Lib Dems can win here: Tavish Scott and Robert Brown visit East Dunbartonshire

7.28.00pm GMT Fri 25th Mar 2005

Tavish Scott MSP, Cllr Cathy McInnes and Jo Swinson with licensees who have made Pubwatch a local success story

Lib Dem MSPs Tavish Scott (Shetland) and Robert Brown (Glasgow) both visited East Dunbartonshire today to boost the Liberal Democrat campaign to win the seat.

East Dunbartonshire is one of the most marginal seats in Scotland and a top Lib Dem target. Robert and Tavish were met by local candidate Jo Swinson, as they aided her bid to become the next MP for East Dunbartonshire.

Tavish Scott visited a local restaurant, East 14 in Kirkintilloch with Jo Swinson and local Councillor Cathy McInnes. They met with licensees from local establishments, and discussed the successful Pubwatch scheme and topical issues within the licensed trade industry.

Pubwatch, which was started over two years ago, aims to combat the problems associated with alcohol in the area. The scheme connects all of the licence holders by way of an automated link which alerts all of the pubs, clubs and restaurants in the vicinity to any problems being experienced. The ultimate sanction of the scheme being that any "offenders" may potentially be barred from every pub in the area for life.

The scheme has become so popular that it is being rolled out throughout East Dunbartonshire and is already up and running in Bishopbriggs, Lennoxtown, Bearsden & Milngavie. Moves are already in place to extend the scheme to Torrance, Milton of Campsie and Twechar which will cover the whole of the Authority area.

Bearsden canvass team: lots of Lib Dem voters here

Later in the day, Jo Swinson was joined on the campaign trail by Robert Brown. Jo, Robert and the team were out canvassing voters in Bearsden.

Jo said, "People have been reacting very positively to the Liberal Democrat messages on increasing pensions, scrapping the Council Tax and protecting local health services. The visits by two MSPs in one day show how seriously the Liberal Democrats are taking the campaign in East Dunbartonshire. It's so close between the Lib Dems and Labour here - every vote will count."