Ross Greer, the Scottish Green MSP for Renfrewshire, has secured funding for more free school meals, nature restoration projects and trialling a £2 cap on bus fares.
As a result of proposals tabled by Scottish Green negotiators, the Scottish Government’s budget for the coming year will now be changed to include the roll-out of free school meals to thousands more young people in S1-3, starting in eight council areas in August. A year-long regional trial of a £2 cap on bus fares will also be launched on 1st January 2026. The locations of both policies will be confirmed at a later date.
Other Green proposals accepted by the Government include increasing funding for nature restoration to a record £26m, free ferry travel for young islanders, free bus travel for people seeking asylum and help for first time home buyers by increasing tax on the purchase of second or holiday homes.
Ross Greer MSP said: “The Scottish Greens put tackling child poverty, climate action and funding for local services like schools and libraries at the heart of our budget negotiations. We have delivered progress on all of these fronts.
“No young person should be sitting in school hungry. As a result of our work, thousands more pupils in S1-S3 will now receive a free school meal. This builds on the expansion of universal free school meals to P4 and P5 already secured by the Scottish Greens. It also takes us another step closer to our goal of every young person in Renfrewshire and across Scotland getting a free school meal.
“Together, these changes secured by Scottish Green MSPs will lift more children out of poverty, reduce the cost of public transport, create good quality jobs, tackle the climate crisis and protect local services.”
As a result of Scottish Green negotiations, this budget includes:
- Making public transport cheaper: A year long regional trial of capping bus fares at £2 starting 1st January 2026, free bus travel for people seeking asylum and free inter-island ferry travel for young island residents
- Action to tackle child poverty: The expansion of free school meals to thousands of S1-S3 pupils who receive the Scottish Child Payment, starting with eight councils areas in August 2025.
- Record climate action: A record £4.9bn of funding for climate action and nature restoration.
- Progressive taxation to support public services: Increased tax on the purchase of second or holiday homes and moving forward with proposals for a Cruise Ship Levy, the consultation for which will launch in February
- Protecting local services: A real-term funding increase for local councils, and progress on giving councils more direct power through a consultation on devolving Parking Charge Notices (parking fines)