I WAS reflecting recently that last month marked four years since I was elected as an MSP for my home city of Glasgow.

I love many parts of this city however, no communities are dearer to me than those in Glasgow Pollok.

Some of the most vulnerable in these communities have been hit by a double whammy - both from the UK Government spending cuts and Glasgow City Council's slashing of services.

Those worst affected and least deserving being hit by these combined cuts are people with learning disabilities and those who care for them.

These are people who elected representatives and society should strive to protect - with welfare, with support, with services and facilities.

Yet they are being faced with closures of learning disability day centres across the city, including Berryknowes Day Centre in Cardonald which shut its doors in early 2014.

Add to this the possibility of cuts to Carer's Allowance by the new Tory government.

The SNP has pledged to push for an increase in Carer's Allowance at Westminster and the Scottish Government has worked hard to provide support to carers and show them the appreciation they deserve - investing over £110 million in support programmes.

However, it is difficult to make carers and those they care for feel safe and secure when they are constantly under threat at a local authority level.

The Scottish Government wants to protect carer's from the helplessness that these service and welfare cuts are creating.

Earlier this year the Carers (Scotland) Bill was introduced by the Health Secretary, which intends to ensure that all local authorities produce proper support plans for all carers, and that carers are consulted by both local authorities and the NHS about all carers services.

Last Friday I joined Chris Stephens MP at a carers surgery in the Greater Pollok Carer's Centre, so that I could hear from carers themselves about the effects cuts are having, and work out how we might be able to help.

It became clear that respite services are becoming harder and harder to find.

Soon there will be only a handful of learning disability day centres left in the Glasgow City Council area - and it is becoming increasingly clear that carers centres like the one I visited in Pollok are no longer safe either.

We are coming up on the 1st anniversary of the death of a wonderful, vibrant woman I have spoken of before, Magteld Darroch-Jensen, who, along with her husband Gordon, spent the final years of her life selflessly caring for her two young autistic boys.

During the time I spent with her it became clear that carers do one hell of a difficult job - with little thanks, and very little help from the DWP.

In the Scottish Government and as an MSP I will do my utmost to stand up for carers.

I will fight for every day centre and every support service in the area, and ensure that my doors are always open to carers who are struggling.