INVERCLYDE'S SNP MSP pledged to write to Scotland’s finance secretary about plans for a new health centre in Port Glasgow following today's budget announcement.

Finance Secretary Shona Robison has set out her draft 2025/26 budget at Holyrood, which includes plans to mitigate the ‘pernicious’ two-child cap on benefits in Scotland and changes to the country’s income tax bands.

The Tele previously reported the Port Glasgow West Community Council say the current Bay Street building is not fit for purpose.

There have been reported issues with the building leaking as well as claims the facilities are inadequate. 

Speaking after the budget announcement, Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan said there are 'additional capital monies available for health and social care, so I’ll be writing to the Finance Secretary and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding a new Port Glasgow health centre'.

He added: “This is vitally important to ensure people in Port Glasgow and beyond continue to receive the best care possible and offer a better working environment for staff.”

Speaking about the budget, Ms Robison said the changes to Scotland’s income tax rates would mean more of people’s earnings will be levied at lower rates.

She also pledged to abolish the two-child benefits cap, which prevents parents from claiming universal credit or child tax credit for a third child, with a few exemptions.

She said Westminster’s co-operation would be required to fully mitigate the cap, and that it would be 2026 before any payments would be made to families.

Mr McMillan also hailed the money that is to be invested into local government as part of the budget, which he said had a ‘critical’ role to play in delivering high quality public services.

He added: “The total local government settlement sets out that local government funding has increased by over £1bn from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

“This includes a £289m increase in the general revenue grant to deliver real terms protection, but also gives increased funding for additional support for learning, free school meals, and the school workforce among other measures.

“The core local government capital grant will also be increased to £556m."

However, Neil Bibby, Labour MSP for West Scotland, said: “This budget benefits from an additional £5.2bn as a result of funding from the UK Labour Government. However, because of 18 years of SNP mismanagement, people in Scotland continue to pay more and get less on their watch. 

“Instead of delivering the transformative investment happening elsewhere in the UK under a Labour government, the SNP is scrambling to fix the mess they created in our public services. 

“Years of economic mismanagement have left Scotland lagging behind the rest of the UK, costing us vital funding and allowing standards to slip and resources to disappear in our schools, hospitals, and communities. 

”Our public services are in crisis and this budget fails to rise to the scale of the challenge they face. Scotland needs a new direction, but this budget represents more of the same."