Get that right, and you don’t just support businesses, you protect jobs, local economies, and the places people are proud to call home.

Business rates are a clear example. Right now, the balance is wrong.

We should be backing the shops, pubs and hospitality businesses that keep our town centres going and making sure online giants are paying their fair share.

Walk down any high street or main street in Scotland and you can see too many shops struggling and too many local businesses under pressure.

That’s not by accident. It’s the result of a system that hasn’t kept up, and a SNP Scottish Government that hasn’t been willing to fix it.

This is how we bring bills down for good by backing British industry, supporting jobs here in West Lothian, and building a secure, clean energy system we control.

That matters here in West Lothian. Companies like Mitsubishi Electric are at the forefront of heat pump technology, supporting skilled local jobs while helping drive the transition to clean energy.

We’re also making it easier for people to switch to cheaper electric heating and transport, including expanding support for heat pumps.

Today’s package will massively expand renewables, unlocking up to 10GW of new capacity by using brownfield land, industrial sites and railway corridors, enough to power around 5 million homes.

That’s why the UK Labour Government is acting now, bringing bills down by 7% this month, with support locked in until July, and taking urgent steps to help households relying on heating oil and LPG.

But this is also about fixing the problem for good.

The cost of living is still the number one pressure facing families across the Livingston constituency, and with global instability pushing up energy prices again, people are rightly worried about what it means for household bills.

We’re doubling down on clean, homegrown energy⚡breaking our dependence on volatile international fossil fuel markets and protecting families from future price shocks.

Livingston MP urges “reset” on River Almond as progress stalls Livingston constituency MP Gregor Poynton has called for a “reset” in efforts to tackle pollution in the River Almond, warning that progress has been too slow despite years of campaigning.

Read more here:

www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/your-world/l...

It’s time for a reset - with urgent, coordinated action to restore the health of the River Almond and protect Scotland’s waterways for future generations.

Local communities are doing their part. The SNP Scottish Government is failing to do theirs.

Years of campaigning should have delivered meaningful change. Instead, the same issues persist, with the SNP refusing to apply the necessary pressure on SEPA and Scottish Water to deliver real improvements.

The River Almond Action Group was formed in 2021 in response to serious concerns about water quality. I’ve been proud to support their work since being elected in 2024 - but it’s clear that progress has stalled on the SNP Scottish Government’s watch.

Livingston MP urges “reset” on River Almond as progress stalls Livingston constituency MP Gregor Poynton has called for a “reset” in efforts to tackle pollution in the River Almond, warning that progress has been too slow despite years of campaigning.

Our rivers and lochs should be clean and safe for communities and wildlife to enjoy, yet ongoing pollution and sewage continue to threaten places like the River Almond.

With Labour, local people are taking the lead. Our flagship Pride in Place programme gives local communities across West Lothian control over how to spend new funding in their area.

In Almond Valley, back Jordan Stokoe.
In Bathgate, back Jenny Young.

And on the regional ballot, vote Scottish Labour.

Fill it in. Send it back. Make it count.

Let’s get the basics right again.

If your postal vote has landed - don’t leave it sitting on the side 📮

After nearly 20 years of SNP government, too many people feel things just aren’t working, in our NHS, our schools, and the basics every community relies on.

This is your chance to choose change.

On the 7th May, Scotland has a chance to choose something different. Five years of Anas Sarwar. Five years to turn things around, rebuild our NHS, and get Scotland moving forward again.

So vote for change for Scotland with Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour. 🗳️

Nineteen years. That’s how long the SNP have had in power and too many families are still waiting longer, paying more, and seeing less.

With just 19 days to go to the Scottish Parliament elections, it comes down to one question, if the SNP were going to fix it, why haven’t they done it already?

If you couldn’t make this one, keep an eye on my page for details of the next one near you.

And as always, if you, your family or your community need support, you can contact me anytime at gregor.poynton.mp@parliament.uk

Every couple of months I write out to constituents to invite people along to my coffee mornings, advice surgeries and public meetings. They’re a great opportunity to engage directly with individuals and community groups about the issues that matter most.

That’s me wrapped up after my latest coffee morning at Livingston Rugby Club last weekend, thanks again to everyone who came along.

We had some really good, wide-ranging conversations, from immigration to dangerous dogs to how we get our NHS working properly for patients.

👉 What’s the one thing you think the Scottish Government should be focusing on right now?

Whether it’s our NHS, the condition of local roads, or standards in our schools, too many people feel things just aren’t working as they should.

That’s why this election matters. A chance to deliver the change Scotland needs.

On the 7th May, vote for Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour.

Out in Deer Park with the team and Jordan Stokoe, our candidate for Almond Valley.

Speaking to residents about the choice facing Scotland on the 7th May and one message kept coming through loud and clear, that people want a Scottish government that gets the basics right.

Arrowz Sports Lounge and The Livingston Inn have both been shortlisted at the National Pub & Bar Awards, a huge achievement for our local hospitality scene.

I stopped by both recently and you can see why they’ve made the list.

So…where’s your favourite local? And who should win? 👇

Are you going out for a drink this weekend? 🍻

If you are, you don’t need to go far as two of the UK’s best pubs are right here in the Livingston constituency.

Now Scotland faces the same choice:
More of the same under the SNP or a fresh start with Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour.

🗳️ Vote Labour on May 7 for the change Scotland needs.

✔️ Stronger sick pay & protections
✔️ A Fair Work Agency to raise standards

This is what change looks like.

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