ANOTHER year and another election comes into view on the political horizon.

This time it is the council elections and there will be enormous interest in the contest and result in Glasgow.

Labour has dominated local government politics for decades in Glasgow and it remains the last grip the party has on power in the city.

There is a real expectation given results in recent years that the SNP will take over the council this time.

Local government has been the focus at Holyrood with the budget wrangling centred on income tax and available cash for public services like education and social work, delivered by councils.

Arguments have raged over by how much local authorities have lost out in financial settlements but there is no doubt Glasgow City Council has had to deal with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of cuts over several years. It has led to thousands of job losses and cuts to vital services as well as increases in other charges like parking and leisure facilities.

This week the Evening Times reported how the sheltered housing budget was being slashed yet again by £1m.

Who we elect to the City Chambers in May is of great importance as the council looks at what services it wants to prioritise and explain what it can and cannot do with the levels of resources it has.

Communities need investment in amenities, roads still need repaired, the city centre needs saving as empty shop units multiply in once thriving streets and the city’s most vulnerable people, the sick, elderly and disabled need support more than ever.

Child poverty is still blighting the lives of tens of thousands in Glasgow and investment in jobs is a must.

Which is why the local elections to choose Glasgow’s 79 councillors matter. Traditionally the council elections attract a lower turnout than other polls but given the number of people who rely on council services on a daily basis that shouldn’t be the case.

The election must focus on the relevant issues. Any election comes to be dominated by the national figures but while they have a role to play neither Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson nor Kezia Dugdale will be sitting in the City Chambers or any other council for that matter after May.

While national and this time international matters will have some influence on voters this election is not about independence or Brexit.

Some in different parties will want to make it about independence either to further the campaign for or to state their opposition to it because they know there is always votes in a binary style of campaigning.

People get put under pressure to be either in one camp or another, with or against, who do you want to be identified with and then vote accordingly.

Instead of that, which we have had for the last four years at least, we need to focus on the issues faced by councils, those which affect our everyday lives every single day and which some people depend on more than others.

Let’s stick to the issues that matter and most importantly let’s get involved and vote.