I am hoping that the new year will be one where in the Scottish Parliament we can move beyond spending so much time speaking about the powers we would like to have to a more focussed drive on what we will do with the powers we do have, the new powers that come through […]
Over 1500 people and families in the Cowdenbeath constituency are on a housing waiting list hoping to be allocated a property this new year local MSP Alex Rowley has said with a further 590 on the housing transfer list. Mr Rowley joined up with Shelter Scotland to promote their campaign for 10,000 new social rented […]
I attended a meeting this week of the Dalgety Bay Forum which was attended by representatives of SEPA, the MOD, the Food Standards Agency, Scottish Government, Fife Council officials, Cllr Lesley Laird and Colin McPhail representing the Community Council. The Dalgety Bay Forum was set up in 2005 to provide a forum for communication […]
Residents of Wilson Bruce Court Sheltered Housing complex in Lochgelly met up with their MP and MSP this week when Gordon Brown and Alex Rowley popped in for tea and tried out the Christmas cake! Mr Brown said; “Christmas is a great time for community and meeting up with old friends as I did […]
This week I showed support for patients with the chronic autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by visiting a Scottish Parliament exhibition hosted by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) and NHS Fife. RA is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease which can cause long term disability. NRAS estimates that it affects nearly 60,000 people in Scotland […]
I take the view that it is important that MSPs and their staff have access to the resources that allows them to do their jobs and provide a service in the most effective and efficient way they can. It is also important however that MSPs are totally transparent in the way they spend tax payers […]
I have taken a more focussed interested and been involved in the discussions on the future of the open cast mines in Fife following the announcement that ATH Operators of Muir Dean Opencast near Crossgates and Scottish Coal operators of St Ninians near Kelty, Blairhouse near Oakley and Westfield near Ballingry had gone into […]
I was delighted to join with Gordon Brown and Jayne Baxter to visit Sunnyside Court sheltered housing in Cowdenbeath to see the newly refurbished residents lounge and partake in a lovely buffet laid on by the residents. Sheltered housing complexes can provide not just a safe environment but also someplace that older people can get […]
Bert and Agnes Cant have excelled this year with even more Christmas lights and decorations at their house in Carden Avenue Cardenden making a beautiful display raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Locals in the area have been used to seeing these displays and turned out in their hundreds this week for the […]
winter veg on allotments in Kelty The Scottish Government has launched a discussion document “Becoming a Good Food Nation” to encourage success through Scotland’s food and drink policy. I spoke in the debate in the Scottish Parliament on the Scottish Governments food and drink strategy for Scotland and used the speech to […]