We are working hard to ensure this Labour / Conservative Council do not have it all their own way. We have our own set of policies which we know will make a difference to the people of Inverclyde.

These Inverclyde Specific policies are the result of many months of discussions with the local public, local SNP members and Parliamentarians. From those discussions we have chosen the initiatives which we believe will make Inverclyde a much better place for you and your family. The policies below are in addition to our national policies which can be viewed at www.snp.org/node/13534.

So read on and see if we're offering something that could make a difference to you and the rest of Inverclyde.

Inverclyde's Education

The SNP are in favour of new schools for Inverclyde. For decades our school buildings have been left to rot through inaction by the Labour and Lib Dem run councils.

To date, any consultations with parents and teachers have been a sham with councillors ignoring the views of those concerned.

The SNP are against the use of Private Finance Initiatives for public sector projects. An SNP Government will introduce a Scottish Futures Trust to deliver vital infrastructure improvements as this method of financing is used successfully in many other countries. Labour should not be forcing future generations into millions of pounds of debts through PFI scams.

The SNP's national policy is for lower class sizes . This would benefit Inverclyde school children as it would allow for improved learning in the class room.

The SNP are also committed to opening up our schools for more use by our wider communities in the evenings, weekends and at holiday time. This would give our young people something to do and help get them off the streets. However, if the current school plans go forward then this could result in excessive charges for the use of school buildings as the schools will be owned by private companies. That is exactly why the SNP does not favour PP / PFI schemes.

We are committed to educating our young people regarding issues about the voluntary sector and will encourage more young people to get involved with volunteering in Inverclyde. We will work in partnership with the voluntary sector in Inverclyde to bring community groups into our schools to help teach children about the importance of the work the third sector does.

We have grave concerns about the increasing distances Inverclyde's school children are being asked to travel each day to get to school. We will commit to improving school transport provision and will examine very closely road safety initiatives.

The SNP believes that wherever possible our children are best taught in the communities in which they live. We will be pushing for a rethink of the flawed school proposals and a re-examination of the school rolls as we want to see a better deal for Inverclyde's children.  

Inverclyde's Economy

Everyone's aware of the problems our area has suffered but it's time to move on and find new solutions so that the whole of Inverclyde has a secure future .

We are not prepared to follow Labour or the Lib Dems and let Inverclyde continue to decline – that's why we'll be working hard to push for the following policies when SNP councillors are elected to the council. Our top priority must be for well paid, long term and sustainable jobs at all times:

One of the SNP's flagship policies is to reduce the unfair burden of business rates for small and medium sized companies. This will make a huge difference in Inverclyde and will allow businesses to grow .

It's time for new priorities : the riverside regeneration is Inverclyde's passport to a better future; however the SNP will be pushing for a renewed focus so that more office and business space is created on the waterfront. Unlike Labour, we do not believe that luxury flats are the only solution to all our district's problems. If we are serious about tackling depopulation we must increase the number of jobs in Inverclyde.

The existing three town centres in Inverclyde are badly in need of investment. In 2000 an imaginative report was published by a professional consultancy, at great cost to the tax payer, which offered solutions as to how the three town centres could be regenerated. This was ignored by the then Labour council - The SNP will look at shop front improvement schemes that have been successful in many other areas and push for investment for similar initiatives for Inverclyde.

In Port Glasgow we will be pushing for a covered walk way to connect the existing town centre to the new retail development that is presently being built. We must ensure the 2 retail areas are interlinked to provide a future for the town centre.

In Gourock let us stop talking about the new development and let us start delivering on the promises. The local SNP will work closely with our MSP's and the various agencies involved to ensure a good deal for Gourock.

The Inverclyde SNP is saddened to see Spango Valley in such decline like so many other previous industries. We are committed to liaising with the SNP Enterprise Minister in order to create a rejuvenated business park at this site. After all how many business parks in Scotland can boast their own train station? What an opportunity!

We recognise that the only way to move Inverclyde forward is to have good relationships with the local business community . SNP councillors will seek to work closely with the Chamber of Commerce, local traders, and Scottish Enterprise.

In the awarding of council contracts , SNP councillors will explore ways in which we can better favour local companies over outside businesses (within legal parameters).

Signage – we will seek to improve signage around our district so that visitors, and locals, know what facilities exist in our communities .

Inverclyde's Health

It is a local and national disgrace that the health of the people of Inverclyde ranks among some of the worst in Europe, let alone Scotland. To make matters worse local health services have been cut back and undermined by successive Lab/Lib Dem Scottish Executives.

The SNP are not happy that local people are being forced to travel 25 miles for health services that up until recent times were delivered at our Inverclyde Royal Hospital. SNP councillors will fight to prevent any more savage cuts to our local health services by this Labour Government. 

The Inverclyde SNP strongly believes that we should not be spending upto £100 Billion on new nuclear bombs, a view shared by over 80% of Scots, but instead that money should be invested in education and health .

The SNP are committed to improving the lifestyles of our population and we believe if we can educate our young people at an early age in the values of good nutrition and exercise that the health of future generations will subsequently improve. The party have a variety of policies on this issue that will make a difference to the health of Inverclyde people.

The party will look to work in partnership with the NHS to increase the number of health promotion workers in order to tackle the poor health in our communities.

Inverclyde's Communities, Environment & Transport

Over the past year or so there have been some improvements in waste management & recycling and the people of Inverclyde are to be congratulated in their efforts to recycle. However, there is much more that the council can do to further recycling. Inverclyde still languishes below the national average and we should at least be on a par with other Scottish councils. The SNP will push for our district to become a leader in recycling in Scotland.

To encourage more people to use public transport in Inverclyde it is important to have good bus services . The SNP will liaise with the Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) to address the issue where bus services are being stopped at 6pm on several routes throughout Inverclyde thus forcing people to use taxis. In addition, we will work with local transport providers to ensure greater integration of local services.

Many Inverclyde people now have to commute to work in Glasgow, and this will be increasing with the building of new houses in the district. We will be pushing for an increase in the number of â€˜fast' trains per hour to make the journey far more convenient and allowing more people to access job opportunities out with the area.

Around the country Neighbourhood watch schemes are becoming more popular. The local SNP will do all it can to support the growth in local schemes. safer communities will be a priority for SNP Councillors.

We are committed to do everything possible to bring a Citizens Advice Bureau to Inverclyde. This is one of the few areas in Scotland that do not have one and we think this needs to change. Our team will also ensure that the welfare rights team is maintained in Inverclyde as they offer a valuable service to many hundreds of people each year.

SNP councillors will seek to do everything possible to have sprinklers fitted to any new housing built for vulnerable or elderly tenants. We believe this would have support from the local fire brigade.

We will be pushing for more wheelchair accessible housing and barrier free homes to be built in Inverclyde as there is a great shortage in the district.

The SNP would push for more joint working with the Police and courts to see that more people who have been given community service orders are forced to assist the environmental projects.  

The SNP are committed to re-opening our public toilets . The closure of our public conveniences by the Lib Dem council has made us the butt of all jokes. The elderly and disabled in particular have been hardest hit by toilet closures.

We are committed to a greater enforcement of existing litter laws as many other councils have done this to great success .

Inverclyde's Leisure & Tourism

The SNP will review all council community resources, i.e. community halls, schools etc, and see what needs to be done to upgrade them to make them more usable all year round and ensure they are adequately funded. Further to this we will make the provision and upgrade of football pitches a priority for the council.

We will explore ways to create a maritime heritage facility in Inverclyde. Our shipbuilding past is something that is famous the world over.

We will work to improve the cycle network within Inverclyde. Cycle paths have been improved in other council areas and this has brought many benefits for locals and tourists alike so why not in Inverclyde?

The SNP are committed to providing Port Glasgow Juniors FC with a football ground. This was promised by both the Labour and Lib Dem councils and was never delivered.

Cruise liners bring thousands of tourists to our area each summer and yet the majority of them leave the area. Of course the appeal of Loch Lomond and Edinburgh will always be an issue but we will seek to develop ways of keeping more tourists in the district. We would do this by improving our town centres, by working in partnership with organisations such as Inverclyde Tourist Group & Magic Torch and by liaising with local golf clubs to explore the possibility of golf packages.

We will explore opportunities to utilise the River Clyde more and to create avenues for water sports or cruising to be looked at.

SNP Councillors will fight to ensure the Arts Guild receives support from Inverclyde Council. Inverclyde needs an arts venue we can all be proud of.

The local SNP fully support the Glasgow Commonwealth Games bid and we will do all we can to assist Glasgow in its attempts to bring the Games to Scotland.

The SNP is committed to enhancing Inverclyde's arts, culture and music scene. Our national policy is to have tax breaks for artists starting out in their careers. This has been a huge success in Ireland and we will seek to replicate that here.

Inverclyde's Council Tax

In government, the SNP will replace the unfair council tax with a fair local income tax based on ability to pay. Studies have shown that Inverclyde is one of the areas that will benefit most from this policy. Over 90 per cent of Scottish pensioners will pay either nothing under the SNP's local income tax system, or less than they do now under the system of council tax.

During the two years it will take to move to a system of local income tax, we will freeze council tax levels at April 2007 levels, while protecting local government funding by enabling councils to retain the efficiency savings they make.

Our Commitment to You

Our 5 Councillors will be seeking to implement as many of our policies as possible and we will be holding the Minority Labour administration to account at all times. You will be at the forefront of our thinking over the next four years and we believe you should have a big say over what we do in that time.

SNP councillors will:

• Hold regular surgeries around your area to enable as many people to attend as possible.

• Vary the times of our council surgeries so that there's a time to suit everyone in Inverclyde.

• Visit you at home if you want us to - this will be especially beneficial for those who have mobility issues or a disability.

• Hold annual reviews which will inform on what we have done for you and what we plan to do in the following months. Furthermore, this will allow you to have your say on what you want to see happen in Inverclyde.

• We will push for more transparency within Inverclyde Council so that issues like the Rankin Park scandal do not happen again. The council needs to be more open and appreciate that it does not have all the answers - Consultation with the public, voluntary sector and business community is key.