I’ve been speaking to local businesses and workers all over the Borders about their concerns and needs.

They are all very concerned by the damage that Labour’s National Insurance hike is doing to the economy and by the ever-rising tax bills they’re getting because of the SNP government’s decisions.

It’s vital that politicians show some common sense now and start working to deliver better value for taxpayers and bring bills down, so that people can keep more of their own hard-earned money.

I’m disappointed by the decision from Scottish Borders Council to start a consultation on closing several nurseries.

This decision is completely wrong and must be reversed.

All plans to close nurseries should be abandoned immediately.

The council should be helping families with childcare needs, not limiting the options and making it harder for parents and carers.

Rural services should be protected, not shut down.

I recently joined local groups on a super-sized litter pick in Duns where over 300kg of waste was collected.

The volunteers from Keeping Duns Blooming Marvellous, A Heart for Duns and Greener Duns deserve a huge amount of credit for their incredible efforts.

The streets and surrounding areas are looking much cleaner thanks to the selfless work of so many local people.

Of course, it would be better if clean-up operations were not necessary, so please remember to deposit rubbish properly and encourage others to do the same.