Tuesday July 1st 2025
Midlothian MP, Kirsty McNeill
Midlothian MP, Kirsty McNeill, writes her column for Midlothian View
It’s been a year since I became your MP, so given you’re my boss it’s time for an annual appraisal.
Obviously the most important objective I have is supporting you with problems so I prioritised setting up an accessible office on Dalkeith High Street. We have a team running an ‘always on’ advice service so if you need help just email or call – you don’t have to wait for a specific time of the month. We prioritise the most urgent cases first so if your question is not time sensitive, expect a wee delay.
So far, we have handled over 4,107 cases where folk have asked for our help or for information, and have returned £17,207 to people’s pockets through our casework.
Before the election I promised that I’ll always fight for your family as if it’s my own. I’ve tried to live by that in big ways, like fighting for a record settlement for the Scottish Government at the budget which has meant Midlothian Council had £14 million extra to deliver local services. But I’ve also tried to live by it in more tailored ways too, like setting up the local Disabled Children’s Forum for parents and carers of disabled children to support each other and pressure me, as I know how exhausting and lonely it can be doing it all alone.
Supporting family finances has always been a big priority so I’m really pleased that there have been four interest rate cuts since Labour came to office thanks to the stability we’ve returned to the economy. One in twenty Midlothian workers have had a pay rise thanks to increases to the National Minimum and Living Wage. And both the creation of GB Energy and the expansion of the Warm Home Discount show our commitment to bringing down bills for good.
Family life, of course, doesn’t take place in a vacuum and I know that one of the best things I can do for our communities is help our local economy grow. That’s why, last week, I brought together a packed room of local business leaders for the first Midlothian Growth Summit.
We heard from fantastic speakers from the Midlothian Chambers of Commerce, Scottish Tourism Alliance and the Scottish Hospitality Group among others but I think the one everyone was most interested to hear from was the Supercomputer Director from Edinburgh University’s Advanced Computing Facility at Roslin. The UK Government has just announced £750 million in funding for the supercomputer so it was a lovely way to celebrate this huge news for Midlothian. Earlier in the year the UK Government announced £5 million for a study into the extension of the Borders Railway and support for 600 Midlothian homes and businesses to get broadband upgrades so I’m pleased we have seen so much investment in Midlothian in just a year.
Supporting local groups and charities is also really important to me, particularly our local miners; welfare and social clubs. I was pleased to bring clubs from all across Scotland together at Bilston Miners and we are working with clubs across England and Wales too on the Club Together campaign, generating proposals for government about how to help clubs thrive.
I was really pleased so many local organisations came to the funding workshop I did with the People’s Postcode Lottery too.
Two final bits of news you might have missed. Very early on this Labour government fixed the injustice of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, boosting the pensions of nearly 1,000 ex-miners in Midlothian by 32%. And thanks to our commitment to our armed forces we will see improvements to 179 Midlothian military homes. The people who powered this country and the people who defend this country will always have my heart.
This is what I’ve prioritised in year one. Let me know what you’d like me to focus on in year two.
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