FIFE'S Depute Provost, and Glenrothes West and Kinglassie councillor, Julie Ford, welcomed the news of the £50 million to spend on improving mental health services for new and expectant mothers.

Commenting on the announcement on Thursday, Ms Ford said: "I am really pleased to see this news today as I think it is an area that is discussed a lot, but never seemed to previously have the money to back it.

"I had my first baby in December 2017, and there were warning signs throughout my pregnancy that my mental health wasn't as it should have been but I didn't know where to turn to. This only got worse as soon as my daughter was born, but I refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, and in hindsight, there probably wasn't enough targeted resources, specifically for new mothers, to identify a problem.

"I am sure that if this extra funding was in place then, my post-natal depression would have been picked up far sooner and would have meant that my family and I would have been able to bond and enjoy the first months of my daughter's life a lot more than we did".