Jackie Baillie MSP, writes:

I hope all Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter readers have enjoyed a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

As 2017 draws to a close, we have an opportunity to reflect on the year just past and set out our priorities for the year ahead.

It has been another busy year in the constituency and I have worked alongside local health campaigners to fight against cuts at the Vale of Leven Hospital, particularly to protect our GP out-of-hours services.

It has been an eventful year and once again we have seen thousands of local people rally together to protect our services.

The 24-hour vigil outside the hospital, the public meeting in Alexandria, the letter-writing campaign to the Health Secretary and the demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament have all been instrumental in making sure that the Vale remains at the top of the agenda.

Next year there will be a public consultation on a new blueprint for the future of NHS services and we should hold the Health Secretary’s feet to the fire to protect services and staff at the Vale.

The past twelve months have also been difficult for commuters who rely on local Scotrail services to get to work.

We need a significant improvement in performance and I will continue to campaign for better local services and a People’s Scotrail that is publicly-owned and accountable to local passengers.