The Scottish Government must take difficult decisions based on its annual settlement from the UK Government being slashed by £500 million next year and with much more budget cuts likely to follow in coming years irrespective of whether it will be a Labour or Tory UK Government from next May.

Unfortunately, one of the projects to be cut is the GARL, though, it must be pointed out that the project was beginning to spiral out of financial control from its original cost and the last thing we would want to see is another Edinburgh trams shambles. Though, it must be noted that the rail upgrades between Paisley and Glasgow are going ahead which will benefit Inverclyde citizens as well as other west coast line users.

However, it would be interesting to see what councillor Wilson would cut instead of the GARL. Would he cut new schools, hospitals or nursing home builds instead? Maybe he would care to enlighten us as to where his cuts would come from.

To compound matters he then made a silly attempt to back his Labour colleague councillor Stephen Purcell (leader of Glasgow Council) by claiming that the SNP Scottish Government was anti-Glasgow. How daft is that comment when the Scottish Government has continued the extension of the M74 to the city, is to build a new hospital at the Southern General in Glasgow at a cost of £800 million and has started the M80 Haggs-Stepps extension.

Jim MacLeod
SNP group leader
Inverclyde Council