I disagree with the concept of National Parks in Scotland.

The idea of parts of the country which deserve special protection comes from America where John Muir drew the attention of the American public to the wonders of Yoshemite, in the Californian Sierra Mountains. A place of outstanding natural beauty and the world's first National Park.

At that time, the American West was undeveloped and there was a need for legislation to protect this natural wonder from the ravages of unfettered development.

This is not the case in Scotland.

The Scottish National Parks are a clumsy attempt to fix serious flaws in local planning and administration. Another layer of bureaucracy on top of an inefficient bureaucracy.

The whole of Scotland deserves protection.

There is nothing "special" about Loch Lomond or the Cairngorms!

To make matters worse, the history of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park has been one of incredible PR disasters.

The first action of the new body was to commission the sculpture that now sits neglected on Stonymollan Roundabout. A constant reminder to the passing public of government profligacy with their taxes.

The cost of this "art work" was £800,000 in direct costs. Indirect costs of delays during construction were around £3 million. And three lives were lost in a tragic accident caused by the traffic jams.

The second action of the new body was to commission their Headquarters. Total cost £9 million.

Meanwhile, the park rangers lacked the authority or the equipment to do anything about wrongdoers on Loch Lomond.

That has since been sorted by the purchase of a very expensive boat.

So far lots of money spent for little or no return.

So, let there be no mistake about my position.

We don't need a National Park and the history of Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park is terrible.

I deal with reality and its practical consequences.

We have a beautiful building that should be a source of pride to us all. The building has facilities that are available to the local community and the staff are proactive in developing contacts within the park area and beyond.

A new Chief Executive has just been appointed and she deserves our support in making this resource of value to the people of the Vale, Loch Lomond and Scotland.

I will support the new Chief Executive and her team. This can be a model for local planning and protection of the environment throughout Scotland.

But, we need action.

Not more waste of money.

Waste of our money.