Big Energy Saving Week October 24 to 31 is LEAP’s Big Energy Saving Week. LEAP is the energy action charity working across rural Renfrewshire including the communities of Lochwinnoch, Kilbarchan, Howwood, Bridge of Weir, Houston, Brookfield and Crosslee.

They help local residents save energy and money, providing free impartial advice on insulation, draught proofing, heating, renewable energy generation, grants and subsidies. As part of their Big Energy Saving Week LEAP is holding an Energy Bill Surgery @ LEAP Lochwinnoch Office (22 Church Street, Lochwinnoch, PA12 4AD) on Wednesday, October 28, 4pm-7pm; you can take along your fuel bills for free, impartial energy supplier switching and energy saving advice. More info can be found at www.myleapproject.org. Tax Credits One of the big issues in Westminster at the moment is Tax Credits and changes that are being made by the Conservative government. I have been contacted by hundreds of constituents and other people from across Scotland and the UK to highlight their concerns about how these cuts will affect them.

Last week the opposition parties lost a vote calling on the government to reverse it’s planned cuts to tax credits by 22 votes. Despite multiple Conservative MP’s raising their concerns, none of them voted against the Government. I spoke in the Commons on the debate and highlighted that I agree with the Conservatives - I, too, believe that “work should pay”. The sad reality is, however, that in Scotland, more than 60 per cent of children in poverty come from families who are in work. These cuts will hit those in work the hardest, with in-work families losing, on average, £1,300 in 2016-17. The financial gap not will be filled with the introduction of the new so-called national living wage – which falls 65p short of the real living wage of £7.85 per hour. It should therefore be referred to as what it is: a new minimum wage.

I will continue to challenge these cuts and raise all the concerns that have been brought to me by those affected.

SNP Conference The 81st annual SNP Conference took place from 15th-19th October in Aberdeen. It was our largest ever with around 4,500 delegates, visitors, media and staff in attendance and it was announced that SNP membership has now risen to 114,000.

It was a very exciting weekend for me. I addressed the general conference on where I moved at resolution on Fairer Scotland, as well as giving a speech opening the woman’s conference on the 19th. The reception I received was very flattering, and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to those of you who got in contact to pass on your kind messages. You are all consistently too kind.

I met with a number of great organisations and charities who come along and take stalls and a whole host of people representing groups doing important and crucial work in our communities. I met a number of local constituents from Elderslie, Kilbarchan, Johnstone, Lochwinnoch and Paisley who were running the stalls as staff or volunteers and giving up their weekend to raise awareness for their organisations.