The headline announcement for our community is the £20 million investment in Inchgreen Marine Park.
Since I was elected, I have been steadfast in my belief that Inchgreen is one of the most important assets we have – it has the history, the location and the potential to be a major centre of maritime and defence industry work once again.
With this budget, we are unlocking that potential and that ambition. That’s why I made it a priority and why I have been arguing for this funding since before Labour came to power.
The funding will renew the dry dock with new gates, pumps and infrastructure, and it will support the construction of a new training and skills centre.
That means real opportunities for young people here to build careers in shipbuilding, engineering and across the wider maritime sector.
It will also bring the dry dock into the joint venture between Inverclyde Council and Peel Ports.
This is a budget that delivers for people right across not only the local area, but Scotland as a whole.
The UK Government has taken real action on the cost of living by cutting energy bills for households by an average of £150.
Combined with the £150 Warm Homes Discount which has been extended to six million households across Britain, this means hundreds of pounds of support for those who need it most.
The Government also delivered the biggest reduction in child poverty of any budget this century. Removing the two‑child limit will benefit tens of thousands of children in Scotland alone, with nearly 1,500 households in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West feeling the benefit.
Increases to the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage will boost pay for thousands of workers across Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West, putting more money directly into your pockets.
This builds on the increases we saw earlier in April, which benefitted 220,000 workers across Scotland.
1.1 million pensioners in Scotland will see a 4.8 per cent rise in State Pension and families relying on Universal Credit will benefit from the first permanent real terms rise in the standard allowance. These are practical and tangible steps to improve people’s lives here at home.
We’re extending the fuel duty freeze and saving the average driver £89 next year. This comes alongside a commitment to bringing Fuel Finder online before the end of the year, mandating forecourts to share real time fuel prices.
And, crucially, Scotland’s public services will receive an additional £820 million – that is funding the Scottish Government should be using to tackle horrifying NHS waiting times, support our schools and invest in struggling local services.
While the SNP are quick to blame so called ‘cuts and austerity’ from the UK Government, the truth is that since the election last year, Scotland has received over £10 billion in additional funding from this UK Labour Government.
While we wait for the long promised new HMP Greenock, as patients struggle to get GP appointments in the Port Glasgow Health Centre which is long overdue being replaced and as Inverclyde Royal Hospital crumbles at the seams – the SNP are failing us.
For far too long, people have had to accept decline. This budget shows that decline is not inevitable and change is possible. With the right investments, the right priorities and a UK Labour Government that believes in our potential, we can build a stronger future.
I will keep fighting every day to make sure this is only the beginning.