2026 Elections - What's in it for rural Scotland? Pt. 3

The final edition of our manifesto blog is here, just as the battlegrounds on which this election is being fought crystalises. This week, we take a closer look at what the Scottish National Party and Scottish Liberal Democrats are proposing, and what it could mean for rural businesses. 

The SNP’s manifesto is, in many ways, a continuation of its current policy direction, with a strong emphasis on cost-of-living support and the net zero transition. Its headline proposal to introduce price caps on essential food items is designed to ease pressure on households, but it has raised concerns about the knock-on impact on producers and supply chains. For rural Scotland, the party’s ongoing commitment to renewable energy deployment remains central, supporting continued investment in onshore wind, hydro and wider infrastructure. However, familiar challenges around planning, grid capacity and community consent remain largely unaddressed. 

On land use, the SNP signals further intervention on its land reform agenda, alongside a proposed Rural Renewal Bill intended to bring greater strategic focus to rural policy. As part of this, we saw a commitment to bring forward grants for vulnerable services – a policy set out in a recent paper on tackling depopulation. In housing, commitments to increase supply continue, though there is limited detail on how rural delivery barriers, such as viability and infrastructure, will be overcome. Similarly, while support for Scottish agriculture and tourism is reiterated, there is little in the way of new, targeted interventions to improve profitability or reduce regulatory pressure on rural businesses. 

The Scottish Liberal Democrats’ offer is more explicitly rooted in localism and community-led growth. Their manifesto places a strong emphasis on improving rural services - healthcare, transport and digital connectivity - as a means of underpinning sustainable communities. In housing, their focus on small-scale, community-led development models is arguably better aligned with rural delivery, even if it lacks the scale seen in other parties’ proposals. 

In energy, the Liberal Democrats continue to back renewable deployment, but with a greater emphasis on community benefit and local ownership. This approach could help build consent for infrastructure in rural areas. Environmental policy is generally more targeted than structural, illustrated by measures such as tackling invasive species, alongside investment in home insulation to address fuel poverty. On agriculture and tourism, the party adopts a broadly supportive stance, though without major policy shifts. Most importantly for SLE though, the Lib Dems have directly answered our calls for implementing rural impact assessments in policies, committing to bring these about should they find themselves in government. 

Politically, the contrast between the two parties reflects a wider dynamic in the campaign. Polling consistently shows the SNP on course to remain the largest party and potentially even secure a majority despite losing ground compared to previous elections. At the same time, the Liberal Democrats are expected to make modest gains, particularly in rural and island constituencies, where their focus on local services and community empowerment continues to resonate. 

Taken together, this points to a campaign where the SNP remains dominant overall, but faces increasing competition in the rural areas that will be critical to Scotland’s long-term economic future. For us, the question is less about who wins, and more about how effectively any incoming government can translate broad commitments into practical, deliverable policy that supports growth, investment and sustainable communities.