BY the time you read this, the Pipeathon 2017 will be well under way.

I started at Cappielow this morning and will be ending up in Dingwall tonight. 

Please follow progress of the Pipeathon on the ‘Pipeathon2017’ Facebook page and if you wish to donate please go to my Just Giving page also called ‘Pipeathon2017’.

THE updated employment figures were published last week and Scotland’s unemployment rate is down to an all-time low of 3.8 per cent with the UK rate down to 4.5 per cent. 

These are positive figures but there can be no complacency in working to improve the life chances of our population. 

However, last week also saw the announcement by the UK Government of the closure of the Port Glasgow Job Centre with the future of the Greenock Job Centre also in jeopardy in a few years time.

This is an appalling decision and one which will have an adverse effect upon job seekers locally.


VISITSCOTLAND published updated information last Thursday showing that from April 2016 to March 2017, there had been a three per cent increase in trips and nine per cent increase in spend from international visitors. 

This information once again highlights the importance of tourism to our economy and why I organised the tourism summit locally last month. 

Inverclyde has the potential to develop even more of a tourism offering and therefore create more job opportunities.
Finally, the UK Government have published their Brexit Bill. 

The bill reneges on promises of more powers for Holyrood.

It looks more like a power grab frenzy as compared to anything else.