Green MSPs Barred from Supporting Budget: Demand for Public Bus Ownership Action!

A resolution was adopted by members of the Scottish Green Party prior to budget discussions in Holyrood for the upcoming fiscal year.

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Green MSPs are mandated to demand tangible progress on initiatives to revert bus services to public ownership as a condition for supporting any budget agreements in the Scottish Parliament, according to a recently passed party resolution.

Members of the Scottish Green Party have approved a resolution that prevents the party’s seven MSPs from endorsing the 2026-27 budget unless there is significant progress towards re-nationalizing bus services across Scotland.

This decision comes in anticipation of negotiations at Holyrood concerning next year’s budget, where the minority SNP Government will need the support of at least one other party in Parliament to pass its fiscal policies.

The resolution emphasizes the Green Party’s belief that public transport should operate primarily for public benefit rather than private profit, advocating for services that are freely accessible to users.

The Green Party proposes that these services be managed by community and regional transport agencies rather than private enterprises, and commits to only supporting the budget if a financial framework is established that enables regional transport authorities to transition to publicly managed bus services.

The proposal was introduced at the conference by Dan Hutchison, a Green councillor representing Govan ward in Glasgow.

Following the conference, he remarked: “The party has made it clear to our MSPs that endorsing another budget without significant measures targeting Scotland’s major sources of emissions is not acceptable.”

The motion was inspired by the Get Glasgow Moving campaign, which advocates for a premier, integrated, and accessible public transport network that is publicly owned and accountable.

A spokesperson for Get Glasgow Moving expressed support for the Green Party’s motion, stating, “We welcome this step towards improving bus services and hope that other political parties will join in supporting this cause.”