It has been a year since the SNP were elected to the administration of West Dunbartonshire Council.

In those 12 months the SNP have reversed the sustained progress of our area and introduced savage unnecessary cuts to services and jobs.

They have: scrapped the free care of garden scheme introducing charges to our elderly residents; cut access to local libraries by reducing opening hours by 26 per cent and reduced funding to strategic partners and voluntary organisations such as Citizens Advice, Tullochan Trust and Y Sort It and voluntary groups.

While often these cuts can go unnoticed if they don’t personally affect you, you will know a family member or friend who has been affected.

However, nobody in Dumbarton and Vale of Leven can fail to notice the destruction of our beloved Levengrove and Christie Parks and open greenspace.

The decision to grass over the beautiful bedding plants areas and to cut only a border in open greenspace has been universally condemned by almost all residents.

Our parks are known for award winning floral displays, it is shameful these have been grassed over by the SNP council. Our open space and residential grass areas are being turned into a slum existence where children cant play and residents have to view this eyesore daily.

Not only is our area beginning to look unkept and neglected and this is still only very early in the summer, seasonal jobs in greenspace has been slashed to facilitate the decline. All at the same time the council leader publically attacked our hard working trade unions who opposed the cuts to jobs and services. It is not too late to overturn these ill-judged and unnecessary cuts.

We shouldn’t sit back and watch our local parks and communities be allowed to be neglected by councillors who are supposed to represent your views not ignore them.

Enough is enough. The next council meeting is on Thursday, May 31. Please tell the SNP councillors loud and clear they must reverse these damaging cuts now during the summer months. Contact Dumbarton and Vale of Leven SNP councillors Jonathan McColl, Ian Dickson, Caroline McAllister, Karen Conanghan and Iain McLaren. Their contact details can be found on on the WDC website (west-dunbarton.gov.uk). Please phone, email and text them to tell them to reverse the decision to neglect West Dunbartonshire. Please act now - they have a duty to listen and act on your concerns.