THIS month marks the 25th anniversary of the first sitting of the new Scottish Parliament.

Devolution is one of Labour’s proudest achievements with the founding principle of ensuring decisions are taken as close to the people they affect as possible.

I am honoured to have had the opportunity to sit in both the UK and Scottish Parliaments. While there are various differences regarding the way both function, it is an undeniable geographic fact that Holyrood is more accessible to the public.

Indeed, I believe the openness and accessibility of the Scottish Parliament is one of its greatest strengths. Every year, thousands visit the Parliament, including some 20,000 school pupils. Hundreds of representatives from charities, businesses, community groups and other organisations attend meetings, events and debates every week. This vibrant culture of involvement and participation has been critical to embedding the Parliament’s work into wider Scottish society.

However, I believe the full potential of devolution has been squandered by the SNP. Too often, their focus has been on what the Parliament cannot do rather than the many positive opportunities presented. They constantly blame Westminster for their failings rather than using the powers of the Parliament to tackle the problems Scotland faces.

As Anas Sarwar said in a speech marking 25 years of the Parliament: “The country needs a government that rises to today’s challenges, which are the biggest since the dawn of devolution.”

In more local news, I was disappointed to see the latest local bank closure announcement, this time the TSB branch in Haddington. The ongoing closure of bank branches underlines the importance of speeding up the rollout of banking hubs to ensure face-to-face banking remains an option in communities.