By Pam Gosal, West Scotland MSP (Conservative).

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LATER this month, Scotland will play host to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which is more commonly known as COP26.

The eyes of the world will be on Glasgow as world leaders, dignitaries and delegates gather in the city to take the necessary action to tackle our climate emergency.

The UK Government put in a huge amount of work to ensure that we would be the host country of a summit that many are rightly recognising as the last major opportunity to ensure climate change is fully tackled.

As we continue our recovery from the pandemic, COP26 will also be a major economic boost for Glasgow and surrounding communities as people boost our tourism, hospitality and retail sectors in particular.

Gone are the days when climate change and environmental issues weren’t at the forefront of the news headlines. If this summit isn’t on your radar, it soon will be when it begins in a week or so on the banks of the Clyde.

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How disappointing then that a lot of the run-up to the summit and a lot of the headlines are about the dire state of Glasgow, due to the SNP administration in the city.

I know from the calls for action by my Glasgow Conservative colleagues that there has been a complete lack of leadership from the SNP leader of the council, Councillor Susan Aitken.

Images of litter-strewn streets, fly-tipping and graffiti, including down at the site of COP26 have spiralled in recent years. Yet Susan Aitken continues to bury her head in the sand and said recently that Glasgow only needs a “spruce up”.

Time is running out and we are at risk of presenting a city that simply isn’t clean to President Joe Biden, our Majesty The Queen, Greta Thunberg and other world leaders.

Everyone wants COP26 to be a huge success given the scale of the climate emergency, and it is an issue that can bring together people from all political persuasions.

Here’s hoping there is a city that is fit to welcome them and that world-leading action to tackle climate change will be the focus during COP26.