Today, we are launching our manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. We have set out our six key demands for the next government. The results of this election will determine how the government responds to the housing emergency, how it responds to the climate crisis and whether it choses to deliver a local taxation system that works for ordinary people.
Our communities are beyond crisis. Look around your town, scheme, or city and you will see obvious failings: unaffordable housing, closed community centres, expensive transport, and empty high streets.
Austerity, COVID and the cost of living crisis has pushed many into poverty and led to a dramatic decline in living standards. Meanwhile, our country's wealth continues to be funnelled into the pockets of the super rich. We cannot be forced to settle for this system of managed decline as the planet is burning, people go hungry, and far right actors turn neighbour against neighbour.
This manifesto has been created by members of Living Rent, with a single core tenet: life for the average person should be free from the suffering and poverty that so many of us face.
We believe that the essential components of a decent life should work for us, not for landlords, bosses, and the super-rich. Our public services, transport, taxation system, land, and planning systems should bring us comfort, safety, stability, and collective wealth - not be treated as assets to be extracted for profit by the few.
Although by no means exhaustive of our union’s vision, this document presents our key priorities for the next Scottish parliament.
