As Holyrood enters its summer recess, local MSP Brian Whittle has announced how he plans to keep in touch with the public while COVID-19 restrictions are in place.
The South Scotland MSP, who normally spends his summer visiting local organisations and holding advice surgeries for constituents, will be going digital with a series of online meetings to talk about the impact coronavirus has had on Ayrshire and what people want to see as lockdown lifts.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Health Minister Brian also hopes to get out and about more as the recess goes on and restrictions are further eased.
This year’s summer break for MSPs has been shortened to match the date for pupils returning to school on the 11th of August. In a first for the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood will hold a series of virtual and hybrid (some MSPs in Holyrood, some at home) meetings so MSPs can continue to scrutinise the Scottish Government’s measures to ease lockdown and allow more of day-to-day life to resume.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“Summer recess is one of my favourite times of the year as it’s my biggest opportunity to get out and about and meet people. While it looks like this year will be a bit different, I still want to use my time in recess to hear from as many businesses, charities, community organisations and members of the public as possible.
When Holyrood returns in August, my hope is that we’ll be able to think more about the future beyond our immediate response to COVID-19. That’s why I want to use this summer to listen and learn from our experiences of the coronavirus outbreak. I want to know what has and hasn’t worked for people and I want to hear their ideas for the future.
Our recovery from the pandemic isn’t going to be easy, but I firmly believe that Ayrshire is full of ideas that can help make a difference.
If you’d like to share your thoughts or speak to me about an issue, please email me at [email protected].”
