ON Thursday you elect a new Inverclyde Council.

You will be electing 22 councillors instead of 20 and whoever is elected, they will have a huge responsibility in running local services for the next council session. 

I think back 12 months to the final few days of the parliamentary election campaign and the positivity, the nerves, the hopes, the aspirations, the trepidation and the absolute uncertainty all mixes in together.

Being a candidate is exciting and also nerve wracking, particularly if you are a first-time candidate.

I know how all the candidates will be feeling this week therefore good luck to all 46 candidates in the seven wards. 

They have been working hard for your vote and for those who are unsuccessful they may feel like they have spent many hours campaigning for nothing. They won’t have. By offering an alternative, democracy is ultimately the winner.

I particularly would like to wish my own colleagues in the SNP even more luck of course and I have been on the campaign trail with them. 

A manifesto entitled ‘Ambitious for Inverclyde’ has been published and it offers a new direction to take Inverclyde forward. 

Some policy suggestions such as free school meals for every primary school pupil, changing the council’s democratic structures, settle outstanding equal pay claims, carry out a feasibility study and economic impact assessment into constructing an A8 bypass and many, many more initiatives are included. 

It’s up to you on Thursday. What do you want for Inverclyde?