I WAS rather disappointed in the recent parliamentary report on a national care service.

It is of course vital that a national care service is set up. It is also important to remember the ongoing achievements of West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership in integrating health and social care and improving outcomes for local people.

My point is rather that we need a national integrated health and social care service.

This would have agreed national standards and local delivery. We would also have to address the issue of private ownership of care homes.

The previous Labour administration here in West Dunbartonshire invested in two publicly owned care homes, and the one at Queens Quay has just recently opened.

In my view, most care homes should be publicly owned and managed.

Moreover, we urgently need to address the funding of care homes. In my opinion, no-one should be charged at the point of use for care home services, just as with the National Health Service. We need a more progressive system of taxation to fund this.

This was the original vision of Clement Attlee’s Labour government in 1945, and we should now aspire to bring this about in Scotland.

We also need more local services in a health quarter around Clydebank’s new health and care centre, also at Queens Quay. Our Labour candidate in May’s Holyrood election, Douglas McAllister, is campaigning for this.

The new health and care centre should open later this year, and we can now look forward to the residential and commercial development of Queens Quay.

It is also important to secure the future development of the Clyde Regional Shopping Centre, and West Dunbartonshire Council is currently considering this.

I welcome the proposed new bridge over the Clyde as part of the development of Clydebank. It will make it much easier for students and workers to travel sustainably to, from and around West Dunbartonshire, and will cost us nothing, as the entire project is being funded by the UK and Scottish Governments and by Renfrewshire Council.

With Covid case numbers falling, in Clydebank and beyond, I look forward to the recovery of local business and employment this year, and call upon government to reform business rates and the council tax in the interests of fairness and prosperity.

Finally, the rollout of the vaccination programme has gone very well locally, and I – like you – hope that by the summer we can look forward to the easing of restrictions.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Easter.