The programme protects those most at risk from severe illness
The First Minister has urged all those eligible for a flu vaccination this year to take up the offer as he received his in Edinburgh.
Getting the flu vaccine is extremely important for those who are most vulnerable to the virus to protect them from severe illness and in some cases, death. Eligible groups include people 65 years and older, pregnant women and those with certain health conditions.
Unpaid carers and health and social care staff are also eligible as the vaccine helps prevent transmission of the virus so helps protect those they are caring for.
The flu virus is always changing and the vaccination offers the best protection against the strains circulating each winter. Getting vaccinated ahead of the peak festive season is important to allow time for your body to build up protection against the virus.
First Minister John Swinney qualifies for a flu vaccine as an unpaid carer. Attending the NHS Lothian centre at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal he said: “I welcome the chance to receive my flu vaccine and I want to thank all those involved in this year’s roll-out.
“Since the start of this year’s programme, staff have delivered more than 980,000 flu vaccines to those most at risk and, with flu cases rising, I would encourage all those who are eligible to take up an appointment ahead of the worst of winter.
“We saw very high levels of the flu virus last year across Scotland, with over 6,500 adults being hospitalised, which contributed to real pressure on the NHS. So please take the opportunity to protect yourself and those around you and reduce your risk of ending up in hospital.”
Appointments for a flu vaccine will be sent to most eligible groups. Unpaid carers and household contacts of those who are immunosuppressed can book online or call the vaccination helpline to arrange an appointment at a suitable time and location anywhere in Scotland.
More information on the flu vaccine is available at NHS Inform:
‘‘Dreadful’ Climate Plan does nothing for households, workers and communities’
Communities will ‘benefit from cleaner air, warmer homes and new job opportunities’ under draft plans to cut emissions published yesterday.
The draft Climate Change Plan to 2040 sets out actions designed to reduce Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions and meet our first three carbon budgets, whilst supporting jobs, growth and community regeneration.
Scotland is already over half way to net zero having reduced emissions by 51.3% since 1990 – the largest reduction in the UK and faster than the EU average, using comparable statistics.
Climate action is not only essential to protecting our future. When done correctly, it offers one of the greatest opportunities to create jobs and prosperity for our communities.
Our draft Climate Change Plan outlines detailed actions needed to do this up to 2040.
The new plan details over 150 policies and proposals building on this progress, including:
setting a target to decarbonise building heat systems by 2045
phasing out new diesel and petrol cars by 2030
increasing woodland creation so that by 2029/30 18,000 hectares are planted every year, with 21% woodland cover in Scotland by 2032
increasing peatland restoration by 10% each year to 2030
The independent Climate Change Committee has emphasised the necessity for shared delivery and collaboration between national governments given between 30-60% of the emissions reduction required in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will be in areas of policy that are mostly reserved.
Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Raising awareness of climate action has never been so important, with communities across Scotland and around the world already being affected – through flooding, heatwaves and wildfires.
“This draft plan includes over 150 actions across sectors such as transport, heat in buildings and agriculture that are key to achieving Scotland’s net zero goal while supporting people to make and adjust to the changes required.
“It also describes how we will seize and fairly distribute the opportunities from the transition to net zero – from new jobs, inclusive growth and better infrastructure to improved public services and healthier people – thanks to cleaner air, warmer homes and wealthier communities.
“The plan does not ask the impossible of people. We will not sacrifice people’s health or wealth.
“Through this consultation, everyone has a voice in shaping the final plan to inform future decision making and ensure that we reach our net zero in a way that is fair, ambitious and capable of rising to the emergency before us.”
Scotland’s climate coalition has welcomed publication of the Scottish Government’s draft climate routemap. However, it says there are major missed opportunities to reduce emissions in some of the most polluting sectors in ways that deliver meaningful improvements to the lives of people in Scotland.
The Scottish Government’s draft Climate Change Plan (CCP), released today, sets out how it believes the country will reduce emissions in line with national climate targets. The draft will now be scrutinised by MSPs, and the public will have the opportunity to have their say.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) says the final plan must have increased focus on tangible and urgent action that is funded fairly, with reduced reliance on unproven technologies.
Ahead of conducting a full assessment of the plan, Dr Mike Robinson, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said: “Publication of this long-awaited draft plan represents a step forward but if positive intentions are not matched with urgent delivery the plan risks being meaningless.
“Ministers needed to go much further in the most polluting sectors through things like free public transport, meaningful reform to farming support and legislation to drive changes in the way we heat our homes.
“Projections show the financial benefits of following carbon-cutting measures proposed in the draft CCP are almost 10 times the cost of implementing them – that’s a win-win for people and the planet.
“This plan must now undergo robust scrutiny to test its effectiveness, feasibility and ambition. It needs to be strengthened, with a clearer focus on immediate action that rapidly cuts emissions in ways that address the daily struggles many people are facing and unlock the benefits of fair climate action.
“Scottish ministers must also prove their commitment to funding the final Plan in a way that’s genuinely fair by making polluters pay for their damage.
“There can be no more climate action delays or mis-steps – nor a continued gamble on as yet unproven technology to bail us out.”
‘Dreadful’ Climate Plan does nothing for households, workers and communities
Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth Scotland have reacted to the draft Climate Plan from the Scottish Government saying it “will barely scratch the surface” on climate emissions in the coming years.
The “dreadful” plan contains nothing to help oil workers, people struggling to pay energy bills or communities cut off from bus services, campaigners say.
In 2024, the Scottish Government weakened its climate commitments after years of failure by Ministers to deliver on promises.
Public support for climate action remains high with the overwhelming majority of people in Scotland concerned about climate breakdown.
Climate campaigners along with Palestine solidarity groups, migrant justice organisations and grassroots groups are organising a major climate march through Glasgow on Saturday 15th November. It is part of a Global Day of Action in the middle of the United Nations climate talks in Brazil.
Friends of the Earth Scotland head of campaigns Caroline Rance commented: “This is a dreadful plan that will barely scratch the surface never mind get us back on track to meet our climate commitments.
“There is nothing here to help people who are struggling to pay their energy bills, communities cut off by unreliable buses, or oil workers worried about their future.
“Government Ministers have made a decision not to implement any available climate solutions that would help people in Scotland to tackle either the cost of living andor climate breakdown.
“Previous plans to get cars off the road have been completely gutted and buses and trains are treated as an afterthought.
“The carbon capture pipe dream is unrealistic as ever, only pushed slightly further into the future. What are we going to do in 2040 when this technology inevitably fails as it has done for the past fifty years?”
Oxfam Scotland welcomes publication of the Plan, which outlines the policies and actions which the Scottish Government believes will deliver emission cuts consistent with ending Scotland’s net impact on the climate by 2045.
The Scottish Parliament now begins a crucial 120-day scrutiny period.
Oxfam Scotland says that, alongside testing whether the Plan will achieve the emission cuts needed, this scrutiny period must fully stress-test the fairness of the Plan.
With clear evidence that, on average, the richer you are the more you pollute, campaigners say that fairness must be central to the final Plan – including how faster action is paid for.
While recognising that the costs of inaction will be even higher, the Scottish Government estimates the price tag of delivering the Plan, once savings generated are taken into account, to be £4.8 billion, but says little about where the money will come from.
Oxfam Scotland says the upcoming Scottish Budget and multi-year Spending Review must prove that the Scottish Government is serious about funding the Plan fairly
It comes as the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, prepares to travel to Belém in Brazil to attend the UN climate talks, COP30.
Responding, Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said:“A liveable planet is priceless so Scotland’s new Climate Plan must make an unwavering investment in all our futures, giving us: cleaner air, healthier lives, stable, green jobs and shielding us from extreme weather.
“However, right now, the roadmap on how Scottish Ministers plan to pay for their policy ambitions is little more than a sketch. To succeed, this Plan must be backed by major new public funding, delivered fairly with the biggest polluters and the better off footing the bill.
“It’s time Ministers were straight about where the pounds behind their promises to stop pumping out pollution will come from: Ministers need to show us the money.”
Landmark legislation has been approved to help create new small landholdings to increase farming opportunities and bring agricultural tenancy law into the 21st century.
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, passed by Parliament, grants greater protections for tenant farmers and small landholders and safeguarding fair compensation should they be removed from their holding.
The Bill will give Ministers powers to split up landholdings of over 1,000 hectares when being sold, provided that it is in the public interest to do so.
It also modernises how new small landholdings are created and operate, protecting their rights and helping new entrants and the next generation of farmers to get access to land.
A consultation about the powers of the Tenant Farming Commissioner and alternative options for dispute resolution will also be launched in the coming weeks as a result of the Bill.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “Tenant farmers and small landholders are vital to the fabric of our rural communities, and these reforms will help them to make a decent living on their holding and make improvements on the land they work on.
“It will allow them to work in a way that promotes sustainable and regenerative agricultural production, and – possibly most importantly – be protected from being removed from their holding without fair compensation.
“I am happy we are able to progress in consulting on the role of the Tenant Farming Commissioner so quickly and I would encourage all tenant farmers, small landholders and crofters to make their views known.
“Scotland’s concentrated patterns of ownership developed over centuries, with ownership and control of our nation’s land in the hands of the few for too long.
“In future, communities will have advance notice of sales of large land holdings and Ministers will have the powers to pause them to allow the option of a Right to Buy application to be explored.
“This is an important step in our land reform journey and I am grateful to all those who have worked with us through the Parliamentary process.”
JUNK LAW? Land reform legislation will create bureaucracy and confusion, not change, warns Scottish Land & Estates
Scottish Land & Estates, the rural business organisation, has issued the following statement following the completion of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill at the Scottish Parliament.
Sarah-Jane Laing, chief executive at Scottish Land & Estates, said:“Perhaps uniquely, this legislation has succeeded in uniting landowners, land reform campaigners, lawyers, property agents and accountants – all of whom recognise that, whatever your stance on land reform, this is junk law.
“The reality is that many of the Bill’s provisions are so badly drafted that it will take years of additional work by government and others before they can be implemented in practice – and some may never come into effect at all.
“No one emerges as a winner from this – not government, not landowners, not rural businesses, not communities, and certainly not the taxpayer who will bear much of the cost of the added bureaucracy. The only likely beneficiaries will be lawyers, as property transactions become more complex and the prospect of this Act being the subject of a challenge before the courts.
“The Scottish Government says it wants to empower communities, yet it overlooks the fact that extensive rights for communities to buy land already exist. These powers could be used more often, but the reality is that demand for community ownership is far lower than activists claim.
“We now face the extraordinary prospect of the Scottish Government effectively acting as an estate agent – deciding how property should be broken up before it even reaches the market. For taxpayers who have witnessed the government’s forays into ferries, airports and recycling schemes, that idea will seem utterly absurd.
“Farms and estates also face being saddled with expensive and bureaucratic Land Management Plans that will do nothing to support the prosperity or resilience of rural communities. Whilst we have been firmly supportive of increased transparency and engagement with communities, no other business type is being asked to justify its activities in such a way.
“The government has also missed a major opportunity to revitalise the tenanted farming sector. Instead of encouraging more people to let land, it has chosen to penalise them further by introducing new, financially punitive compensation measures. That approach risks delivering the final blow to a sector already in decline, as those with land to let withdraw in the face of the uncertainty and risk created by this Bill.
“This Bill could have been an opportunity to build consensus and deliver meaningful, practical reform that supports rural Scotland’s people, businesses and environment. Instead, it represents a missed opportunity – one that will create division, confusion and delay at a time when Scotland needs stability, investment and economic growth.
“We urge the Scottish Government to pause, reflect and work with all stakeholders to develop legislation that truly serves the long-term interests of our rural communities.”
Emergency Departments record worst-ever September performance
Accident and Emergency
As Scotland’s Emergency Departments experienced the worst September on record for performance, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has asked the government: ‘where is the tangible plan for winter?’
The figures, released yesterday (4 November 2025) by Public Health Scotland, come as Health Secretary, Neil Gray, is reported to have said waiting times in A&E are ‘below the levels we all wish to see’.
The PHS data, for the month of September, reveals 6,427 patients waited 12 hours or longer in an Emergency Department before being admitted, discharged, or transferred.
That’s around one in every 19 people and the highest number who experienced this wait for the month of September since records began in 2007.
The data, for major EDs in Scotland, also showed that in September 2025:
12-hour waits were almost 34 times worse than in September 2018 – that’s despite the number of people attending EDs only increasing by 4.5% in the same period
One in eight people (15,348) waited eight hours or more to be discharged or transferred – the worst September on record
63.7% of patients were seen within four hours – again, the worst September on record and is far below the government’s target of 95%
There was an average of 1,955 beds occupied by people healthy enough to be discharged – a decrease of only nine compared to the previous month
The new data comes shortly after RCEM published its political manifesto for Scotland, urging all political parties to end overcrowding in EDs, and provide enough Emergency Medicine staff to deliver safe and sustainable care, along with adequate resources to ensure equitable care throughout the emergency care system.
Meanwhile, recently published analysis from the College revealed there were more than 800 deaths associated with long A&E waits before admission last year.
Dr Fiona Hunter, RCEM Vice President for Scotland, said: “These figures prove what I and many other EM clinicians already know – that we are in crisis and the depths of winter, when the inevitable seasonal pressure hits, is yet to arrive.
“Our members and their Emergency Medicine colleagues tell me about the relentless pressure their hospitals are under and the impact this has on patient care – people are being treated in ambulances, in corridors, and other inappropriate spaces.
“Our EDs don’t have elastic walls. These are visual signs our hospitals are full to bursting– we can’t move patients from our departments into wards because of a lack of available inpatient beds.
“On top of dealing with system pressures, our clinicians are facing violence and aggression from those we are trying our best to care for – that can be caused by frustration over long waits. It’s beyond unacceptable.
“We know that Scottish Health Secretary understands the scale of the issue, and just today acknowledged that ‘ED performance is below where it should be’.
“But we are yet to see any tangible plan from the government about how it intends to tackle the season ahead – which will be nothing short of challenging.”
Delivering extra appointments and procedures for patients
Health boards will receive an additional £25.5 million this year to allow them to deliver more planned care appointments and procedures to reduce long waits for patients, First Minister John Swinney has announced.
The additional funding will support the delivery of more outpatient appointments and inpatient/day case procedures across a variety of specialities including orthopaedics, dermatology, general surgery and gynaecology. Cardiology and paediatrics will also get extra funding.
This new support takes total additional investment to £135.5 million in 2025-26 to help the National Health Service maintain progress on reducing waiting lists.
Recent figures show the total list size and longest waits are coming down. There has also been an increase of more than 31,000 appointments and procedures from April to September this year compared to same period in 2024.
Speaking during a visit to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, the First Minister said: “The latest figures show our plan to support Scotland’s NHS is working, delivering real benefits for patients.
“We have already provided £110 million of additional targeted funding this year to tackle the longest waits. Now we are providing a further boost to deliver more appointments and procedures, taking the total additional funding to £135.5 million for 2025-26.
“I am determined to build on the progress being achieved by hardworking staff in our health service, like those I met today at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. We want to help them provide the care and treatment patients need and expect – and we are already seeing results.
“Not only are the total list size and longest waits coming down, but we are treating more people than last year. There is still work to be done, but these are very welcome improvements.
“Under my leadership, the people of Scotland can expect a strong National Health Service delivering patient care of the highest possible quality.”
The additional £25.5 million will be shared between the following health boards:
Ayrshire and Arran
Fife
Grampian
Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Highland
Lanarkshire
Lothian
Shetland
Tayside
In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, as at 30 September 2025, new outpatient ongoing waits over 52 weeks had decreased by 17.6% and inpatient/day case ongoing waits over 52 weeks had decreased by 5.7% compared to the previous month.
More support for services to help people struggling with energy bill debt
Services that support people struggling with debt on their energy bills have been expanded after receiving almost £1 million of additional funding.
This will help organisations to provide money and debt advice to customers, increase capacity through additional training for staff, and enhance engagement with energy suppliers to facilitate fairer and more sustainable debt solutions for customers.
£944,000 has been allocated equally between Citizens Advice Scotland, StepChange Debt Charity and Advice Direct Scotland.
Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan announced the investment at the beginning of Talk Money Week, an annual campaign from the Money and Pensions Service to increase awareness of personal finance issues.
Ms McAllan said: “In an energy rich country like Scotland, nobody should be struggling to pay their energy bills.
“The UK Government said energy bills were going to come down, but they’ve only gone up and could rise further still.
“That underlines the importance of our investment in services that support those who are struggling the most.
“Advice agencies like Citizens Advice Scotland, Stepchange and Advice Direct Scotland, play a vital role delivering this support and we will continue to work closely with them to ease the burden of the cost of living and help those who need it.”
The funding is part of a £16.9 million package being invested in free income maximisation and debt advice.
Sharon Bell, Head of StepChange Debt Charity Scotland, commented: “Scotland is facing an energy debt crisis and more and more clients are coming to StepChange Debt Charity Scotland with spiralling energy arrears.
“We welcome this additional funding from the Scottish Government which is allowing us to provide vital energy debt advice to more people across Scotland right when it is needed the most.”
First Minister highlights support for ECHR ahead of 75th anniversary
Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the First Minister has reiterated Scotland’s commitment to human rights, equality and dignity for all.
The First Minister said: “Signed in the aftermath of World War II, with the aim of preventing the atrocities of war happening again in Europe, the ECHR has stood as a pillar to ensure human rights are upheld for the past 75 years.
“In the face of ongoing political attacks against it from some quarters, I want to be clear that I wholeheartedly support the ECHR and membership of the Council of Europe and the vital role it plays to protect human rights.
“If the UK ever left the ECHR, people in Scotland would lose the ability to challenge violations in the European Court, and the UK would be sending an appalling message on the international stage. That is not the future that I want for Scotland, and we must stand firm in championing human rights.
“The ECHR has been critical in securing justice for ordinary people in their everyday lives – including protecting freedom of religion in the workplace and supporting LGBT rights. With some increasingly extreme political voices advocating against these rights, I believe it is vital that those of us who believe in human rights and equality redouble our efforts to stand behind them.”
Cover European Convention – living instrument
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) was signed by members of the Council of Europe, including the UK, in Rome on 4 November 1950. The UK was one of the first states to ratify it in 1951.
HOLYROOD’s Health Social Care and Sport Committee has said it is disappointed by an ongoing lack of transparency in data gathering and analysis, which makes it very difficult to assess the effectiveness, or otherwise, of the Scottish Government’s approach to mental health spending.
The findings are part of the Committee’s Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2026-27, which this year focused on mental health spending. Spending on mental health services now stands at around £1.5 billion and has risen in recent years.
The Committee acknowledge there is general support for the priorities set out in the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and accompanying Delivery Plan, but regrets that it remains very difficult to identify links between those priorities and how mental health budgets are spent.
It calls on the Scottish Government to provide additional data to illustrate how and to what extent mental health budgets can be linked back to the priorities identified.
The Committee is calling on the Scottish Government to provide data on actual spend on mental health services to allow for better evaluation and to help inform spending decisions.
While acknowledging the current landscape is complicated, even more so as a result of the integration of health and social care, the Committee say the Government must do more to provide detailed analysis of current spending to inform current and future policy.
Clare Haughey MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said: “Our pre-budget scrutiny this year has been focused on the Scottish Government’s spending on mental health but what we have found is that issues of transparency, data availability and analysis has limited our ability to effectively scrutinise policy and funding.
“More importantly, this limits the Government’s ability to understand the effectiveness of funding for mental health services and where spending could be better targeted to improve outcomes.
“We’re calling for more transparency, and better data and analysis to improve evaluation and to better inform spending priorities.
“Better data capture and analysis could also help inform preventative approaches to mental health funding and highlight areas where ring-fenced funding could be effective. We look forward to the Scottish Government responding to our report.”
The reported negative impact of a lack of long or even medium-term certainty around budgets is also highlighted and the Committee is seeking reassurance from the Scottish Government that the Spending Review can provide a degree of long-term certainty for services and the third sector.
Health and social care is the largest portfolio area in the Scottish Government’s budget, accounting for over £21 billion of spend, equivalent to around a third of the entire Scottish budget. Within this total, spending on mental health services now stands at around £1.5 billion and has risen in recent years.
A new Scottish Government programme is expected to prevent up to 4,000 people from developing type 2 diabetes.
The £4.8 million investment will offer education and virtual, app-based, individual consultations with nutritionists, dietitians and health coaches via the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) initiative to fast track proven healthcare innovations.
By focusing on prevention, this will reduce future health complications for patients, improve quality of life and ease long-term pressures on the NHS.
Health professionals in primary or secondary care will refer suitable patients soon after diagnosis of pre-diabetes or history of gestational diabetes – increasing equity of access to NHS services across Scotland – and self-referral will also be available.
Meeting frontline staff and patients at Pennywell All Care Centre in Edinburgh, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “We want to improve access to treatment in the community, enhance preventative services and maximise the opportunities of digital innovation through our Service Renewal and Population Health Frameworks. This will deliver a sustainable and high quality health and social care system for the future.
“This digital programme reduces the need to travel to in-person appointments and helps patients make sustainable changes to their diet and lifestyle and prevent progress towards type 2 diabetes. It enables rural and urban communities to easily access services which can have a life-changing impact.
“It is a prime example of transformative innovation that benefits frontline staff and patients alike and supports our health and care service to meet the challenges it faces.”
The three-year programme will enable up to 15,000 people at risk of type 2 diabetes to access nine months of digital diet and lifestyle change advice through ANIA – with up to 4,000 of those expected to avoid the condition.
Director of Innovation and Transformation at NHS Lothian Jenny Long said: “Over the past five years, NHS Lothian’s dietetic service has successfully delivered both the diabetes remission and award-winning prevention programmes, supported by permanent Scottish Government funding.
!Their success has led to further investment in digital innovation via the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) pathway.
“New digital services will improve patient access and outcomes across the region, enabling direct referrals from primary care and reducing waiting times.”
The ANIA Pathway, funded by the Chief Scientist Office and led by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, is designed to fast-track proven innovations into frontline healthcare across Scotland. By identifying, assessing, and implementing new health technologies with strong evidence and impact, ANIA ensures patients across Scotland benefit from the latest advances in care.
Head of Innovation at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery Jason White said: “This programme represents a major step forward in the delivery of preventative healthcare across Scotland.
“It will empower people with pre-diabetes via easily accessible technology to make meaningful lifestyle changes that will significantly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“The Centre for Sustainable Delivery is proud to support this initiative through the ANIA programme. It’s a scalable, evidence-based solution that will support people to improve their own health and wellbeing over nine months.
“It will improve patient outcomes and reduce demand on NHS services through reducing the growth of type 2 diabetes across Scotland.”
There are 310,000 people living with type 2 diabetes in Scotland, representing more than 5% of the population. In 2023, more than 25,000 new cases were diagnosed and the number is predicted to reach 420,000 by 2044.
First Minister John Swinney met Rhun ap lorwerth MS, the leader of Plaid Cymru, at Bute House to discuss how relations with Wales can be strengthened.
Speaking after the meeting, the First Minister described Wales as one of Scotland’s ‘closest partners’ and said the two nations can be a uniting force in creating a fairer, more progressive society which seeks to tackle inequality and advance economic opportunities.
The First Minister said: “I am committed to forging a constructive relationship with nations across the UK and collaborating on issues of mutual interest.
“Wales is one of Scotland’s closest partners and I was pleased to welcome Rhun ap lorwerth to Scotland to discuss how we can work together to build a better future.
“Wales and Scotland have an enduring bond, with both countries having faced similar issues at different periods in our history. In a rapidly changing society, we must stand ready to work together again to overcome the challenges we both face – such as tackling child poverty.
“I have pledged my government’s commitment to working with the people of Wales to ensure our two nations can be a uniting force in building a fairer, more progressive society – a society that prioritises tackling inequality by creating the economic conditions to help communities thrive.”
