INVERCLYDE is home to an amazing community of people.

This was rightly recognised in this year’s Greenock Telegraph Community Champion Awards recently, where over a dozen local people were honoured for services to the area.

Awards were given for achievements in areas including sport, business, teaching and health and care.

I congratulate every award-winner for making Inverclyde a better place to live and work in.

Despite the best efforts of people who live here, however, our area is being held back by above average levels of economic and social need.

As highlighted in the Tele, figures from the End Child Poverty Coalition show that around a quarter of children in Inverclyde were living in poverty in 2022-23.

They show that there are 350 more local children in poverty compared to ten years ago. This is appalling and more must done to reduce it.

I know that local charities, have been working tirelessly to help struggling families by giving debt advice and raising money to provide things like food and furniture.

But charities cannot possibly help everyone – and the number of families in need is rapidly rising.

The Scottish Government recently stated that eradicating child poverty is its primary focus.

But clearly, it is failing to reach this goal in Inverclyde.

It does not have to be this way: there are steps that both the Scottish and UK Governments could – and should – take to address the situation.

Inverclyde needs government investment to reverse the area’s worsening jobs crisis, which has seen hundreds of jobs leave the area and has damaged the local economy.

But people currently in work must also be able to support themselves on their wage – we must make work pay.

This means introducing a genuine living wage and banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and fire-and-rehire.

By protecting current jobs and creating new ones, these steps will provide families with vital financial security and help to finally reverse poverty levels in our community.

It is time for change and for our community to see the support and economic transformation it needs and deserves.