North-east Conservative MSP Nanette Milne has announced she is standing down at the Scottish Parliament election next year.
The 73-year-old, was first elected in 2003, said it had been an “honour and a privilege” to serve her constituents but the time had come to move on.
Mrs Milne, who is married to former Aberdeen councillor Alan, said it was her love for the region and its people that drove her as an MSP.
But she said she was worried that the Scottish Parliament was increasingly becoming a place where local issues were not properly reflected.
Mrs Milne said: “It is vital that Scotland has a strong opposition to the SNP and that other political voices are heard at Holyrood.
“I have been concerned for some time that central belt bias is emerging as dominant within the parliament.
“For example, in all my years serving on the oil and gas cross-party group it has only been north-east MSPs who have taken an active role.
“For people in the north-east, I fear the parliament is rapidly becoming remote from our local issues and concerns.”
Mrs Milne joined the Conservative Party in 1974, moving from grass roots activist and branch committee member to constituency chairman and president.
The mother-of-two was vice-chairman of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party from 1989-1993 for which she was made an OBE in 1994.
She served for 10 years on Cults, Bieldside, and Miltimber Community Council and was an Aberdeen councillor for Cults between 1988-1999.
Mrs Milne, who has championed responsible dog ownership, said: “I am most proud of my behind the scenes work which I have undertaken as an MSP on behalf of my constituents.
“This has helped secure funding to deliver a new Inverurie Health Centre and Community Maternity Unit, and my campaigns to secure the re-opening of Kintore Station as well as a solution to the Inveramsay Bridge and the future dualling of the A96 are at last bearing fruit.
“In recent years I have worked to champion fairer funding for north-east councils and NHS Grampian as well as securing a cap on the payments which Aberdeen city and shire Councils had to pay towards the Aberdeen Bypass.”
Mrs Milne, who lives in Bieldside and has a holiday home in Braemar, said she was looking forward to spending more time with her grandchildren and gardening.