‘The Finance Secretary’s speech did not mention Inverclyde.’
Originally published by the Greenock Telegraph on 17/01/2026
For 19 years, SNP budgets have consistently shortchanged our area. And this week’s Scottish budget was no exception.
Right now, in Inverclyde, threats hang over the future of some fire and rescue services, patients and staff at Port Glasgow Health Centre and the IRH are dealing with buildings that are falling apart and in need of repair, and the future of our local prison is uncertain because of a lack of investment.
These are problems of maintaining what we already have, let alone arguing for more. This was the budget that was meant to deliver for Inverclyde. But instead, it delivered absolutely nothing on any of these priorities.
The Finance Secretary’s budget speech in Parliament did not have one single mention of Inverclyde. Nothing about our hospital, or even a mention of Ferguson Marine, which is still waiting for more work from the Scottish Government. She didn’t even mention a new Port Glasgow health centre.
This is curious, given that Stuart McMillan MSP has been claiming that he has secured a new Port Glasgow health centre. Unfortunately, this is not what the budget documents say.
Page 16 of the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline lists every funded health project. Port Glasgow Health Centre is not on it.
Turning to page 18 of the same document, Port Glasgow is mentioned but it makes clear that no funding has been agreed. It also makes clear that the Port Glasgow project could be cancelled (or, in their words, ‘stood down’ in future).
Why is Stuart McMillan not being honest with people? There is no more certainty of a new Port Glasgow health centre this week than there was last week. The very least that the public should expect are politicians who are honest about the spending decisions that are being made, particularly those that have such a major impact on our community.
So, if the Scottish Government have not invested in Inverclyde’s NHS, where has the money gone? Investments have been made in colleges in Dunfermline, a storage warehouse for art works in Edinburgh, and in the Royal Botanic Gardens, but nothing for priority infrastructure projects in Inverclyde.
I had also expected to hear something about funding for repairs at Inverclyde Royal Hospital in the budget. But there was nothing. Despite a repair backlog of £120m and a commitment to repair the façade of the building by 2026, this promise is now going to be broken.
Hospital investment has been awarded to the QEUH in Glasgow, to Forth Valley and to NHS Grampian, but nothing for Inverclyde Royal Hospital. My question to Stuart McMillan is: why? Why is this not a priority for the Scottish Government?
The finance secretary’s actions are in stark contrast to the UK Government budget that delivered direct investment for Inverclyde for Inchgreen dry dock and re-committed funding commitments for other regeneration projects in Greenock and Port Glasgow.
That budget also passed billions more to the Scottish Government for public services and infrastructure, but we now know that none of the SNP plans will include Inverclyde.
Since long before I was MP for Inverclyde, I have been campaigning for a better deal for our local NHS and for more investment locally.
As your MP, over the past 18 months, I have delivered millions of pounds for work across our area, most recently the £20 million investment committed to Inchgreen. After 19 years in power the SNP continues to prioritise other parts of Scotland ahead of us.
I hope that this is the last budget we see from the SNP and they are out of power in May. Not just because I want to see a Labour Government led by Anas Sarwar and Francesca Brennan as our MSP, but because Inverclyde will no longer be ignored by the Scottish Government.