Scottish Conservative Response 2026

CILIP Scotland wrote to all main political parties in Scotland standing in the the 2026 Scottish Election on the 7th of May. On behalf of our members, we posed the same five questions about how they would support libraries and the professionals who run these vital services. We will publish any responses received.

Scottish Conservatives said…

What would your party do to improve the funding support given to school and public libraries in Scotland via local authorities?

• We explicitly recognise libraries are under threat and commit to reversing this through guaranteed increased local government funding, proportionally linked to the overall Scottish Government budget and enshrined in law through our Local Power Bill
• Our Budgetary Freedom Guarantee ensures councils have a protected proportion of their budget to spend on local priorities like libraries, free from ring-fenced SNP national policy demands
• Simplified council funding formula reduces bureaucracy, freeing up resource for frontline services including libraries
• Our commitment to growing the economy and cutting the benefits bill creates the fiscal headroom to properly fund local services
• Our Jobs for Life programme, targeting skills and employability for all ages, creates a natural partnership role for public libraries as community learning hubs

How would you ensure our public library network is best placed to support key outcomes such as improving literacy and health/wellbeing and reducing inequality, child poverty and social isolation? Would you support a new National Strategy for public libraries?

• Walk-in mental health hubs and Men’s Sheds investment demonstrates we understand the value of accessible community spaces for health and wellbeing — public libraries serve an identical function
• We support the aims of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act and commit to employment-based routes out of poverty — public libraries are a key free accessible resource supporting this
• Small Town and Rural Bus Services Fund improves access to community facilities including libraries for those who are most isolated and at risk of social exclusion

How would you provide greater protection for our under-pressure school library sector to ensure they can improve reading for enjoyment levels as well as literacy, critical thinking and attainment? Would you support a refreshed national strategy for school libraries?

• Our new Curriculum for Aspiration puts knowledge acquisition at its heart — school libraries are a natural and essential resource for delivering this
• Commitment to systematic synthetic phonics, mandatory literacy check-ins at P1, P4 and S1, and restoring the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy all directly support outcomes school libraries exist to improve
• Increased Pupil Equity Funding going directly to schools gives headteachers resource to invest in library provision for disadvantaged pupils
• Our proposal to give headteachers greater control over budgets and staffing empowers school leaders who value libraries to properly resource them
• Grant-aided school model provides a blueprint for schools to take direct control of their provision including library services
• We would support a refreshed national school library strategy as a logical complement to our Curriculum for Aspiration and literacy agenda
• Proposal to pay teachers for running extra-curricular activities could extend to reading and library-based programmes

How would you ensure information professionals in other sectors such as health, government and the third sector are valued and supported?

• Our Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy, developed in partnership with staff, would provide an opportunity to formally recognise and embed health information professionals
• Commitment to a One NHS IT platform and rolling out AI across the NHS creates an environment where knowledge management and information professionals are increasingly vital
• Our drive to cut NHS bureaucracy and improve productivity explicitly values staff who improve information flow and reduce administrative burden — a core function of health librarians
• Zero-based budgeting review of all public spending creates an opportunity to make the positive case for the return on investment delivered by information professionals across government and the third sector
• Our Skills Bill, creating a permanent framework linking education and skills to economic need, would support recognition of information management as a valued professional skill set

How do you plan to tackle the rising challenge of misinformation? Do librarians have a role to play in this?

• Our commitment to restoring knowledge-based learning through the Curriculum for Aspiration directly addresses the critical thinking deficit that makes people vulnerable to misinformation
• Mandatory literacy check-ins and the return of the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy build the evidence base and skills foundation needed for information literacy
• Our Government Transparency Bill and Scottish Information and Whistleblowers Commission demonstrate a deep commitment to accurate, trustworthy public information — values librarians share and actively promote
• Parent panels overseeing content taught on contentious issues in schools create a role for trusted information professionals in supporting evidence-based approaches