Letters: MP and MSP slammed over police station and GP cuts

First we had Ronnie Cowan telling people across Inverclyde that there was no crisis arising from the police’s announcement to close Greenock police office.

Not only is he ignoring the concerns of people across Inverclyde, but his views also fly in the face of many senior retired officers who have made their views known in these pages over recent weeks.

It seems to be obvious to everyone except Mr Cowan that removing police officers from our area to take people to custody suites in Glasgow and Clydebank means fewer police in Inverclyde.

Is it too much to ask that Inverclyde’s MP actually defends the area from his government’s cuts and stands up against them for once?

Next along, we had Stuart McMillan MSP, who waved the white flag when it came to our GP out of hours services.

This campaign has been running for almost four years and we have only just concluded the consultation (which seemed to have only happened because Cllr Martin McCluskey argued for it).

Why then would Mr McMillan say he accepts the situation before any decision has been made?

Why isn’t he fighting for a seven day a week service at IRH?

He seems to be backing the health board position which would see centres within an easy drive of each other at RAH Paisley, QEUH and the New Victoria in Glasgow. It makes no sense.

Stuart McMillan has been Inverclyde’s MSP for almost a decade and Ronnie Cowan has been in post for nine years.

The SNP government have been in charge for seventeen years.

In that time, we have seen services in Inverclyde decline.

To name a few: major trauma moved out of IRH, roads policing no longer based in Inverclyde, fire appliances cut, outpatient services centralised.

All of this on top of budgets that have seen Inverclyde Council get a bad deal year after year.

In this election year, I hope many people will be asking what I am: isn’t it time for a change?

John Leck

Greenock