With street lights across West Dunbartonshire decorated in red or yellow posters, it’s hard not to notice there is an election on.

We have all had a bunch of leaflets stuffed through our letterboxes and seen the social media adverts, so I don’t need to go on about national party politics too.

Locally however, there are some things to talk about since my last column in February.

Last month, West Dunbartonshire Council set its budget with the SNP’s proposals passing scrutiny and being agreed until April 2022.

We were able to deliver a budget that included a council tax freeze thanks to a commitment from the Scottish Government to fully fund this freeze across Scotland.

I was really proud for the third year in a row to put forward and agree our budget with no service cuts in West Dunbartonshire.

Few councils have managed this in recent years, as council budgets are squeezed each year.

This was a forward-looking budget with a focus on recovery.

Your SNP council stopped the cuts to Women’s Aid services of our Labour predecessors, and seeing the distressing increase in domestic abuse during lockdown, awarded £40,000 to the women’s refuges in our area to help with this increased demand.

We almost tripled the Provost’s small grants pot this year as we predict increased demand from groups trying to restart as lockdown restrictions are lifted.

We added £152,000 to preventative maintenance and repairs budgets, to ensure libraries, schools and nurseries, community centres etc are still fit for use as they reopen post-lockdown.

We also added £200,000 to accelerate pavement maintenance and improvements across West Dunbartonshire and we are seeking much needed external funding to improve town centres, walking routes and cycle paths this year and in future years.

Recognising the effect of the pandemic on taxi drivers the SNP proposed that taxi drivers’ licenses be extended for a year for free, collectively saving drivers over £160,000.

A further £1,500 payment is being made directly to each driver from the discretionary grant fund.

I was bemused to say the least to see an opposition Labour councillor in Clydebank release a video taking credit for this payment, which was already being progressed in SNP-led West Dunbartonshire from funds provided by the Scottish Government.

Who needs posters on lampposts to tell them there’s an election on with wild claims like this?

The same West Dunbartonshire Labour councillor voted against the funding for Women’s Aid, and to fix the pavements, and to the maintain schools and libraries.

The whole Tory/Labour collective in West Dunbartonshire voted against these options, with no imagination or any ideas of their own for recovery.

Something you might just want to ask them about this week.