Will YOUR Granny Be Shoved Off the Bus?

The SNP Scottish Government have announced a review of the free bus travel scheme for Scotland’s pensioners.

Since April 2006, everyone over 60 and many disabled people have been entitled to free bus travel throughout Scotland at any time of the day. Ministers confirmed their decision to cut the budget in real terms for all concessionary fares by £10 million over the next three years.
Bus operators are warning that a funding cut of this magnitude will mean changes will have to be made to the scheme.

It is crucial that eligibility for this scheme will not be restricted in any way or charges introduced for travel cards.   The scheme must remain free at all times of the day and right across Scotland.

Free bus travel for the over 60s is one of the single most popular measures introduced in the Scottish Parliament. If the SNP take it away, Alex Salmond will go down in history as the First Minister responsible for shoving Scotland’s grannies off the bus

Labour have called for a clear Ministerial statement reassuring Scotland’s pensioners that they will not lose out.

Student Debt Leaps After Year Of SNP Government

Figures published this month show student debt has leapt by over £200 million in the SNP’s first year in government. The new statistics for student debt in the Higher Education sector in Scotland show that student debt has increased to over £2billion – a leap of 8.9%.

The SNP’s manifesto promised to ‘dump the debt.’ but these stats show an increase of over £200m in the amount owed by students to the Government. It’s the highest levels of student debt ever in Scotland, breaking the £2billion barrier for the first time.

At the same time as student debt is increasing, students in Scotland are being left behind the rest of the UK in terms of student support. A student in England can access over £1500 more per year than a student in Scotland, who in turn, risk increased levels of credit card and personal loan debt.

In the last year we have seen proposals for a Local Income Tax which will hit over 55,000 students in Scotland; proposals to restrict where students can live; proposals for £12m cuts in student support over the next 3 years and changes to the means test that could see thousands of current students facing up to cuts in their funding.

These figures are further proof that this Scottish Government are not delivering for students in Scotland.

National Depression Week Scotland 18th-24th June & New Helpsite for Young Adults

As many as one in ten young Scots are affected by Depression. Suicide stories amongst young adults have become an all too regular sad feature in our national press. Depression Alliance Scotland (DAS) are an independent charity working to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and the challenge of the stigma associated with this misunderstood illness.
Last week DAS launched a dedicated website aimed at young adults suffering from low moods and depression: www.lookokfeelcrap.org. This site provides valuable support information, encouragement to share personal experiences and opinions, and signposts onto local and national support agencies. Additional DAS contacts are 0845 123 23 20. They can also put you in touch with the Samaritans, Breathing Space and SANEline.

Renfrewshire Education Budget Cuts Joint Meeting.

Tonight in Paisley, I and fellow Renfrewshire MSPs, Hugh Henry and Trish Godman will meet invited parents and teachers, to discuss what the budget cuts mean for their school. Our political opponents wildly throw ‘scaremongering’ accusations but parents and teachers have real worries.   I will work tirelessly to protect Renfrewshire pupils from the consequences of the SNP controlled council forcing £4.5m of cuts through its education budget.   Pupils do not deserve to pay the price of cuts.

Barshaw Gala Day

May I congratulate all those involved with this year’s Barshaw Gala earlier this month. Along with many other families we took the children to a thoroughly enjoyable day. The stalls, entertainment, demonstrations, and not least the weather, together added to an excellent event for Paisley to be proud of. A special acknowledgement must be given to the large effort put in by park staff for their preparations including attendance from the crack of dawn on the day itself.