THE votes have been counted, the results have been declared and Labour is once again the largest party on Inverclyde Council.

New councillors Colin Jackson and Natasha Murphy join the Labour candidates who were fortunate enough to be re-elected in forming the largest political group on the council.

Our new councillors bring a range of ideas and experience with them to the council chamber and, whether Labour forms an administration here in Inverclyde or not, I want to wish every one of my local government colleagues the very best for the five-year term ahead.

I have been asked by different local people to speculate about what might have driven Labour’s performance in Inverclyde and, as someone who has taken the time to campaign here and speak to voters on the doorstep, I do not believe there is a single answer.

No doubt the divisions that exist over national politics will have been a factor in these local elections too. In the current political climate, with politics apparently so polarised, that is inevitable.

However, I know from my own experience that local people also responded very positively to Inverclyde Labour’s defence of local health services and the Birthing Unit at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

Indeed, people who would not normally vote Labour considered doing so this year to protect the local health services they value. 

That is testament to the hard work and dedication of our Labour councillors and activists, who have been working for months to save IRH services, collecting hundreds of signatures in defence of the Birthing Unit.  

Inevitably people’s thoughts are now turning to the next big event in the political calendar, the General Election on the June 8.

Local man Martin McCluskey is running to be your new Labour MP and Tele readers will know from remarks made to this paper earlier this week that the future of the IRH will feature heavily in his campaign.

I have been working with local campaigners to save services at the IRH and I believe that Inverclyde deserves an MP who would join us in the fight, side-by-side.

I’ve got one simple message that can carry forward from the council elections last week to the next election that is fast approaching:
No ifs, no buts, no more IRH cuts.