THIS Thursday Scotland goes to the polls, and I’m urging people across the country to back the SNP to deliver for their communities, to lock the Tories out of council chambers – and to send a message to Boris Johnson that people here have had enough of him and his sleaze-ridden Tory Government.

I firmly believe these are the most important local elections since devolution, and it’s vital that as many people as possible exercise their democratic right to vote.

The Westminster-made cost of living crisis means many families and households across Scotland are terrified to open their bills, but the Tories have neglected the crisis and instead spent most of their time defending the indefensible by making excuses for Boris Johnson’s partying in Downing Street.

That woeful inaction is simply unforgivable – and people across Scotland can make that clear at the polls on Thursday.

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Local government has a key role in supporting communities through the cost of living crisis, and the SNP is absolutely committed to easing the squeeze on the most vulnerable as household bills skyrocket.

The SNP Government has already supported household budgets throughout our time in office with policies like free prescriptions, free university tuition, and the fairest income tax deal in the UK. Meanwhile, Scottish council taxpayers already get the best deal in the UK, with those in Band D properties paying an average £600 less than in England, and around £400 less than in Wales.

SNP councillors elected this week will make tackling the cost of living crisis their priority, and we are offering a raft of policies to help households cope. We will protect the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which allows support to be targeted to those most in need, and will also scrap Council Tax for everyone under 22. For a young person living alone in a Band B property, that will mean an annual saving of around £750. In addition, we are providing £150 to every household in receipt of Council Tax Reduction – regardless of council tax band – and to all other households in council tax bands A to D.

The SNP Government has also provided £10 million though the Fuel Insecurity Fund to help those facing fuel poverty as a result of Westminster’s appalling inaction.

Countries large and small across Europe and beyond have gone out of their way to help their citizens in the face of soaring energy prices now exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. France, for example, has capped energy bill rises at 4% while many countries have slashed VAT on energy bills.

The fact that in the UK bills have been allowed to increase by 54% simply proves that this is a Tory-made, Westminster-enabled cost of living crisis. As an independent country with full control of energy and economic policies we would be able to take similar actions as those other countries, but in the meantime SNP councils will continue to work with the Scottish Government to improve the energy efficiency of homes and buildings. This will help tackle fuel poverty, make it more affordable to heat and power homes, and support our transition to net zero.

Since 2007, the SNP Government has already delivered over 105,000 affordable homes across Scotland. SNP councils will work with the Scottish Government to meet our target of 110,000 more affordable homes by 2032 – 70% of which will be for social rent, and 10% in rural, remote and island areas. We will also work tirelessly to reduce homelessness, end rough sleeping and ensure that everyone has a warm, safe and secure home.

I AM particularly keen that younger voters make their voice heard on polling day this Thursday. And in addition to the policies already mentioned, they will benefit from the SNP’s delivery of free bus travel for under-22s.

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We are also committed to increasing access to sporting, leisure and cultural opportunities in local communities, especially for children and young people from low-income backgrounds.

And it is only the SNP that has a credible plan to secure a net zero and climate resilient future for the generations to come.

People across Scotland have already largely made up their minds about Boris Johnson and decided he is deeply unfit for office.

Thursday is our chance to deliver that message loud and clear, and a vote for the SNP is one to help take our nation forward while the UK parties cling to a broken and corrupt Westminster system that does not work for Scotland.