LAST week was the 20th anniversary of the successful referendum of the Scottish population voting Yes, Yes for a Scottish Parliament. 

The last 20 years have shown a vast change in society as a result of the parliament. 

Many people will have differing views as to the ultimate destination for Scotland, however the last 20 years has delivered many achievements including the introduction of the smoking ban, the introduction of free personal care, the university tuition fees being scrapped, council tax freeze for nine years and many, many more items.

The Scottish Parliament has firmly become a fixture of society and it’s here to stay.


I once again chaired a meeting in Inverkip to help try and tackle some of the problems that many residents in Inverkip as a result of trains being used for free by many younger people. 

The issue has been raised many times in recent years at the local community council.

I organised for Scotrail, Police Scotland, Community Wardens, British Transport Police, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay Community Council, and local councillors to help put a joint plan in place before the summer and this was a follow up meeting. 

The plan worked well but it will be improved for further operations. 

The Community Wardens in particular have been fully engaged and their additional activities to engage with many younger people to keep them and others safe is vital for our area.

I would like to thank everyone for their involvement so far.