Business is top priority

THE Scottish Conservatives’ Kilwinning by-election candidate says encouraging new businesses to the town will be one of his top priorities if he’s elected.

Chris Lawler, 60, is hoping to retain the party’s presence in town following the death of his Tory colleague John Glover in February.

Mr Glover, who moved to Kilwinning in 2012, seven years after relocating from London to Scotland, is contesting his first political campaign, having previously flirted with Labour and the Liberal Democrats during the 1990s.

He said: “I work in a small business, a scuba diving shop in Partick with a small staff. The problems we have are the minimum wage and trying to get people through the door, and also the bills coming in.

“I also have a gardening business in Kilwinning.

“In Main Street, shops have closed and there is not even a bank. I would like to encourage people to take the plunge to set up a meaningful business, not just a vape shop, that all ages can go to.

“We could get a shop for people with a hobby, like leisure – say marine sport.

“Possibly you could have a repair shop for gardening equipment. There are plenty of parking spaces.”

Boosting business in the area is something that Mr Lawler hopes can also assist in getting more people into work locally.

He continued: “Local jobs are going, as some people have gone back to Eastern Europe and people could have an opportunity to even take something on part-time.

“There is a struggle to get chefs. Maybe people could get jobs in that area. We have a college here, maybe we can train people up to be chefs.

“Some restaurants only open a few days a week, maybe they could open more if they got new staff.

“We could have a cafe society down the Main Street if it doesn’t rain so much.

“Kilwinning Sports Club is a great example of a local business and they are very successful. The chairman is very proactive.”

The issue of road maintenance is also high on Mr Lawler’s agenda.

He added: “We have to push to get potholes fixed and improve road maintenance. We also have to encourage doctors’ surgeries to see more people in person.”

Mr Lawler is competing against Mary Hume

(Labour), Sheila Gibson (SNP), Ruby Kirkwood (Liberal Democrat) and Ian Gibson (Scottish Family Party).