I HAVE had a series of meetings in recent weeks so the following is a snapshot of some of them as well as an update on the Scottish Government’s Continuity Bill.

Last Friday I attended a meeting at Inverclyde Council with the council leader Stephen McCabe, chief executive Aubrey Fawcett and Ronnie Cowan MP.

I felt the meeting was helpful discussing a variety of issues but principally Inverclyde Council’s budget. We will continue dialogue for the benefit of Inverclyde.

I also met with representatives from the Family Contact Centre (FCC) based in Jamaica Street. The FCC have seen an increase in families using their facility with their new Jamaica Street premises.

It’s a fact of life that sometimes relationships break down and they can become acrimonious. This facility and space helps individuals move on with their lives as well as providing other family members access to spend quality time with their children.

This week I met with a representative from Glasgow Airport following the launch of their airspace consultation as they look to develop new flightpaths.

While I was assured there will be no detrimental impact to Inverclyde, if you wish to take part in this consultation, you can do so online by visiting www.glasgowairport.com and clicking ‘Airspace’ at the top right hand corner.

The consultation ends soon.

I also had a tour of the new £7.3m Orchard View. 
As readers will be aware, Orchard View, pictured, is the replacement for Ravenscraig Hospital.

It was a long time in being delivered but it is worth it.
The facility is marvellous and there is a calming atmosphere for patients.

The facility is managed by the Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), it provides continuing care mental health accommodation, with a particular focus on delivering a dementia friendly environment, and has brought about fundamental change in the way older people’s care is delivered in the area.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to increase the investment in mental health services by £17m to £70.2m in the 2018-19 budget is already being seen in Inverclyde as Orchard View is only part of the government’s plans to improve mental health care in Scotland.

Finally, the next Stage of the Scottish Government’s Continuity Bill passed through parliament.

The UK Government have now confirmed they plan to remove 24 powers from our Scottish Parliament including genetically modified crops (GMO) and state aid.

Make no mistake, the power grab from Westminster is on and the gains of devolution will be under threat.