Woodmill High School

‘WE have all been devastated by the fire at Woodmill and I am sure you will know someone affected, be that pupils, teachers or parents. Despite the tragedy, it has been heart-warming to see how the community come together to donate money and find short-term arrangements for pupils so they can get back to some kind of normality. I wrote to Scottish Education Secretary John Swinney immediately and by return he pledged his full support to Fife Council in working to ensure as little disruption as humanly possible. He also pledged to accelerate talks on the new learning campus, which would bring St Columba’s and Woodmill high schools and Fife College into one fantastic facility. This option must be at the forefront of Fife Council’s minds when they are discussing long-term solutions.The news that school accommodation has been found locally for Woodmill’s 1,400 pupils, including Beath High School, and the learning support unit within four days of the fire is testament to how well Fife copes in a crisis. I’d like to thank Fife Council education staff and many others for the swift and professional way they have handled this incident…very impressive!

Lathalmond

I recently visited the Lathalmond Commerce Park, between Kelty and Dunfermline, to see for myself the eye-sore and health hazard that has been left there. The communities nearby have been trying to have the dump removed for years now, with little success. I have written to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency twice to have this removed. I hope they will take firm action to hold those responsible to account and have this environmental hazard taken away from Lathalmond as soon as possible.

Halbeath defibrillator

Residents at Long Row in Halbeath invited me to see the defibrillator they recently installed. They had it installed after a local woman died as a result of a cardiac episode. It was going to cost residents around £2 a day to supply electricity to the defibrillator and keep it in a special box. Scottish Power Energy Networks then stepped in and supplied power free-of-charge from an overhead power supply. I am delighted they have taken that decision.

Plastics petition

I launched a House of Commons petition to urge the UK Government to work with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations to cut down on single-use plastics. I have been working hard to cut down on plastic waste across West Fife and I hope other areas will recognise the damage plastic is causing our environment. It needs to be signed in person. You can find it in Hill O’Beath and Crossgates Primary Schools as well as other locations’.