FRIDAY saw Nicola Sturgeon launching the SNP’s local government election campaign in Govanhill.

You’d have been forgiven for missing it as the SNP excluded the print media from attending and asking questions.

That is all too typical of the behaviour we’ve come to expect from the SNP government, who dodge scrutiny on their failures in government.

At the launch, Nicola Sturgeon said the council elections were a chance to send a clear message to Boris Johnson.

I don’t believe they are and here’s why. For the last five years Glasgow has seen a steep decline in the general cleanliness of our city. Sightings of rats are commonplace, bins are overflowing, roads and pavements are cracking and crumbling, fly-tipping is out of control and our city centre is full of boarded up and empty premises.

The reality is that has not happened on Boris Johnson’s watch but on Susan Aitken’s and Nicola Sturgeon’s.

Local government is entirely the responsibility of the SNP government. We have an SNP administration in Edinburgh and an SNP administration in Glasgow. Both have been disastrous for Glaswegians. That is what the election is about in May.

To be fair, the SNP’s slogan of “Glasgow’s future, Glasgow’s choice” raises a pertinent point. The choice for Glaswegians over the next three weeks couldn’t be clearer.

As the First Minister launched her campaign, outside in the nearby streets rubbish was blowing around and fly-tipping was piled up.

Glasgow doesn’t deserve another five years of this.

Later this week alongside our party leader Douglas Ross I will play a role in unveiling the Scottish Conservative and Unionist manifesto.

This manifesto will focus on properly funding our local authorities, supporting local services, enhancing job opportunities and rebuilding communities in Glasgow.

It may be convenient for Susan Aitken and the SNP to make this election a proxy referendum about Boris Johnson but the Glasgow Conservatives won’t let that happen.

Indeed, on Saturday in Govan when the SNP launched their Glasgow manifesto it was 96 pages that didn’t once mention their own party’s cuts or the waste crisis in Glasgow, but instead focused on the Tories.

After 15 years in government and five years leading the council they are clearly running out of ideas.

Compare this to what the Glasgow Conservatives have launched already in this campaign. A five-point plan that is fully costed on how to clean up our city: l Reverse bin collection cuts and return us to a fortnightly collection service l Scrap the bulk uplift charge l Create an Environmental Enforcement Team l Invest £10 million into frontline cleansing staff over the next council term l No garden waste charge We followed that up with our eight page Rebuild Glasgow: Business and Growth Manifesto, which includes more than 40 specific policies on creating jobs, building homes, investing in our city, and unlocking our potential.

The Glasgow Conservatives are the only party offering a serious plan to not only clean up our streets but to clean up our council.

To brush away the decades of scandal and corruption that has engulfed our City Chambers from both Labour and SNP politicians more concerned with their party’s interests than the interests of people of this city.

Across Glasgow give a “1” to your local Scottish Conservative candidate and let’s send a clear message to the Glasgow establishment that enough is enough. Send local champions to the City Chambers and let’s Clean Up Glasgow, once and for all.