First Minister’s cost of living guarantee

11 May 2025 09:34 PM

The Scottish Government’s cost of living guarantee will help to deliver vital support for the people of Scotland, First Minister John Swinney has said.

The Programme for Government 2025-26 commits to a range of measures which will help households in a challenging economic climate.

The cost of living guarantee includes:

• Lower income tax than in England for the majority of workers
• Continuation of free prescriptions and free eye appointments
• Free bus travel for 2.3 million people 
• Scottish undergraduate students will continue to pay no tuition fees
• Funded childcare hours, which would otherwise cost families more than £6,000 a year per eligible child.
• Free school meals, which save the average family who take up the offer £400 per child per year, will be expanded, and more breakfast clubs introduced.
• Winter fuel payments restored for Scottish pensioners in 2025-26 

The Programme for Government also committed to scrapping peak rail fares for good from September.

The First Minister yesterday said:

“This Scottish Government will always do what it can to deliver the best deal for the people of Scotland.

“Our cost of living guarantee is delivering real savings for hard-pressed households across the country and it goes further than any package offered in the rest of the UK.

“These policies are already saving people money year on year, in the form of free prescriptions, free bus travel and more. This year we will go even further, funding the restoration of winter fuel payments for every pensioner in Scotland after they were abandoned by the UK Government. And from September, we will be scrapping peak rail fares for good – delivering a better deal for commuters.

“I know that too many people are still struggling during the cost of living crisis and that is why my government is taking action to keep more money in people’s pockets during tough times.”