THERE are few places in Scotland where the effects of industrial decline are still felt so keenly. The main towns of Port Glasgow and Greenock were once thriving Atlantic ports and shipbuilding dominated this stretch of the Clyde, but now just one yard, Ferguson Shipbuilders, remains and it is facing a bleak future: as many as 99 of its 126 workers may be out of a job this month because the order book is empty.

The demise of the Port Glasgow yard, the last commercial yard on the Clyde, has caused a great deal of resentment towards both Labour and the Liberal Democrats locally because of a perceived lack of action by the Scottish Executive, but whether that anger will affect voting in the council elections is not clear.

Population decline is a serious issue in the region - the number of people resident in the area has fallen by about 25% since 1971. Inverclyde also has the lowest business start-up rate in Scotland.

However, a generation-long masterplan for the area has been drawn up and is in the early stages of implementation. An Urban Regeneration Company has been established and from the eastern hinterlands of Port Glasgow round to Gourock, 14 sites along the waterfront corridor have been earmarked for development. Loft apartments are appearing in former dock buildings and thousands of homes are planned for the waterfront over the next 15 years as well as a marina.

People here are used to promises of regeneration, but the feeling is that, in the past, it has been done on a piecemeal basis. Whether this time the predicted private capital will flow into the area, along with an influx of high-earning commuters to occupy the luxury apartments, remains to be seen.

The SNP should have representation on the council thanks to the new voting system, which is also likely to end the Liberal Democrats' overall control.

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