IT is an honour and a privilege to be writing my first Barrhead News column as the Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire.

To use a cliché, it has been a whirlwind and a rollercoaster for me since East Renfrewshire as a whole and thousands of Barrhead residents put their faith in me.

I have been straight to work, ensuring that the faith you put in me on June 8 is translated into actions in the House of Commons.

Having been sworn in, I have tabled a parliamentary question asking the Secretary of State for Scotland to confirm what UK Government investment and projects are supporting regeneration in Barrhead.

We need sustained investment in our infrastructure to support our local business community - but it is about more than that.

There needs to be an environment of promoting businesses, ensuring that Scotland is a place businesses want to invest.

I believe in creating more taxpayers, not more taxes.

The SNP Scottish Government’s approach here is fundamentally wrong.

They have made Scotland the highest-taxed part of our United Kingdom and refuse to take the single biggest barrier to investment here, another referendum on ‘independence’, off the table.

They are acting in their arty interests and not in the interests of East Renfrewshire.

Millions of pounds of investment shall be flowing to East Renfrewshire Council in support of affordable housing over the next three years.

I have written to the council’s chief executive to seek clarity as to what plan is in place to ensure that this funding alleviates the concerns I heard so often from exasperated residents during the General Election campaign - the concerns of a father whose daughter cannot make it onto the property ladder because they are struggling to find a house they can afford.

As a father to two young children, who are still at the innocent stage of not knowing what a mortgage is or having any real concerns except running about in awe of the world, I want to ensure that, during my time in our parliament, everything possible is done to get more residents onto the property ladder.

I have also asked the council whether, in their opinion, there is sufficient support for buyers as, although there are a multitude of programmes, it may be that there needs to be greater knowledge of these for them to really deliver.

I will be delivering my maiden speech in parliament very soon – a speech which will recognise the need to work constructively with all in East Renfrewshire to deliver for Barrhead residents who have already been contacting me with their problems.

These are real and often very personal problems which demand party politics to be put aside.

When Tom Arthur MSP issues a party political letter to me – he did not even have the courtesy to let me receive it before flaunting it all over social media – he is saying he has no interest in working constructively even where we have common cause, but then again he will always put independence before improving your lives.

On election night, I promised to be a MP who would stand up for every resident in the constituency - and that’s exactly what I am going to do.