SCOTTISH Labour leader Kezia Dugdale last week made the trip across the water to Arran as campaigning for the Scottish Parliament heats up.

The MSP for Lothian was accompanied by Labour’s candidate for Cunninghame North, Johanna Baxter.

The pair visited a number of businesses on the island talking about key issues surrounding island life and what they want from their elected member.

Kezia, who was on her first trip to ‘Scotland in Miniature’, described the island itself as absolutely spectacular.

But she pointed out that if elected, Labour would be tackling the state of the roads, the reliability of broadband and mobile signals as well as the ongoing situation surrounding the tender process for the ferry contract.

She said: “There was lots of consistent issues coming from local businesses.

“Time and time again the messages were the problems with the ferries, broadband and just the general cost of island life.

“The priority is keeping the ferries in public hands but there is a strong sense from the business people I spoke to that accountability is really important.

“It has to work for the community and their interest like timetabling, the costs associated with it and having more than one ferry.”

Cunninghame North candidate Johanna Baxter echoed the Scottish Labour leader’s views.

She added: “I think keeping Calmac in public hands is really important for the people and one thing that they are considering as an election issue is who is fighting to keep Calmac in public hands.

“I think we haven’t heard from Kenny Gibson on his views and people really are asking questions about whose side of the argument Kenny is on.

“That’s a massive issue and obviously having come from this area and grown up here, school trips were always over to Arran.

“I know Arran very well.”