Published: Wednesday, 24th October, 2007 12:30
Ochil MP and MSP may share surgery sessions
By Alloa News Room
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KEITH Brown, MSP for Ochil, has written to Gordon Banks, MP for Ochil and South Perthshire, offering to hold joint surgeries.
These would allow constituents in Clackmannanshire to approach both of their parliamentary representatives at once, and would mean each could deal with the issues over which they have direct responsibility.
Mr Brown is proposing to assist any constituent who comes with problems under the remit of the Scottish Parliament.
This would include schools and universities, dealings with the local council including planning and council tax, the NHS, crime and anti-social behaviour, housing, social work, the environment, sport, the arts, tourism and transport.
Gordon Banks would assist any constituent who comes with a problem falling under Westminster’s remit.
The MP said, “Gordon Banks and I have significant differences of opinion on national and UK issues.
“He votes in support of the Iraq War, upgrading the UK’s Scotland-based nuclear weapons and introducing compulsory ID cards at a cost of £200 per person. No SNP MP would vote for them.
“However, on the day-to-day work of helping constituents who have come to our surgeries with problems, we should set an example in co-operating across our party political boundaries.”
He added, “This would mean people would be able to access the local representative best able to deal with their problems. It would increase public knowledge of the different responsibilities of the two Parliaments.
“It would also reduce the pressure of expectation on each of us to be seen to be active in issues over which we have no powers.
“Gordon Banks for example would be free to leave devolved matters aside and use his media profile to argue his case on the so-called “big” issues – such as Iraq or nuclear weapons – over which he still has any say.”
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