MARK Dougan has vowed to make sure the villages don’t get left out when it comes to investment if he is successful in Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

The Conservative candidate has insisted that, while Paisley has enjoyed multi-million pound investments in recent years, Johnstone and villages such as Lochwinnoch and Howwood must be treated more equally.

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The 23-year-old PhD student said: “Lochwinnoch and surrounding villages are quite often forgotten about because Paisley seems to be the hub. 

“Renfrew had its entire town centre revamped. Johnstone had its town hall rebuilt but that was kind of it. And the villages have kind of had nothing either so I think we’ve got to say well, hang on a minute, let’s not forget about the villages here. 

“That’s where a lot of people live who go to work in Paisley or Glasgow and they’ve got their own issues as well. 

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“We need to not prioritise some areas over others.”

At the same time, Mr Dougan feels more must be done to promote Paisley. 

He said: “I don’t think enough is being done to promote what the local area is doing in terms of the regeneration of Paisley and the amount of money being spent. 

“That should be really put on a national platform. 

“I think local politicians have failed in that sense.” 

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