I HAD the pleasure of participating in a debate with local representatives from across the political spectrum at Inverclyde Academy the other day. 

MSPs fielded questions from Modern Studies pupils on a whole range of issues, from the fall-out of the Brexit vote last June to the stubborn attainment gap in Scottish schools.

Throughout the debate, we heard contributions from both the assembled panel and the audience about the importance of local services in the community, principally schools, youth services and support for regeneration in Inverclyde.

There was obviously another event last week that brought home the importance of having good, local services based in the communities they exist to serve.

This is my first column since the fire at the McKechnie Jess meat factory. The building has now been demolished and, as the Tele have reported, the cost of the damage will run into the millions.

My thoughts are firstly with all those who have been affected by the fire and who are now having to rebuild.

I also want to put on record my appreciation for the work of the council and the emergency services in making the area safe.

There were, thankfully, no casualties but clearly Inverclyde’s resilience was tested.

Disruption to the A8, the main trunk road connecting Greenock to the rest of the Central Belt, resulted in massive tailbacks, bringing traffic to a standstill.

Accidents do happen and sometimes disruption is unavoidable. However, the whole episode underlined just how reliant Inverclyde is on that single trunk road.

There is a good case for getting Transport Scotland to review the road network in Inverclyde, to learn the lessons that need to be learned after the blaze and to think about how we keep Inverclyde moving if there were even to be an incident like that again on the A8.

There is also a case, in light of the disruption, to reconsider the centralisation of local services like the IRH Birthing Unit out of Inverclyde, compelling people to make longer, potentially more precarious journeys rather than get the help they need in their own community.