FOUR months after his spell representing constituents from Arrochar to Arran and from Bearsden to Barrhead came to an end, a former MSP is back in politics – albeit at a rather different level to the one he’s been used to for the last few years.

Helensburgh resident Maurice Corry, who was a Conservative MSP for the West Scotland region from 2016 until 2021, has accepted an approach to become a co-opted member of Helensburgh Community Council (HCC).

Mr Corry lost his place as an MSP at Holyrood in this year’s Scottish Parliament election after he was relegated from fourth to eighth place on his party’s regional list for the area.

He stood as the Conservatives’ candidate in the Dumbarton constituency in the May 6 poll, but in a constituency long regarded as a straight fight between Labour and the SNP, he finished a distant third with less than 10 per cent of the vote.

Before being elected as a Conservative MSP five years ago, Mr Corry had spent five years as a Conservative councillor in Argyll and Bute, one of three for the Lomond North ward alongside independents George Freeman and Robert MacIntyre.

And speaking to the Advertiser last week, Mr Corry said he’s looking forward to getting his teeth into community issues.

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“That’s promotion for you,” he laughed, in response to the suggestion that membership of HCC might be seen in some quarters as slightly less lofty than a seat in the Scottish Parliament.

“I’ve always been a great man for the coal face, and councils and community councils are very important – that’s where you get grassroots action, and where you learn about the real needs of people.

“I was delighted to be asked to become a member and I hope I can be of use. Politics is in my blood, but my view is simple – if I can serve my community, I will.”

Community councillors cannot serve under a party political banner, but Mr Corry said he doesn’t see that as a problem.

“I always tried to take a cross-party approach in the parliament,” he said.

“I have my own views but I believe in working together – I think that’s what people want and that’s what I tried to do in the Scottish Parliament and the council.”

Despite no longer being an MSP, Mr Corry, who was in the Army and Territorial Army for 38 years before turning to politics, and served in the Balkans and Afghanistan, has been invited to stay on as convener of Holyrood’s cross-party group on armed forces and veterans’ affairs.

His membership of HCC was suggested by serving community councillor John Tacchi – another who set aside his party political rosette to become an HCC member, having previously represented Helensburgh Central on Argyll and Bute Council for the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Tacchi told HCC’s latest meeting: “Maurice has considerable experience at council level and in Edinburgh. He knows his way around and could be very useful to us, and I would gladly welcome him.”