THIS week the Scottish Government have been promoting a new Transport Bill which will “empower” local authorities.

‘The Transport (Scotland) Bill will bring forward the most radical measures since devolution to make Scotland’s transportation network cleaner, smarter and more accessible than ever before. It aims to empower local authorities and establish consistent standards in order to tackle current and future challenges, while delivering a more responsive and sustainable transport system for all.’

There are a lot of aspects to the bill, with the most publicised being the suggestion that Local Council’s might take on the running of new local authority bus companies, however from an Inverclyde point of view I think this ones a non starter.

One item contained within the bill I think will be very relative to people in Inverclyde:

“Prohibiting double parking and parking on pavements and giving local authorities the powers needed to enforce this important change.”

Is double parking an issue in Inverclyde? I don’t think so, maybe on the odd occasion on West Blackhall Street in Greenock but not something I think requires new powers to issue on the spot fines for the offence.

Parking on pavements though happens across Inverclyde. When someone causes an obstruction to the degree that it impacts on the ability of another to use a pavement then that is an issue and one that this could address.

However, the majority of Inverclyde wasn’t exactly built yesterday and many areas rely on ‘bumping up’ on the kerb in order to park otherwise many roads would become single lane at best.

This is a piece of legislation that is worth keeping an eye on its implementation.

Brexit grant for Inverclyde companies

Brexit continues to dominate the national picture and its communities like Inverclyde that will be left to deal with the impact.

On Tuesday night the UK Government decided to roll back 19 years of the devolution settlement, grabbing powers from the Scottish Parliament.

With a Brexit agenda that seems to only be serving Tory back benchers it’s vital that we prepare Inverclyde for what is to come.

A new grant scheme to help exporters get ready for Brexit was announced last week to help business deal with the economic consequences of leaving the EU.

I’ve asked our council officials to ensure eligible Inverclyde companies have access to the new support grant of up to £4,000 per company to help mitigate risks and capitalise on export opportunities.

This could be of particular support to small businesses.

Thanks

Finally, last week I was unsuccessful in my bid to be elected the SNP’s Depute Leader, losing out to Cabinet Secretary for the Economy Keith Brown MSP. I’m

Looking forward to hosting Keith in Inverclyde in the near future to discuss how we can build upon the work already being carried out by the Scottish Government to help boost Inverclyde’s economy. It was great during the campaign to bring the TV cameras down to Inverclyde to do my best to get Inverclyde, and all we have to offer, on the national stage, something we don’t get on for the right reasons often enough.

However, it was not to be but I would like to thank our local Inverclyde SNP branch, my colleagues on the council and Ronnie Cowan MP for all their much appreciated support.