeed. Conclusion Each of the five parties has published a detailed manifesto with dozens of policies, most of which have an implication for one of the five areas we outlined in the introduction to this paper. Readers should not over-analyze why we selected the policies we did from each party, nor should the number of highlighted boxes be presumed to act as an indication of our judgement on each party. Instead, we are trying to highlight that on offer at this election are sets of policies which, when combined, could make Holyrood work for responsible business more during this term than it ever has done before. Our post-devolution politics has been custom-designed to foster cooperation. Our Cross Party Groups, Committees and Chamber are all intended to create an environment for consensus and collaboration, and we would encourage all parties to engage fully in this spirit during the next term, in the areas we have outlined in the tables above. This document is intended to celebrate the best of what our parties have produced. Together, we can create a fair and sustainable economic future, and Business in the Community Scotland will spend the next five years encouraging our parties to do just that. The Prince s Responsible Business Network I 9