The cost of living crisis in Scotland continues to escalate. It’s high time the SNP/Green Scottish Government stops merely commenting on this and starts acting.

The SNP can use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to increase the winter fuel payments in Scotland but they refuse. As families in Clydebank and across Scotland face energy bills increasing by at least £700 per year, our SNP MPs decided to sit on their hands and not support struggling families in Clydebank to the tune of £600 towards energy bills. Instead they chose to side with energy companies making £27,000 a minute.

People in Clydebank are struggling right now but the SNP are set to make matters worse. The publicly-owned Scottish Water is to increase charges by 4.2 per cent in April: Scottish Labour asked the Scottish Parliament to defer this price hike, but every SNP and Green MSP, including those representing Clydebank, refused.

The SNP has the power to stop water bills increasing but they are refusing to help families in Clydebank and across Scotland who are already struggling. Scottish Water is sitting on hundreds of millions of pounds of reserves while the SNP put up our water bills again this year.

The SNP can no longer blame someone else for their failings. It’s time for them to wake up to the realities of everyday life instead of banging on about another independence vote. Try standing up for the people you claim to represent.

Follow Labour’s example. Last week, the Labour councillors at West Dunbartonshire forced an emergency meeting to reject ScotRail’s plans to close the Clydebank railway station ticket office and cut the hours of others. My motion on the subject received unanimous support.

However Scotland’s railways and stations return to public ownership in April. The SNP Transport Minister has gone into hiding over ScotRail’s plans to axe ticket offices in Clydebank and across Scotland.

A strong MSP for Clydebank would demand that the SNP come clean: do they back these cuts or not, yes or no? Stop hiding from decisions you have responsibility for.

When will our town’s MP and MSP meet the transport minister and tell her that we reject these cuts? If the SNP government axe our ticket offices will they resign from the SNP?