by Councillor Douglas McAllister

Just when you thought the SNP at West Dunbartonshire couldn’t sink any lower, they have surpassed even their own decision last month to rip up Labour’s free Care of Garden Scheme.

Now they intend to attack the aspirations of our talented children by introducing charges for the hire of musical instruments by our school pupils.

You will no doubt share my disgust at yet another shocking decision about to be rubber stamped by the SNP councillors in Clydebank next week. My Labour council provided more than 1,000 pupils across West Dunbartonshire with music tuition and instrument hire, amongst only a handful of councils in Scotland who did so free of charge.

Our new SNP council will announce this week the introduction of a means tested charge of £85 per pupil just to hire a musical instrument. This regressive step will introduce inequality and social economic disadvantage to our pupils.

Our SNP councillors in Clydebank are clearly too weak to stand up against council officials who suggest such charges.

Another disgraceful decision about to be rubber stamped by the SNP councillors next week will see our local libraries in Clydebank shut down for most of the week. The community of Faifley will suffer the greatest attack by the SNP with the library in Faifley having its hours slashed from 37 hours per week down to just 15 hours. Unbelievably, I understand the SNP councillor for Faifley will support this decision.

If you share my disgust and outrage then contact your local SNP representative, your SNP councillor or your SNP MP and MSP and ask them if they agree and support the SNP council’s attack on our elderly and young people.

The SNP were falling over themselves last week to be pictured at the opening of the new premises of the Clydebank Asbestos Group. However, I understand that the group’s monthly rent has been increased by the SNP from £25 per month to almost £1,000.

Next month SNP councillors in West Dunbartonshire will move their first budget. Who knows what further cuts to frontline services and charges to local residents they will announce in their desperate attempts to balance the books? One thing is for certain – they won’t be blowing their own trumpet, given the charge introduced to hire one.