I want to talk about three different issues, both local and national, in this article.

Royston School

I have spoken at public meetings in the last month on the future of Royston School which is under threat of closure by the SNP/Lib Dem City Council. I strongly support the campaign to keep the school open and I have been really impressed by the strength of feeling expressed by parents, staff and local people for their school.

The council says that numbers are too low to be viable but small schools have a lot of advantages to offer in particular when it comes to pupils with special needs. Royston School has been serving the local community since 1937 and it should be allowed to continue to do so.

A living wage

I also attended a meeting in support of the Living Wage campaign at the Prentice Centre in Granton. This year the national minimum wage is 10 years old and from October it will be increased again. The Government is also intending to extend it to apprentices as well.

Nevertheless, we still have a way to go. At surgeries I have met people who have been victimised by employers after complaining of being paid below the minimum wage so the much tougher enforcement introduced by the Government in April is very necessary.

The Living Wage campaign is trying to convince employers to pay their lowest paid staff like cleaners a living wage of £7 an hour. It would make a real difference to people’s ability to meet just basic bills but actually very little difference to the employers’ overall wage costs.

Reform of Parliament

I took part recently in a discussion on reform of the UK Parliament with a group of young people at Holyrood. I want to see much greater openness and accountability in the way Parliament works. Politicians need to listen closely to the local communities they represent and not become cut off from the realities of everyday life.

There is a lot that Westminster can learn from the Scottish Parliament as well as from meetings like the ones on Royston School. People spoke up with passion in defence of their local school but there was plenty of reasoned argument as well - a really good example of local democracy at work. I hope the Council will take note - it’s not just politicians at Westminster that need to listen.