TOMORROW people across Inverclyde will go to the polls and make the biggest political decision of their lives.

Do we throw away 300 hundred years of shared history and break up the UK, or keep our family of nations together?

As Inverclyde’s Provost, I want what is best for the area. I want to see local businesses thrive; families prosper; employment opportunities for our young grow. And I believe the best way to achieve this is to vote NO on Thursday. Let me explain why.

Much of the work done by the hundreds of employees at RBS in Greenock relates to customers in other parts of the UK.

There are 500 of our people employed in the Govan and Scotstoun shipyards, pictured, and, despite what the Nationalists say, the remaining UK will not place orders for major warships with a foreign country.

Several hundred more are employed in the UK naval base at Coulport and Faslane. And many of our small and medium sized businesses depend on orders from throughout the UK to keep them afloat.

Putting up a border and turning our main market into our main competitor will not help anyone. Companies will be put at risk, business will dry up and people will lose their jobs. That’s not what I want for Inverclyde.

One of the things that’s really annoyed me during this campaign is the amount of misinformation put out by Yes Scotland. People need facts not fairy stories.

The NHS will not be privatised if we remain part of the UK. Health in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and they alone control the Scottish NHS. You will not be charged for seeing your GP or visiting IRH.

Nor have the Nationalists been truthful about Scotland’s finances. Far from being exploited by the rest of the UK, Scotland actually gets £1,200 more per person per year in public expenditure. I see the benefit of this every week when going round our schools, hospitals, social services and community projects. Why put that at risk?

Being part of the UK economy and using the pound as our currency is good for Inverclyde. The pound is a tried and trusted currency and it helps keep down the cost of our mortgages, loans and credit card bills.

Abandoning the UK means abandoning the pound, and I don’t want to see the cost of living going up for local families.

I was born and bought up in Inverclyde. I love being Scottish and I love being British. We don’t have to choose. We can have a stronger Scottish Parliament with more powers over welfare and taxation, while still having the strength, security and stability that being part of the UK brings.

This isn’t an election. It’s not about changing a government. If we leave the UK, we leave forever. We need to think about what is best for our children and grandchildren.

I believe it’s better for Inverclyde, and better for Scotland, to remain part of the UK. That’s why I’m voting NO on Thursday. I hope you will do the same.