Mobile Phone Coverage Consultation, M77 to Close and Local Sewage Issues...
The latest news in East Ren and updates from Blair McDougall - East Ren's MP.
“You only hear from politicians at election time!”
That’s something I never want to be said about me. This is a newsletter from me, Blair McDougall, your local MP. I get a huge amount of information about the local community which I thought it would be useful to digest and share. I’ll also update on what I’m up to as I work to represent you in Parliament. You can subscribe to the newsletter below: I promise not to spam you and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Do You Live in a Mobile Blackspot?
One of the most common complaints in my postbag and inbox is around poor mobile telephone connectivity locally. This is more than just a nuisance. With old-fashioned copper cable phone lines disappearing in a few years, many of us will be dependent on our mobiles for communications. If broadband drops and the mobile coverage isn’t there, it’s a dangerous situation.
In the new year I will be meeting with mobile phone companies and government ministers about the black spots in East Ren and I need your help.
Is there a black spot near you? Have you complained about it? What has the response been? How does lack of coverage impact on you and your life? Send me your thoughts at blair.mcdougall.mp@parliament.uk by January 24th.
M77 to Close in New Year
There will be overnight resurfacing work on the M77 northbound at Junction 4 (Newton Mearns) from Monday 13th January until Monday 20th January 2025 between 8pm and 6am each night. More details on the closures and diversions are here.
Christmas Card Competition Winner
East Renfrewshire’s schools are the best in the country, so it’s not surprising that when I asked local primary schools to help design my first ever Parliamentary Christmas Card that the standard of entries was fantastic. The theme of the competition was peace. A few of my favourite entries are below. I’ll be visiting the overall winner to present them with the prize in a few days…
Thank you to all the boys and girls who entered and did such a brilliant job.
Cleaning Up Local Rivers and Burns
During the general election water quality campaigner Feargal Sharkey came to campaign for me because he knows I’m committed to cleaning up our burns, rivers and lochs. Already I’ve been onto Scottish Water and the Water Minister in Edinburgh about the huge amount of sewage being dumped into the Levern Water that flows from Neilston through Barrhead.
I’ve also been contacted by local campaigners about the flow of sewage into the Capelrig Burn, which flows into the Auldhouse Burn running through Rouken Glen and Thornliebank. I visited the burn and saw for myself accumulations of wet wipes and toilet paper. After I wrote to Scottish Water they sent a team out to investigate the source of the sewage. I’ll keep you updated on progress.
I’d also like to thank the brilliant kids of P5 at Mearns Primary School for welcoming me to their class and talking about how they are campaigning to clean up this waterway. I was so inspired by their creativity and care for the environment.
More Help for Working Dads
You might have spotted me on BBC Breakfast continuing my campaign for better paternity rights for dads. The UK’s statutory paternity leave is the worst in Europe.
Dads only get two weeks off, paid at less than half the minimum wage. That’s bad for dads but also for mums, babies and society as a whole. I spoke to the BBC about how the world of work has to catch up to the changing role of dads in their kids lives.
Visit Me in Parliament
Many people don’t realise that Parliament is open to the public. It’s an amazing historical building and an exciting place to walk around, rubbing shoulders with people you’d normally only see on the telly. Since I’ve been elected I’ve met constituents from all over East Ren who are down in London for work or a break. It’s been a pleasure to give them a tour and secure tickets to watch Parliamentary debates.
If you’re planning a school trip to Parliament, did you know you can claim up to 85% of the travel costs back from the House of Commons? Drop me a line on blair.mcdougall.mp@parliament.uk if you are a parent or a teacher thinking of a trip to Westminster.
Don’t Forget the Covid Kids
Too many children dropped out of education during Covid and never got back on track. I know from talking to local parents, police and, job centre advisers social workers that this has left long term scars on the younger generation. I recently raised the issue with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in Parliament as she set out a new youth guarantee, to ensure that all young people are either in work or learning.
What Else Has Your MP Been Up To?
I’ve continued to campaign to highlight the theft of billions of pounds of savings belonging to British Hong Kongers by the Chinese Communist Party.
I praised the work of local uniformed youth organisations in Parliament. In particular the local BBs and Scouts who have big anniversaries coming up.
I went out on the rounds with local posties in Barrhead and visited the sorting office in Newton Mearns to thank the workers there for the huge effort they put in at this time of year to make everyone’s Christmas so special.
I visited Tesco in Barrhead where East Ren Foodbank, and volunteers from 1st Barrhead Scouts and Hillwood Football Club were working hard for their Christmas food collection. My job in parliament is to fix things so that food banks are no longer needed. Until that day, I’m so grateful we have local people who take time to care for others.
Finally I popped into East Renfrewshire Citizen’s Advice Bureau to make a presentation to the amazing Teresa O’Hara who is celebrating 25 years of helping local people with their problems. I tabled a special parliamentary motion in the House of Commons in her honour and thanked her for the thousands of people she’s helped over the years.
As ever, I hold surgeries for constituents every week. These are by appointment on advice of Parliamentary security but are open to all constituents. Simply email blair.mcdougall.mp@parliament.uk