AS I WRITE this, I am heading into my last week as a councillor on East Lothian Council, after 15 years.

I will of course continue as the constituency MSP until 2026 and hopefully beyond.

I was first elected as a ward councillor for the Dunbar and East Linton ward in 2007, when the single transferable vote system was brought in as part of a refresh of local council elections.

Councils overnight changed from single-party fiefdoms, many of that time Labour controlled, to a mixture of new coalitions, bringing together new councillors and existing, as well as parties who hadn’t worked together in the past.

In 2007, the SNP and Liberal Democrats agreed a coalition to tackle issues that had been identified in a damning Audit Scotland report of the existing Labour council at that time.

The coalition brought 13 councillors, 11 of whom were new. Only the SNP’s Dave Berry and Liberal Democrat Sheena Richardson had previous experience, and they took the roles of council leader and provost.

I was extremely proud to be part of the administration, building many council houses, following the previous five years which had seen no houses built by the previous Labour administration.

I held a number of posts in the five years, from environment to economic development to social care, and became council leader in 2010.

In 2012, despite the SNP vote share and seats increasing, the Labour and Tory parties agreed a coalition many thought they would never see. Better Together East Lothian was born.

In 2017, Labour decided to embark on a minority basis. The SNP has worked with Labour in East Lothian the last two budget rounds, securing additional funding for economic development and poverty initiatives.

The council elections on May 5 will bring in new faces from different parties. I would urge them to work together when they can; my offer to them as East Lothian’s MSP is my door is open at any time.

I have enjoyed and been humbled by my 15 years as a councillor serving the people of the Dunbar and East Linton ward. I also want to thank the magnificent staff at East Lothian Council over the years for their help and guidance.