Side-by-side with my constituents

Throughout this pandemic, my office has prioritised your concerns and have we have now dealt with over 1600 enquiries across the East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow showing the impact of COVID-19 for so many local people.

Last week, I attended a meeting convened by chief executive of South Lanarkshire Council Cleland Sneddon, elected representatives and First Bus to discuss the sudden removal of our 31 bus service from Stewartfield East Kilbride.

I was able to raise constituents concerns regarding the decision made by First Bus to remove this service and their lack of consultation prior to halting our last existing bus service for this area. I was informed that bus services can be ‘temporarily’halted without consultation during COVID-19.

It is unclear as to whether First Bus will now require to reinstate the 31 service following from lockdown and to enter into a period of consultation with residents and stakeholders in line with their contractual obligations – I will be urgently clarifying this issue.

I also raised the local transport requirements of our new housing estate adjacent to this Bus Route (around the old Rolls Royce site) which currently has no bus service and that of East Mains which used to have a bus service four times per hour but now only once per hour, causing hardship for local elderly residents. First Bus have therefore agreed to look at the potential demand across the wider area and to consider the feasibility of an altered route which could service these routes.

A follow up meeting is being scheduled and I will keep you up to date with progress made.

This week I additionally had a meeting with staff at Nationwide in East Kilbride about their‘Sticks and Stones’campaign raising awareness of aggression towards staff working in banks and building societies and the ‘zero tolerance’approach that we must adopt going forward. I was informed that as levels of financial stress have grown amongst the population that the incidence of violence and aggression towards staff within financial settings across Scotland has risen.

I would urge local constituents to be mindful of the impact that abuse has on the mental health of service staff and ensure that we are always considerate of the impact

Me and my team remain here for you...

of COVID-19 on each other.

Should anyone be adversely affected by financial stressors, I am able to put you directly in touch with supports through my work with the money and mental health policy institute.

Nationwide also wanted me to alert constituents to a number of online scams that are on the increase locally whereby residents are being tricked into transferring their money into a new account, losing all of their savings.

The message is – please always contact the branch to check the validity of any contacts of this nature.

My‘virtual’surgeries continue weekly where you can meet with me online or speak by telephone every Friday afternoon. Please don’t ever hesitate to email me or call me on 020 72196855.

I am here for you across our constituency, and as soon as parliamentary guidance allows I will be reopening my locality MP constituency office once again.

FRASER WILSON

Graham Simpson has been named shadow cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity.

The move comes as new Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, makes his mark on the party.

And it sees Mr Simpson step away from his role of shadow housing, communities and social security secretary, which he took up just six months ago under Jackson Carlaw.

Of his new role, the East Kilbride list MSP said:“I am delighted to be appointed to Douglas’shadow cabinet.

“With him as the leader and the members of his shadow cabinet announced, the Scottish Tories are ready and willing to tackle the SNPs mismanagement head on.

“I am excited to get stuck into my new brief of transport, infrastructure and connectivity.There’s a lot of mileage in it and I’m looking forward to calling on the inadequacies of the SNP Scottish

Government.

“SNP mismanagement has led to the delay of building of ferries, ScotRail maintenance, R100 broadband and other infrastructure services.

“They continue to be obsessed with IndyRef and leading to a deterioration in almost every area in which they have had responsibility.

“We will be working hard to put Scots first and I look forward to making the most of this opportunity.”

Mr Simpson (pictured) was unveiled as the shadow minister last week by new Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw.

MP for Moray, Mr Ross took up the position as leader of the Scottish Conservative’s earlier this month, replacing Eastwood MSP, Mr Carlaw.

Ruth Davidson, Jamie Greene, Liam Kerr, Donald Cameron MSP, Murdo Fraser, Liz Smith, Oliver Mundell, Dean Lockhart, Annie Wells, Maurice Golden, Rachael Hamilton, and Miles Briggs all take up roles on the cabinet also.