By George Our town has so much to offer
I don’t know about you but I certainly enjoyed last week’s heatwave and I think we can all agree that if weather like that was guaranteed every summer in Scotland, we would never need to holiday abroad again.
For me, the best thing about having a bout of good weather here in Paisley is the buzz our town has and the sense of community spirit as everyone spends time in their gardens and catches up with neighbours and friends.
The good weather was also ideal in allowing people to catch up safely outside and help the overall drive to keep Covid-19 levels low in Paisley and wider Renfrewshire.
I was delighted to hear the First Minister is keeping us in Level 2 despite a rise in cases, but it’s vital that we all continue to play our part and act sensibly when socialising and getting back into restaurants and pubs.
As always, as Paisley’s MSP my main priority is supporting our town in any way I can and a massive part of that job right now is helping all of our local businesses and the town economy recover from the difficulties of the past year and come out of the pandemic stronger than ever.
Our town has a lot to offer in the way of food, drink, and entertainment so I would urge everyone to stay local and sample what is right here on our doorstep.
Staying local is also helpful in combatting coronavirus, so supporting our high street seems like a win-win to me.
Ensuring Scotland as a whole thrives as we slowly transition back to normality remains a key priority of the Scottish Government too and just last week Kate Forbes, Cabinet
Secretary for Finance, outlined further packages of support to help seize Scotland’s economic potential, create secure, sustainable and satisfying jobs, and support businesses recover.
Outlining how business will be supported to build a sustainable economic recovery the Cabinet Secretary announced up to £12 million of funding for businesses in Level 2 areas – including those in the hospitality, events, wedding and soft play sectors.
Equally, those who safely aid our travel to and from these venues will also be supported, with taxi drivers and operators across Scotland set to receive up to an additional £62 million of funding – bringing the total support for the sector during the pandemic to more than £90 million.
A further £ 25 million was also committed to support the culture sector through the second round of the Performing
Arts Venue Relief Fund and the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund.
This will be targeted at those who previously received support from these funds and those who were eligible but did not get support.
We all owe a massive debt of gratitude to everybody who put the needs of the country ahead of their own financial or business interests and while the essential restrictions were necessary and have saved lives, the cost to our cities, towns and local economies hasn’t been easy.
I’m very much looking forward to the next few weeks, catching up with friends and family safely, and then celebrating my Silver wedding anniversary with Stacey on June 9 .
I can’t believe we’ve been married for 25 years – and there will be no better place to celebrate than right here in Paisley.