I’VE been proud to represent Southside Central, including the communities of Govanhill and the Gorbals, for nearly 11 years now.

In that time, I’ve seen some wonderful regeneration of those communities, with what was vacant and derelict land transformed into fantastic new homes. But there is much more to be done.

I saw first-hand the tremendous impact of a Labour administration pushing the Glasgow Living Wage, and regeneration. I’ve seen communities come together in bad times, and in good times, to support each other. With many heart-warming stories during the pandemic.

My ward sits almost literally a stone’s throw away from the city centre of the fifth largest city in one of the richest countries in the world. Yet, its story has been one of relative poverty and deprivation.

Throughout its history, the Gorbals and Govanhill have seen people from all over the world call this area home, evolving cultures and traditions with the communities that had settled before.

The result is one of the most culturally diverse – and culturally rich – areas in the whole of Scotland. And that is something that we should all be immensely proud of.

But, the reality is that, even sitting so close to the city centre, they are still afflicted by relative poverty and pockets of severe deprivation. Housing-led regeneration of these areas has been tremendous, fulfilling the core material need of a safe and warm house to call home.

But I am worried that we are losing momentum. I am worried that we will see the progress that has been made, roll back because of a cost-of-living crisis and the follies of a national government more interested in its own internal struggles.

To keep up the momentum, and to continue to transform these communities, we need all levels of Government to work and to pull together in the same direction. We need strong, local champions to stand up for these areas, and we need solutions, not just restating problems.

When Humza Yousaf set out his vision for Scotland, his new Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Shona Robison committed to delivering a New Deal for Local Government. The regeneration story of the Gorbals and Govanhill has been led by an active, interventionist council not content with the status quo.

The council has been held back in its efforts, because of decisions by the Scottish Government to inflict savage cuts on our communities. A New Deal for Local Government needs to be one that empowers local Councils to invest where their communities need it most – and the Gorbals and Govanhill are precisely the communities that need it the most.

We need to give local authorities the power, the freedom and the funding to lead the way for their communities, and leverage more investment to build new homes, new schools, invest in libraries and community centres and so much more.

But even with additional powers, these communities will still need champions to make sure that their voice is heard when decisions are made. And the same is true at all levels – including at the Scottish Parliament.

It is three years until the next election to determine who our MSP will be. Nicola Sturgeon has taken a back seat and is now dominating the press for all the wrong reasons. More than ever our communities need an MSP focused on the day job improving lives for the communities they have been elected to represent.