Clacks East By-Election 19th November - Vote 1 for James Hay

The Clackmannanshire East By-Election is on Thursday 19th November. Vote 1 for Dr James Hay as the Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate. Jim has been a Clackmannanshire resident since the 1970s. He is married with 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

The Council's top priority must be to address the needs of the Covid-19 crisis. Jim is appalled by both the UK and Scottish government's management of the pandemic. We must protect the vulnerable and help those most affected by the trauma of the pandemic. To regain any normality in our society we must reduce the virus spread quickly by following local public health advice. This will depend on a fully staffed "Test and Protect" programme supported by NHS testing laboratories. The Council and the Scottish Government must work together to ensure that all local businesses, especially those in the hospitality and tourism sectors are suitably compensated for the hardship and financial losses incurred.

The second priority must be to tackle the appalling social issues afflicting a significant proportion of the county's population namely homelessness, child poverty, domestic, alcohol and drug abuse. Our county is ranked as one of the worst in Scotland. This is scandalous and is a legacy of the loss of major industries which has left an employment void which has not been filled.

The third priority must be to build on the "City Region Deal" to attract businesses jobs to the county. We have significant educational strengths at Forth Valley College and the University of Stirling. Our central location is unique and with improved transportation systems to the rest of the country we can thrive.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats seek a future where we can work to develop our economy, embrace all of the new technologies, reduce our carbon foot print, reduce waste and improve the wellbeing of all of our citizens.