‘WITHOUT doubt 2014 has been a momentous year for Scotland and I am sure that the coming year promises its fair share of excitement. I think enough has been written and said about the Referendum and I know from talking to Central Fife Times readers, people are keen to look forward rather than backwards all the time.

One of my priorities will be to campaign for the introduction across the whole of Fife of the Living Wage. People often ask me how this figure is determined and why it is different from the National Minimum Wage. I am really proud of the fact that it was the last Labour Government that introduced for the first time ever a statutory minimum wage, which gave millions of low paid workers substantial pay rises and protection from unscrupulous employers. It is difficult to imagine that before it was introduced, some big businesses were paying staff as little as £1 an hour.

However, although the Minimum Wage has made a real difference to people, we need to go further. Too many workers are still reliant on the Government to “top up” their income through tax credits and other means. The Living Wage is the figure that has been independently calculated that would allow an employee to cover the basic costs of living without Government assistance. The latest figures show that more than one in five Fife workers do not receive the Living Wage, which is set at £7.85 an hour. These figures are both staggering and unacceptable, however, I know from my own surgeries and casework that too many local people are having to make choices about basic spending. In the New Year I will be out and about raising awareness of this important issue and asking local residents to back Labour’s campaign to introduce it – as a first step – in all public sector contracts.

2014 has also been an interesting year for Scottish football. Whilst the national team continues to perform well under the guidance of Gordon Strachan, many of our most famous clubs continue to suffer on and off the pitch. As a Pars fan I had mixed emotions watching Cowdenbeath retain their Championship status – coming at the expense of my own team – but there could be no doubt that the Blue Brazil were the far better team over the two legs. This is of course a very difficult season for the Club, with not just Rangers, Hearts and Hibs in the same division, but some very competitive teams such as Queen of the South and Falkirk.

Nonetheless it is testament to the way Cowdenbeath FC is run that the team is not just performing well on the pitch, but has avoided trouble off it as well. With three cracking home games over the holiday period, I hope that the Club picks up not only some precious points but can boost the coffers as well.

I wish all Blue Brazil fans – and all Central Fife Times readers – all the best for 2015’.