Building a Scotland Ready for the Future: Practical priorities for a healthier, more prosperous and resilient Scotland

Today CERG has published its latest briefing ‘Building a Scotland Ready for the Future – Practical priorities for a healthier, more prosperous and resilient Scotland’  

The paper makes five important points: 

• Scotland faces interconnected economic, social and environmental challenges that are already putting pressure on household finances, businesses, public services and nature, alongside climate-related damage. 

• These challenges do not need to be tackled in competition with one another. Joined-up action can deliver multiple benefits: reducing household costs, improving health and wellbeing, creating good jobs, strengthening local economies and building long-term resilience. 

• Stakeholder engagement has identified six priority areas where existing and planned activity could deliver significant social, economic and environmental benefits quickly—if the right next steps are taken. 

• That means treating the Scottish Government’s four national priorities as connected goals, not competing objectives. 

• Delivering at pace and scale requires clear policy direction and four interlinked approaches:  

• • delivering through places;  

• • making public investment work harder and raising revenue;  

• • maximising community ownership, wealth and shared benefits;  

• • improving decision-making and joining up government. 

This year’s Programme for Government sets out the Government’s ambition for preventative action, greater resilience and stronger regional economies. CERG’s priorities support these ambitions by providing a practical framework for coordinated action that addresses the climate crisis, maximises benefits and reduces future costs and risks. 

We invite the Scottish Government to engage with CERG and cross-sectoral partners to turn shared priorities into tangible action and lasting outcomes.