REFORMERS lobbying for unanimous political support to breathe fresh industrial life into Greenock have had a series of letters snubbed by the district's MSP and MP.

Members of the Campaign To Save Inchgreen Dry Dock are seeking support for a 'New Deal' for Inverclyde proposal mooted by Labour Provost Martin Brennan.

But correspondence sent to the SNP's Stuart McMillan and Ronnie Cowan as far back as last November has gone unanswered.

Campaign secretary Robert Buirds told the Telegraph that two separate communiques were sent to the parliamentarians — as well as regional West Scotland MSPs Neil Bibby (Labour) and Jamie Greene (Conservative) — but no response has been received from any of them.

Mr Buirds said: "They have not responded to any of the two letters sent, on November 23 and December 17 last year."

The campaign says local politicians of every hue 'have the opportunity to come together in a common cause' to bring about 'progressive change' in Inverclyde.

In one letter, the pressure group urges that the push for a New Deal should be 'formalised' in order to prepare a regeneration proposal to be presented to the Scottish Government for ministerial approval.

Campaigners are calling for an interim board to be assembled to oversee the development of the proposal under the unifying banner of 'Inverclyde New Deal'.

Their letter states: "The success of the New Deal would depend on the commitment of all those involved, as the Inverclyde community would expect nothing less."

It suggests an executive officer 'with a proven track record in regeneration' could be appointed to head-up the development of an overall strategy.

The letter adds: "Scottish Government support would be crucial in providing the necessary funds to develop and implement the development programme.

"The board would use its knowledge, skill and political experience to encourage and win the Scottish Government's commitment."

The campaign has suggested that Mr McMillan and Mr Cowan sit on the board alongside Provost Brennan, councillors from the five local political groupings, Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce, the Inchgreen Dry Dock campaign and a union rep from Ferguson's shipyard supported by council officers.

Their letter concludes: "We are available to discuss the above with all recipients and would like to progress the Inverclyde New Deal project as quickly as possible."

MSP Mr McMillan yesterday apologised for not responding to the campaign.

He said: "This hasn't been deliberate, but my office is receiving between 50 and 100 new constituent cases weekly and my team and I are focusing on responding to constituents who have urgent issues related to Covid-19.

"I will respond to the campaign directly, but my initial thoughts would be that I support any cross party working that would focus on improving Inverclyde.

"I previously put a proposal to Inverclyde Council, called ‘Team Inverclyde’ which was along the same lines as this, but it was rejected.

"If the campaign can be the catalyst to bring about an Inverclyde New Deal, I would welcome this, but I will need to speak directly with the campaign to get more details before I can formally commit to supporting the project."

Mr Greene said: "I commend the excellent work of these local campaigners who are clearly so passionate about re-invigorating the economy of Inverclyde, a cause I share greatly as someone who hails from Greenock.

"There are a number of sensible and interesting ideas being proposed which deserve proper consultation and scrutiny.

"The importance of focusing on economic recovery is now more important than ever considering the awful events of this past year which have badly damaged our local economy."

Mr Cowan and Mr Bibby did not respond to the Telegraph's requests for comment.