Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party: 23/03/2012 Party Election Broadcasts

Right across Scotland, Conservatives are working hard for you.

With more than 130 councillors nationwide,

and in charge in full or in part in eight local authority areas,

Conservatives really are making a difference - to our schools,

to local policing, local services and to our environment.

But we want to do more.

How you vote in May's election will decide

how many houses get built in your area,

what leisure facilities you can use

and what support is on offer for local shops and businesses.

I want my council tax money to be spent efficiently.

The Scottish Conservatives have a good record

of keeping council tax bills low, supporting local businesses

and supporting the Scottish police force.

But there is a bigger question, too, about who should have the power

to take decisions about your town, your street and your local school.

The Scottish Conservatives believe

more power should be handed to local people.

Powers for communities to run services where they can do it better than the council.

Powers for local authorities to be in full charge of housing allocation,

so the individual needs of communities can be met locally.

I don't feel that the government in Edinburgh understands our community.

I would like more decisions to be made by local people,

and the Conservatives want that too.

Conservatives are making a difference all over Scotland.

In Aberdeenshire, the Conservative administration has saved £52 million

of taxpayers' money in two years, while keeping up frontline services.

The council has been voted

the best local authority to work for in the whole of the UK.

In the Borders, recycling rates have soared to more than 40%.

The Conservative administration has built three high schools

and refurbished five primaries, more than any council has done before.

And in South Ayrshire, we have overseen

a dramatic improvement in education over the past five years,

catapulting the council into the top four in the country.

'We believe in supporting business

'and offering young people greater training and job opportunities.'

This is the first time I'm going to be voting in a local election

and I'm going to vote Conservative. Young people need to know that they have representatives

who care about good skills and opportunities for work.

A vote for the Scottish Conservatives is a vote for the United Kingdom.

It is a vote for people who will work hard in your area,

who will fight for more decisions to be taken locally,

who will ensure good value for money and high-quality local services.

Voting Conservative will make a difference to Scotland.

Voting Conservative will make a difference to you.