Resignation

As most of you will now know I have decided not to seek re-election in May. It was a very tough decision and very much a personal one. The next Holyrood Parliament may now run for five years to avoid the next Westminster elections – and in those circumstances it is right for me to go now.

I am looking forward to spending more time with my twins, Caitlin and Michael. Of course I will work full time – like so many working mums – but the special demands of politics that add in many evenings, weekend campaigning, party meetings and a four hour commute to Edinburgh are just not right for our family. I am incredibly grateful to have had the chance to represent the constituents of Paisley North and I would like to thank everyone for their support over the years.

I am delighted to see Labour has moved quickly to select my replacement. And my successor as Labour’s candidate will be chosen by local members over the next three weeks.

Teachers

I welcome the SNP/Liberal councillors u-turn on axing 700 hours of teaching time in local primaries. It was just 76 hours after the big EIS rally in the Town Hall that the Council backed down. Hundreds of parents and teachers attended the rally against the proposals. It was time to listen to parents. But while the u-turn is welcome it is not good enough to say that the decision has only been suspended. It should be withdrawn – and taken off the table entirely.

I would like to commend all those involved in making the Council reconsider this proposal. Proof positive that “parent power” works.

Tackling domestic abuse

I commend Iain Gray’s determination to make tackling domestic violence a major priority. The current Scottish Government’s decision to scrap custodial sentences of three months carries the risk that those guilty of domestic violence escape custodial sentences.

We should build on the success of the specialist domestic abuse courts, ensure the voice of those suffering domestic abuse is better heard in the justice system, act so victims are better protected when giving evidence, make it harder for abusers to reoffend and ensure victims are informed in advance of a convicted abuser being released from jail.

Renfrewshire Victim Support

In that vein, earlier this week I met with Renfrewshire Victim Support, which has helped secure a whopping £750,000 last year in compensation for Renfrewshire crime victims. They help local people “know their rights” and apply for criminal injuries compensation. So if you have been a victim of crime and are looking for support, get in touch with Victim Support on 0141 887 0328.

Paisley Photographic Club

Finally I would encourage anyone with a bit of free time to visit the Paisley Colour Photographic Club online where some beautiful photos in the Members Galleries can be found!

I believe what Renfrewshire is planning to do will harm kids’ education. No other authority is yet planning to do the same. So I hope the Leading Administration councillors will reconsider this retrograde step when it comes to the full Renfrewshire Council meeting on 17 February.

Along with fellow Renfrewshire constituency MSPs Hugh Henry and Trish Godman, I have written to the General Teachers Council Scotland, the EIS teachers’ union, and the Scottish Government to find out what they are able to do. There are concerns regarding the legality of Renfrewshire Council’s plan.

Parents are now getting organised. There is still time for the Council to think again. The Council wants to employ 120 specialist staff on a 16-hour-per-week, term-time only contact to deliver 2.5 hours of non-academic activities.

Of course PE, sport and cultural specialists have often been employed in schools but, the General Teaching Council for Scotland points out, the key difference with Renfrewshire Council’s plans is that they have in the past worked under the supervision of qualified teachers.

Already fewer than one in six newly qualified teachers has found a permanent job in the current school year. For these highly-qualified individuals, encouraged to believe that teaching held a bright future, the prospect of unqualified staff temporarily taken off the dole queue, taking their places in front of a class adds insult to injury.

More serious still is the potential impact on the education of young children. Holding the attention of a class and teaching simultaneously requires specialist abilities. Trained teachers help maintain discipline. The employment patterns of part-time sessional staff are notoriously transitory. High staff turnover figures are very likely and this will, in turn, reduce continuity and make meaningful planning more difficult. In the past, where any community/sports workers or other non-teachers are invited into the school to work with children, the teacher has always been present in order to support learning, support positive behaviour and to make links to the learning in other areas of the curriculum; hence increasingly the relevance of the activity. This will no longer be the case under the Council’s proposal.

Two-and-a-half hours represents 10% of the school week. Renfrewshire Council plans to ensure these sessional workers are equipped with the necessary understanding in a matter of only weeks? Individual class teachers do not appear to be involved in the planning of this proposed part of the school week. If what is to be delivered is to be regarded as extra-curricular, then school staff will have to teach the 100% of the curriculum, but now in 90% of the time.

The Report to the Education Policy Board makes reference to consultation with staff, pupils and teaching union representatives, but no mention of direct consultation with parents. What are the councillors who support this plan afraid of?

Out with the Old

January is a time for out with the old and in with the new!

So I recommend Project OsKar to Buddies. It is a new furniture recycling initiative designed to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills in Renfrewshire. It’s being run by Kibble from Clark St in partnership with Renfrewshire Council to offer training and employment skills to unemployed young people.

Project OsKar’s mission is “If it’s got a re-use, I’ll find it a hoose!” They are looking for both donators of furniture and customers for quality used household goods. Further information can be found at http://www.projektoskar.org or call 0141 842 8020.

Winter Watch

Scottish Labour’s NHS Winter Watch campaign is holding the Scottish Government to account for the impact of their cuts to the health service over the last three years. These cuts in essential staff and bed numbers, whilst the number of administrators kept growing, mean there is a real threat of a winter crisis for the NHS. So if you are unfortunate enough to have a bad experience with the health service this winter make sure your voice is heard so others do not suffer in the same way.

Scotland Bill

I am currently chairing the Scotland Bill Committee in the Scottish Parliament, which will implement the recommendations of the ‘Calman’ Commission. The Committee is interested in receiving views from external organisations and individuals on the Scotland Bill. We are working to a tight timetable with recommendations due by the end for February. More information on submitting evidence may be viewed here.

Local Choices

As I write this column, two important local decisions will soon be made – the first surrounds the fate of teachers in Renfrewshire primary schools. Renfrewshire Council’s Education plan to axe yet more teachers – this time 60 primary teachers. The Council plans would see sessional staff, community education workers stepping in to replace them. I am strongly against this proposal and I hope by the time this is published, it will have been turned down.

A Council decision will also be taken soon on the proposed closures of Whitehaugh Day Centre and West Lane Gardens. The Council Scrutiny and Petitions Board is set to hear the petition on 7 February 2011. Encouragingly, the Council’s Social Care Board has already delayed a decision on the closures until 22 February. The centres were recently awarded the highest grades of excellence by the Care Commission. They offer day centre activities, helping clients’ access employment, education, college, training and leisure. The efforts of campaigners have been instrumental in preventing the closure of these centres thus far and I wish them the best of luck.

Energy Advice

The WRVS Cafe in Causeyside St regularly holds a variety of advice surgeries every month. Energy Scotland, Citizens Advice Bureau and Renfrewshire Community Health Initiative are among the organisations providing information and support to visitors. The WRVS have a website packed with information http://www.wrvs.org.uk/ or call the Paisley café on 0141 889 7645 for more information.
 

I have prepared a list of “Twelve Rights of Christmas” which outline the basic rights we are entitled to as consumers. Here they are…

1) The right to a refund when returning goods bought “at a distance” within 7 days of receiving them.
2) The right to a refund where goods bought online do not match their description.
3) The right to protection against the risk of goods being lost or damaged during delivery.
4) The right to switch energy supplier, provided 28 days notice is given.
5) The right to withdraw from a mobile phone contract within 7 days of agreeing to it.
6) The right to have repaired or replaced faulty goods within 2 years.
7) The right to receive all relevant information so that the price is all-inclusive with no extra costs.
8. The right to fair roaming prices if abroad during Christmas holidays.
9) The right to a replacement flight if yours is cancelled by the airline, except when caused by an act of God.
10) The right to extra protection for items between £100-£30,000 when you pay by credit card
11) The right to have clothes which are not fit to be worn due to faults, replaced or repaired.
12) The right to buy safe Christmas lights, CE marked.

If you are dissatisfied with any product you buy, you should contact the retailer in the first instance. All products within the EU must be manufactured to a standard that allows the product to last two years. In the event of a consumer dispute, you should call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit them at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk. The European Consumer Centres Network (www.ec.europa.eu/consumers/redress/acc_network/index_en.htm) also provides consumer advice and can sometimes intervene when problems arise.

Good news…

My congratulations to four local groups who won The Big Lottery’s Awards for All: The Barshaw Toddler & Toddler Plus Group; Gallowhill Senior Citizens Club; Linwood Elderly Forum; and West Scotland Wing Air Training Corps will each receive funding from the grants scheme.

Bad news…

On a less happy note, on top of all the incredible teacher cuts we have witnessed over the last three years, Renfrewshire Council is proposing to axe 60 more teachers and replace them with sessional staff, community education workers and possibly even volunteers.

Under current teaching agreements, all primary teachers have 2.5 hours of non-contact time each week, while another teacher in the school covers for this period.

These plans would see the number of teachers in primary schools reduced by 60 and replaced by non-teaching staff. I am opposed to plans that try and save money by putting non-teachers in the classroom.

Renfrewshire Council has already axed more teachers than any other authority in Scotland, over 10% since the current administration came to office in 2007. Already parents are contacting me to voice their fears that using non-teachers in the classroom is wrong for their children. I hope a rethink is in the cards.

Winter weather

Finally, how can I avoid the weather? My winter weather appeal is to be a good neighbour. Check up on anyone who might be having difficulty in these conditions. Doing someone’s shopping or making sure they have proper heating really matters.

In Parliament we also need to help. One of the biggest shortcomings has been the poor quality of information. Transport Scotland, First Scotrail and other transport websites couldn’t cope with the amount of online traffic and repeatedly crashed. We need to make sure that the lines of communication are open and respond with clear and consistent information.

Readers will know I have been a strong supporter of the PDE’s Stop Knives, Save Lives campaign. This week I spoke at a very well attended a public meeting on tackling knives and anti-social behaviour at Renfrew High School. My colleague Stuart Clark had collected a large petition to contribute to the Stop Knives, Save Lives campaign. The meeting heard from Kelly McGee, whose brother Paul was killed in Renfrewshire as a result of a knife attack last year and also from Richard Baker, Labour’s Scottish Justice spokesperson, who is leading the campaign for stiffer penalties. The local police were also in attendance. Of course current cases are sub-judice but there was the chance to discuss how the knife menace is better tackled. I also met with K Divisional Commander David Stewart and had the chance to  chare the strength of local feeling on this issue.

Teachers

The Council plans to cut a further 70 classroom assistants on top of the 244 teachers axed since 2007. Since the current Council administration took power, the number of teachers across Scotland has dropped by over 2,000. Scottish Labour has just proposed to bring 1,000 unemployed teachers into classrooms to work with disadvantaged students on a one-to-one basis in order to increase literacy and numeracy. Such a scheme would help many of the new teachers in Renfrewshire who never get a proper job after their probationary year.

It is time to put these new teachers back in the classroom working one-on-one to tackle literacy issues in our primary schools. Surely it should be a national priority that no pupil should leave Scotland’s primary schools unable to read and write.

Bank charges

Shocking new bank fees will affect customers beginning in February. Account holders will be charged a £6 fee for every item that cannot be paid due to insufficient account funds – up to a maximum of £60 a month. Citizens Advice Scotland has demonstrated that many people are left overdrawn through no fault of their own and that fees of this type mean that the poor are subsidising the better-off.

Firstport

Do you know someone who is thinking of starting a new community business, social enterprise or local project?  If so encourage them to contact Firstport, which funds and supports start-up social enterprises in Scotland. Offering awards, business advice, expertise and practical resources, Firstport has worked with over 2,000 businesses since it was established three years ago. Local organisations who have received support include Have a Heart Paisley, RAMH and the Paisley Development Trust. For more information about getting assistance from Firstport visit www.firstport.org.uk.

Voices in Paisley

The wonderful Voices in Paisley Festival wrapped up with a performance from Laudibus, the Chamber Choir of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. The concert featured contemporary choral settings of Scottish poetry, from Burns to Alexander McCall Smith. Congratulations to all the Voices in Paisley team for their efforts this year.

RAH news

The issue of car parking at the RAH continues to frustrate staff and local residents. While staff fight it out for permits, vehicles parked around the hospital have also recently been targets for vandalism. I keep pressing management to have a better outcome for residents and front-line staff. I have been lobbying for extra parking spaces to be created around the estates area but I am told any change here will have to await a decision on a new biomass plant.

Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, visited the RAH on an official engagement last week. Unfortunately she set the agenda for the visit not those who work at and live around the hospital. The persistent parking problems are a headache  for staff and a hazard for residents and ministers should be listening on this issue.

One area of good news is tackling hospital acquired infections. Many of you will recall the dreadful C Diff outbreak at the Vale of Leven that also affected the RAH and led many of us in Parliament to campaign for a tougher anti bugs regime, including regular full hospital inspections.

The results of the recent inspection of the RAH by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate show that the level of cleanliness is good and that regular infection control training is being provided to all hospital staff. However several improvements were recommended including putting a system in place to monitor the condition of trolley mattresses in the A&E and ensuring all domestic staff have a good understanding and awareness of infection control policies. Constant vigilence is helping tackle these bugs  but there must be no let up as cuts bite.

The waiting game

We have all now seen the Tories plans for spending but in Scotland – cuts too fast and too deep. But in Scotland the SNP are still prevaricating and it is causing chaos for all those organisations who depend on public money. They have no idea what their budget will be next year. Holyrood feels like it is in suspended animation.

For example all public sector workers in England knew their pay settlement for next year as far back as June in Scotland the SNP are still saying nothing in November. Trying to hide from tough decisions helps no one. A case of out of time, out of ideas, out of luck?

WRVS

Why not drop in this month to the WRVS cafe in Causeyside St.  The events programme aimed especially at older residents includes a number of advice surgeries as well as other events –  such as free natural health treatments and hard of hearing support groups.

Caring buddies

Paisley has lots of famous sons and daughters. I was at a fabulous dinner this week held to raise funds for Accord Hospice. The principal speaker was Andrew Neil speaking in memory of his brother Jim Neil, himself a famous editor of the Paisley Daily Express. All the Neil family deserve credit for how they have fundraised for Accord in memory of Jim.

Accord Hospice also has close ties with the family of David Tennant, another famous Buddie. My kids are a little young for Doctor Who, but on Sunday evenings I have become a fan of Single Father David manages to convey countless emotions without a word said. No wonder London reviewers raved about his Hamlet. And it is nice to view a series where the West of Scotland looks so attractive – too often we only see the gritty side of urban Scotland or Highland mock-ups on TV. If you have not seen Single Father yet, catch it on the iPlayer before it’s gone.

Local Support Groups

I mentioned in my last column that I was to attend the launch event in the Abbey Mill to mark Mental Health Awareness Week in Scotland. I am pleased to report the event, attended by several local help & support groups, was a great success. Thanks to organisers Bipolar Scotland and Acumen. I was impressed by how many avenues of help there currently is in Renfrewshire for vulnerable people.

Sadly however, despite the genuine enthusiasm and hard effort  by the organisations, the unavoidable anxiety lurks in the background of waiting to see how they were going to survive the impending cut backs threat and the squeeze on resources.

For the moment an updated 2010/11edition of the Directory of Mental Health has recently been produced. – packed with local contacts information, not just mental health organisations. Phone 0141 847 8900 for a copy or www.ramh.org to download a copy.

See videos relating to the event on PAISLEY TV.

Scottish University Funding – Dithering Despite the Scottish Budget Only Weeks Away

With the recent news full of Lord Brown’s report, the subsequent big hike in University fees in England and the fear of those from less well off families simply being prevented from considering Higher education; it is crucial for the Scottish Government to reveal their plans for Higher Education in Scotland. But Education Secretary Mike Russell indicated last week that the SNP are not to bring forward firm proposals for a funding scheme for Scottish Higher Education until after next May’s Scottish Parliament Election. He said he was looking for a ‘uniquely long-term Scottish solution’ but neglected to mention that he and his predecessor prevented discussion of funding in the group set up to look at the future of Higher Education – despite Scottish Universities indicating their desperate concerned that the current funding arrangements were unsustainable.

Unfortunately this issue cannot be dodged by the Scottish Government as John Swinney will have to set a three year budget for Scottish Higher Education in just a few weeks time. So with no certainty of future funding arrangements, Higher education institutions will be forced to make blind decisions.

The Scottish government must set up an independent review into higher education that would look not just at student funding but other vital issues such as student support, curricular issues and what student should expect from their education providers. Having so far refused to set up an independent review, the SNP has left Scottish Universities vulnerable and in grave danger of being left behind and unable to compete.

Kicking the issue of university funding into the long grass until after the next election won’t do. They promised to abolish student debt before the last Holyrood election and that turned out to be nonsense. At the very least the Scottish Government, must set out its preferred proposal with supporting evidence as soon as possible.

Voices in Paisley Festival bursts into song this week

A reminder too about this year’s Voices in Paisley music festival running from October 22nd to November 7th. The programme looks fantastic. One big attraction is Aled Jones. Phone 0141 404 1198 or check out the website at www.paisleyfestivalcompany.com.  I laid a Parliamentary motion in Holyrood which has gained good cross party support amongst my MSP colleagues – so come on Buddies please give this local music festival your support whilst enjoying a thoroughly good outing!

Finally another worthy local organisation, the STAR project is holding an evening concert on Friday October 29th with popular choir “The Arkleston Singers” as a fundraiser to build their work supporting adults and families in North Paisley. Call 0141 889 5850 for more info.

Labour, if elected in Scotland next May, will introduce a Scottish Living Wage, of over £7 per hour.

The idea is simple. In a 21st century Scotland no one who does a fair days work should receive less than a fair days pay.

A “living wage” is the level of income needed to provide an acceptable standard of living. It is different from the minimum wage, which is the legal minimum an employer can pay its workers.

The Scottish Living Wage Campaign has set a figure of £7.15 per hour as the living wage for Scotland for 2010/11. Labour believes this should be the guaranteed minimum for all public sector employees – in devolved areas including the health service and local government.

It would increase the net earnings of the lowest paid workers by almost £2,000 per year.

We would ensure that as many workers in the private sector as possible also benefited by building it into Scottish Government contracts with suppliers.

Independent research suggests that the Scottish Living Wage would cost approximately £20 million. However, the Scottish Living Wage would also produce significant savings for employers through better attendance, easier retention of staff and reduced recruitment costs.

Last year the pay bill for Scotland’s top 3,415 senior public-sector workers earning more than £100,000 was £445 million. If they were all to take a 5% pay cut it would produce a saving of £22 million – enough to fund a living wage.

A Scottish Living Wage is affordable. Of course there are hard budget decisions ahead. But we must take those decisions for the good of the many. We will also need to see pay restraint in excessive salaries and bonuses at the very top end of the Scottish public sector.

It was wrong for SNP led Renfrewshire council to award 23% rises to all heads of service between 2007 and 2009.  In contrast Labour led Glasgow opted for a Living Wage to help tackle poverty pay. 

Scotland is having to deal with the choices presented by the Tory cuts, but Labour in Scotland is making the right choice by ensuring a  Living Wage.

Mental health week

This is mental health week and I am delighted to be opening an exhibition in its honour in Paisley. It is a chance to say thank you to all the local organisations who work so hard in the mental health field.

Stress, anxiety and depression are the single greatest cause of sickness absence in Scotland. One in 4 Scots experience some form of mental health problem. More than half of them have experienced some form of discrimination or stigma in the last five years. Events like mental health week help get the issues talked about and reduce the stigma.

See related videos on PAISLEY TV.

Low carbon

As a member of the Parliament’s Economy Committee I spent two days last week at a major conference in Edinburgh with engineers, manufacturers and financiers discussing how we turn Scotland into a future powerhouse of renewable energy.

We have great wind, wave and tidal resources but harnessing that energy is as challenging as it was 40 years ago to begin extracting North Sea Oil. Politicians decide grid arrangements, subsidies, licensing arrangements, planning etc so it is vital we engage with these challenging issues so important to our future economic and environmental welfare.

Linwood

Tesco are still dragging their feet on plans for the town centre. But there is also rising anger about Council plans to close the Linwood Community Education Centre – LCEC. The LCEC provides much needed resources to Linwood people of all ages.

The recent public meeting seems to have been a bit of a farce.  Save Linwood Community Centre is the current campaign by Linwood Focus Group.  Those wanting further details should take a look at the Website – http://linwoodfocusgroup.wordpress.com/

Linwood – End Delays Now

Many of you will have seen the recent media coverage about Linwood Shopping Centre. Revelations, not denied by Tesco, suggest they were deeply involved with Balmore, the previous owners, whose lack of investment and poor stewardship was so appalling from 2001-06 we eventually ran a ‘Boot out Balmore’ campaign, supported by half the adult population in Linwood.
Today almost 2 years after Planning Permission was granted to Tesco for a new Town Centre work has not started.  Local lobbying has been sustained but repeated delays have tried the community’s patience to destruction.

I have again pressed Tesco bosses Linwood’s case. Tesco executives have offered meetings later this month with myself and Jim Sheridan MP.  We have called on a full update to the community as soon as possible. What Linwood wants is delivery of the promised project. That means Tesco’s completion of the town centre rebuild including the new Tweedie Hall, Library, small shops and a new Health Centre. A planned start and finish date are now overdue. The least Linwood deserves is early completion in full.

NHS & RAH job cuts

Most readers will be aware of the car parking problems caused by the Health Board’s poorly planned new parking management scheme at the RAH.  One other troubling matter, I am concerned that the Health Board has cut 65 cleaners jobs across Greater Glasgow & Clyde Health Board over the past year. So whilst during the summer I welcomed the good news figures reporting a drop in Hospital Acquired Infections such as C.Difficile and MRSA – why now cut cleaning? Cleaners should be the last, not the first to go.

Teachers and Pupil/Teacher ratios

Regular readers will know that over the past two years I have been repeatedly highlighting my dismay over the sharp cuts since 2007 in teacher numbers. Earlier this year the Scottish Government published sets of figures which sadly confirmed all my warnings. The figures show Renfrewshire to have the highest percentage cut in teachers of any Council in Scotland – 244 teachers in total have been axed. So Renfrewshire now has the highest number of pupils per teacher of any authority in Scotland.  Recent boasting of small Primary 1 classes does not help if teachers are being axed at every other level of primary and secondary.

Since 2007, across Scotland 2500 teacher jobs and 1000 support workers have been cut which is bad news in itself – but I simply don’t know why Renfrewshire has pursued this unenviable prize of being ‘top of the cuts’ in teachers. Sadly it’s Renfrewshire’s children who will lose out from Primary 2 until they leave school.  All figures can be referenced on the Scottish Government website.

Back In Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is now back in full swing. This party’s programme for government seems out of touch. We have Bills on reservoirs, death certificates, forced marriages, and long leases. They may have their place but they are certainly not the most pressing concerns of the Scots. The economy and jobs are missing from the plans. Have they simply run out of steam? And why are they still allowing quango bosses, on near £200k salaries, bonuses of up to 10% whilst ordinary council workers get less than 1% this year? It’s time for fairness all round.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Renfrewshire Environmental Trust for winning Big Lottery support. Also to Kelburne Cricket Club. I had the pleasure in attending one of their final matches of the season bringing to a close their 150 centenary celebrations. Their ground is beautiful oasis of green in the heart of the town.

It is sometimes said politicians don’t ever give credit to their opponents. So let me congratulate Provost Celia Lawson on choosing the MS Society as the Provost’s charity of the Year last year. I was recently at the Paisley MS Society’s 40th Anniversary celebrations and delighted to hear that Paisley will have an outreach project piloted this year with the monies raised. Well done to everyone who made it happen.

Voices in paisley 2010

This year’s Voices in Paisley music festival will run from October 22nd to November 7th. The programme looks fantastic. One big attraction is Aled Jones. Phone 0141 404 1198 or check out the website at http://www.paisleyfestivalcompany.com/  Come on Buddies please give this local music festival your support whilst enjoying a thoroughly good outing!
 

Schools have now finished for the summer and pupils and teachers are now enjoying a well earned holiday. But our local schools continue to be short-changed by the Governement at Holyrood and the powers in Renfrewshire Council.

“More NATS: Fewer Teachers” – that will be the epitaph of this administration as they near the end of their four year term.

They have overseen the loss of 2,500 teaching posts across Scotland – 245 in Renfrewshire, the deepest cuts of any council of our size. Leaving us with the worst secondary school pupil teacher ratios in all of Scotland. On education the  end of term report is a fail. The Scottish Government have failed on class sizes of 18, failed on free school meals for P1 to P3, failed on PE, failed on student debt, failed us on nursery education – and now they are failing us on the Curriculum for Excellence.

Boiler Scrappage

July may seem an odd time to talk about boilers – but the summer is a good time to get the replacement installed. Following the axing of Labour’s scheme for free central heating systems for pensioners – we finally succeeded in getting a boiler scrappage scheme for Scotland to match the English scheme. The scheme awarded £400 towards the cost of a new boiler. But such was the demand for the small number of £400 grants available, added to the fact they were advertised to be released on a certain date, it created a race situation not unlike the frantic clamour for a T-in-the-Park festival ticket!

It came as no surprise that the 5000 Scottish Boiler Scrappage applications were snapped up in just over 24 hours! There were only 211 successful applicants in Renfrewshire – that’s less than one in twenty of those who applied. Given Labour’s free central heating systems went to over 14000 households each year, I am pressing for a relaunch of the boiler scrappage scheme before the autumn.

Student Debt Rising

In 2007 the current Scottish Government made a lot of promises. One was a pledge to students to “dump the debt and reintroduce student grants” (page 6 of the SNP Manifesto 2007)

But the “DUMP THE DEBT” promise made to students is in tatters as student debt increases again. The figures for 2009-10 reveal a 7% increase in the total amount students in Scotland owe. The previous year showed a 9% increase in the total debt.

“Dumping Student Debt” was a cynical and hollow promise made to students and the current  Scottsh Government should apologise for misleading them. Most students I know are struggling to find summer jobs – and are even more worried about what happens when they graduate. With unemployment in Scotland overtaking England again, local job seekers face a double whammy from Tory cuts and the Salmond slump.

Knife Crime

Well done to Kelly McGhee and her family for the way they have risen above the personal tragedy of losing their beloved Paul to argue for tougher laws against knife criminals. The Scottish Government may not have listened to Kelly, but the rest of us tried to reflect the views of the victims in the legal reforms we voted for last week in Holyrood. The vote for mandatory sentences for knife crime may have been lost – but the campaign goes on.

Congrats to Renfrew Old

I am pleased that in its most recent set of grant awards, the National Churches Trust has agreed to contribute £40,000 for repairs to the Old Parish Church, Renfrew. This was the largest grant given in this set of awards.

I know Renfrew Old and other local congregations have a huge task on their hands to preserve historic buildings so every little bit of assistance helps. Well Done!