A ‘crucial year’ lies ahead for Monklands

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all my constituents in Airdrie & Shotts.

I hope everybody has an enjoyable break with family and friends and that we can all look forward to 2020 being a better year than 2019.

This is a time of year for enjoyment and reflection. We remember those we knew and loved who have passed on.

We meet up with family and friends we haven’t seen for ages. We make plans for the year ahead; and we think of those who are less fortunate than we are.

Foremost in our thoughts will be children, who are the centrepiece of what Christmas is all about.

Children the world over are suffering because of war and famine, none of which is their fault.

In countries like Yemen, children of all ages are facing levels of starvation we can only imagine.

We should all do whatever we can, however modest our means, to help feed and clothe these poor kids.

Closer to home we see levels of child poverty rising again, mainly due to benefit cuts and low wages.

Nearly 70 per cent of children living in poverty in the UK are in families where someone is in work. That cannot be right in the 21st century.

Politicians of all parties must do much more to tackle child poverty and its root causes, not just pay lip service to doing so.

Locally in Monklands, 2020 will be a crucial year.

A decision will finally be taken about where to locate the new Monklands Hospital.

Along with my constituents, council colleagues and Neil Gray MP, I will continue to fight for the new hospital to be sited in the central Monklands area, with easy access for the people it is meant to serve.

I will continue to oppose the idea that the new hospital should be in Gartcosh.

After the experience of the problems which arose earlier this year in St Ambrose and Buchanan High schools we must not allow a new hospital to be built anywhere near a former landfill dump, with all the health risks that entails.

The people of the Monklands will never agree to such a proposal.

I really hope NHS Lanarkshire now has the common sense to drop their proposal to build the new hospital at Gartcosh.

Ongoing battle Mr Neil says he and Airdrie MP Neil Gray will “continue to fight for the new hospital to be sited in the central Monklands area”