Despite everything that is going on in politics, my focus is always on local issues.

And few issues are bigger than the continuing cuts the SNP Government has imposed on our local authorities, including right here in West Dunbartonshire.

The latest figures from the independent Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) highlight the effects these budget cuts have had on services.

The changes in real terms, from 2013/14 onwards, mean that by 2019-2020 West Dunbartonshire will have lost more than £13 million in funding.

This equates to a loss of £117 per head across the region and shows the total failure of the SNP Government to resource our local services properly.

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All this does is heap even more pressure on frontline staff trying to deliver the services our communities rely on, such as collecting our bins, fixing our pothole-ridden roads, delivering social care and maintaining our schools.

These figures also mean the SNP can’t hide behind blaming everyone else – the UK Government, Conservatives or anyone else they can think of. They highlight how fast the local government settlement has reduced in recent years, amounting to a 7.5 per cent cut across Scotland’s 32 local authorities.

I welcome WDC not imposing the maximum council tax rise, as other SNP-led councils have done. Even so, they have hiked it by 3 per cent – asking residents to cough up more money because their bosses in Edinburgh won’t fund local services properly.

The SNP talk a good game when it comes to supporting local authorities but the reality in chambers around Scotland is far different. They have had more than 10 years to get this right – clearly, they just aren’t up to the job.

With the Scottish Parliament in recess, it offers me more opportunities to get out and about across the region, taking part in meetings, surgeries and visits.

I am honoured to represent communities in Clydebank and West Dunbartonshire in the Scottish Parliament and I am here to help you with any issues you might have, so please feel free to get in touch. You can call my office on 0141 942 4942 or e-mail maurice.golden.msp@parliament.scot.