Douglas Alexander MP

Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South

Paisley Daily Express Column - 07 December 2011

Teenage Memories,

Future Hopes

The former Territorial Army Building and drill hall in the High Street is one of the most distinguished buildings in the town.

As a teenager I used to spend time in it, as it was one of the local halls used by my BB Company for drill’s band practice. Back in 2007 the building was sold to a development company – but in recent years it’s been a target for vandals. The boarded up windows, and broken panes of glass send out a depressing signal. The building needs significant repair works and refurbishment. So what is to done?

It has now been put on the market by its owners. And all of us with a concern for the town will want to see a prestige development of the site, given its location close to both the Paisley Museum and the University.

We need a jobs plan for tough times ahead

At my advice surgeries last week I heard about people worried about paying for their heating, their food and their petrol. It was a reminder to me that local families and pensioners are already paying the price of a Government economic strategy that is coming off the rails. Just how much their plan has failed became clear last week in the House of Commons when George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement. He told a disbelieving Chamber that the Government is set to borrow a staggering £158 billion more than they planned a year ago – the bill for the economic failure, higher unemployment and bigger benefits bill their failed plan has helped create.

And it also emerged that they’re going to break their pledge to balance the books by 2015 – the structural deficit will not be eliminated until 2016/17. The impact of this failure is now being felt right across Renfrewshire. Unemployment is rising and, across the country, is now at its highest level for 17 years, wages have been frozen and energy bills are frozen.

And here in Paisley and Renfrewshire South unemployment is well above even the Scottish and UK averages. That’s why - for the tough times ahead – we need a real plan for jobs and growth. Because we need a growing economy if we’re going to deal with the deficit, get people back to work, and our local young people the opportunities they deserve.

Car Parking in Paisley

I was in the town centre at the weekend and used one of the car parking spaces available free of charge every weekend until the New Year. The spaces are available at all Council car parks, including on-street parking, as well as the Piazza & Paisley Shopping Centre car parks.

We all know, however that local retailers worries are not going to end on December 31^st. I think many local people would welcome the Council looking again at the whole issue of parking in the Town Centre. Not just Braehead, but other local towns like Johnstone have free parking near the town centre to help bring in the shoppers. All of us know that the High Street needs help – and it needs help fast.