Joy to talk of Stirling in maiden speech

It has been just over a month since my election to the House of Commons and it has been truly fantastic to get to grips with my new role representing the people of Stirling.

I made my maiden speech and I highlighted the mission I am on to help restore civility in politics, serve my constituents and work towards the national interest. I was also pleased to highlight Stirling’s superb charitable sector, the work of Town Break who work with dementia sufferers, the Forth Environment Link and the Trossachs Mobility Group.

Maiden speeches are an opportunity for MPs to talk about their constituency and I was pleased to do so.

I have been getting on with surgeries and have had a great deal of correspondence. The issue of Network Rail and the rail electrification has been a big thing in recent weeks. Rail electrification will be good for Stirling in the long run, shortening journey times from Dunblane, Bridge of Allan and Stirling to Glasgow and Edinburgh. That being said, the disruption that is planned over the coming two years is of significant concern.

I am very pleased that Network Rail have listened to the voice of the people with regards to the Cornton level crossing. A bridge was unnecessary and undesirable and they were told this by various members of the community and by Stirling Council. The fact that they have relented on this is a victory for the community, but also gives us hope that small groups of people can influence large organisations like Network Rail.

I hope that they listen to the same sense with regards to the Kerse Road bridge closure. Estimations of closure of the bridge seem to range from a year to 18 months. Let us be clear about this, this is a key piece of infrastructure in Stirling city centre and the disruption will be enormous. Businesses have contacted me concerned that this closure of the bridge will lead to the closure of their business. Residents are rightly concerned about the accessibility of services and the loading of more traffic on to residential streets.

I am pursuing answers from Network Rail, transport ministers and Stirling Council to ensure that the residents and businesses are listened to and I’m glad that the council is taking a muscular approach to this. Closure for this length of time would be a disaster for Stirling.

In rural Stirling the main concern remains broadband. I highlighted this issue in my maiden speech. Interestingly the issue of communications in rural Stirling (phone connections) came up in the maiden speech of Michael Forsyth in 1983.

Stirling has an average broadband speed of 20.8 MB/s which is far lower than the UK average of 37.8Mb/s. Many people in Stirling would love to have even 20.8MB/s as speeds often fall below that, with some people unable to access even basic broadband. This is unacceptable and it is time we asked questions about BT’s role in this as well as how the Scottish Government has approached investment in the digital field.

Without digital connection our rural economy will wither. It is vital for a modern economy to be able to connect to consumers and for workers to be able to work from home. Broadband is becoming as vital as a water supply or an electricity supply and it is too important to be ignored.