Last week’s Fife Council elections saw a resounding vote of confidence in the SNP government and in the SNP’s management of local services. Across Fife and across Scotland the SNP had its best every council election results. For the third time in succession there are SNP councillors elected in every single ward in Fife. All ten SNP candidates in Glenrothes and Levenmouth were elected, with SNP candidates topping the poll in every ward. Elsewhere in Fife the SNP took seats from the Tories in Dunfermline, Rosyth and Kirkcaldy, and from Labour in Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline. The SNP now have 34 councillors in Fife, 14 ahead of our nearest challengers, giving a clear mandate to play a big part in the administration of the council for the next four years.
Parliament was due to resume this week with the “Queen’s Speech”, actually written by the Prime Minister to set out the government’s plans for legislation in the coming year. The top priority this year has got to be the cost of living crisis. We need an emergency budget to put more cash back into the pockets of people on low and middle incomes, and to get energy costs back under control.
I’m delighted that Methil will be hosting a visit by the UK parliament’s Scottish Affairs Select Committee on Monday 16 May. Chaired by my good friend and colleague Pete Wishart MP the Committee will be visiting the world leading H100 project before hearing evidence from industry experts on the role hydrogen can play in providing carbon-free energy to both domestic and industrial customers. The fact that they’ve chosen Methil for their visit is an indication of the growing recognition of the ground breaking work being done here. The evidence session will be shown live on Parliament TV and there’s a limited number of places for members of the public to attend and watch in person. Details are on the Committee’s web site – search for Scottish Affairs Select Committee then click on “news”.
A lot of constituents asked me to attend a brief debate on Childhood Cancers shortly before the end of the last parliamentary session. Part of the debate clashed with other parliamentary commitments which meant I couldn’t apply to speak in the debate, but I was able to sit in on some of the speeches. What a difference from the usual bear-pit we see too often in parliament. MPs on all sides spoke very movingly on behalf of constituents whose families had had to deal with the awful news that a child was terminally ill with cancer. It was inspirational to hear how many of them had turned their family tragedies into something positive by setting up fund raising campaigns in honour of their lost children. Inevitably I was reminded of baby Oliver Gill from this constituency whose short life gave rise to the amazing Love Oliver charity who have made a life changing difference to so many families affected by these dreadful diseases.