AHEAD of the upcoming Holyrood election, the Greenock Telegraph is getting out on the streets to learn about the issues that matter to local voters.
This week we asked locals for their views on the cost of living and the economy, which has been highlighted by polling as an important issue for many voters in Scotland.
Barbara Haslan, 73, believes the decline of industry in Inverclyde has left many young people directionless.
The Gourock resident said: “Young people need a trade. That's what's going to carry them forward in life.
“There are so many young people out of work because there’s nothing for them. Back in our day there were apprenticeships, but you don’t have things like that anymore.
“They’ve put the pension age up which means people are working for longer, which means there's no jobs for young ones coming up, because us old folk still have to work.”
She said her heart goes out to young families and single parents who have to cope with the increasing cost of living, adding that she doesn’t know ‘how they manage’.
She added: “Everything is up in price. You go into Tesco, and they price match with Aldi and Lidl but they’re expensive as well. The price of petrol is extortionate now too.”
Alexander Murray, 21, from Gourock said the cost of living is holding his generation back.
He said: “We’ve seen prices surge over the past couple of years to a crazy extent.
“I like my chocolate. I like Cadburys and there’s a bar that used to be £1.40 and it’s gone up by a pound – it’s a weird metric but it such an increase alongside everything else.”
He added that there are not many options to shop around and get the best price in Gourock.
Toby is looking to move out but has so far been unable to due to finances. He is currently employed in Gourock but previously had to commute to Glasgow for work and university where rent is ‘so expensive’.
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The job market is ‘terrible’, according the Gourock man, especially for young people looking for entry level work.
He said he would like to see ‘better management of the economy’ and a renegotiated deal with the European Union, because he believes Brexit is the root of ‘a lot of our problems’.
Jamie Ramsey, 33, said he is personally managing with the cost of living he feels sorry for those who are struggling.
The Greenock man said: “I'm not well off but I’m financially stable. I feel more for the young mothers and elderly people who are sitting in freezing cold homes and can't afford heating.”
He said ‘it's a shame’ to see a lot of the local shops 'shutting down because of the financial crisis’.
He added: “I would say there are jobs but not enough opportunities for training programmes – a lot of the funding has been cut because it came from the European Union.”
Angela Picozzi, 77, from Greenock said increasing costs can be dangerous for elderly people and lamented the number of jobs leaving Inverclyde.
She said: “The money is not there, and everything's risen, all the costs have gone up.
“I feel sorry for anybody with children and even elderly people, as well, there was a bit on the television before I came out saying the prices are going to go up in July, so I don't know where it's going to end.”
Robbie Waters said people's quality of life has decreased as ‘things are just getting tighter and tighter’ and many new businesses have struggled to stay open.
“A lot of places have opened up [in Gourock] then closed.
"It's just coffee shop after coffee shop, you’re kind of bombarded with it. It must be hard for anyone who's got a coffee shop, because they're competing with a street full of them.”
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