The SNP has been accused of leaving a trail of broken election promises - exactly a year on from their return to power in the Scottish Government.
Schemes to give free laptops or tablets to every child, bikes to the poorest youngsters and a £60m plan to renew every playpark haven’t been delivered.
And completion of Anne’s Law to give visiting rights to families with loved ones in care homes - which First Minister Nicola Sturgeon promised after a Sunday Mail campaign - is still rumbling on.
Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar said: “The SNP’s record in government is littered with broken promises.
“In the last year alone the pledge to upgrade every park has been abandoned, the promise to focus on recovery has been forgotten, and children are still waiting for the bikes and the laptops they were promised.
“At every turn the SNP choose spin over substance, chasing a headline then abandoning their announcements as soon as they’re out of the news.”
The SNP vowed to spend £60mi renewing every playpark in its manifesto for the Holyrood election last year.
After winning the election Sturgeon said it had been a commitment that “penetrates beyond the political bubble.”
But months after the vote council leaders claimed the flagship policy had been “revised” after high-level talks.
A leaked document shows changes to the “scope and flexibility” of the promise amid funding concerns.
A confidential paper by council umbrella group COSLA reveals the body told the Government £60 million was not enough and raised the “impracticability” of refurbishing all play parks.
It said “compromise wording” was agreed which gave councils “flexibility” to determine where the funding would be targeted.
In March 2021 the SNP promised to “provide every child in Scotland with a device to get online, including a free internet connection and the support to use it”.
But it emerged in December only one in 10 have been supplied.
Sturgeon insisted she was “extremely committed” to the scheme when grilled on the slow progress two months go.
But when pressed on how many had been delivered she told Education Committee convener Stephen Kerr: “I don’t have the precise number right now, I will get that for you.”
Deputy First Minister John Swinney made the commitment before the Holyrood election.
He said at the time that if the SNP was re-elected to government, it would “roll out a new programme to deliver into the hands of every school child in Scotland a laptop, Chromebook or tablet to use in school and at home.”
Sturgeon’s election promise last year to give free bikes to Scotland’s poorest children has resulted in less than 1,000 being distributed, it emerged in February.
Statistics show just 988 bikes have been delivered through pilot schemes at a total cost of £935,797.
Government agency Transport Scotland said the average cost per bike is between £300 - £500 and with initial “resource and capital outlay costs” linked to the bill.
Six 12-month projects were opened in August last year with officials saying more would follow with different approaches tested for a national roll-out.
The SNP has promised to complete the programme during the current Scottish Parliamentary session, which ends in 2026.
The new Anne’s Law legislation would give designated family members the same rights as staff to enter the homes where their loved ones lived.
It came after thousands of residents were left cut off from their families over lockdown for months on end.
Many homes continue to operate severe restrictions after over two years since the Covid-19 first struck.
While government guidance has been implemented and is now widely followed, Anne’s Law legislation has not yet been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: “Scotland’s nationalist coalition has broken promise after promise.
“From digital devices for students to refurbishing play parks, worker retraining to council tax reform, ministers make big promises when elections roll around and then ditch them as soon as the poll is in the rear view mirror.”
Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells said: “From failing to deliver on much-hyped freebies, to their fiasco at Ferguson Marine, the SNP have continually let down communities across Scotland over the last 15 years.
“The SNP always over-promise and under deliver, always promising the earth to voters during election time.”
Local elections this week are likely to one again highlight the SNP’s dominance at every level of Scottish politics.
If forecasts in recent weeks are accurate Nicola Sturgeon’s party are on course to win the backing of 44 per cent of first preference votes, up from 32per cent in 2017.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the criticism was a matter for the SNP.
The SNP were approached for comment.
