I see that well-known Independent Robert Kyle (Robert who?) is having a go at Labour voters in today's Greenock Telegraph.
Robert comes away with the same old crap that we have heard loads of times before about people voting Labour out of tradition and blind loyalty. Mind you rather than using the dog analogy Robert refers to people voting for a tailor's dummy if it had a Labour badge on it.
It is interesting how a free thinking man like Robert appears to have been able to break free of whatever family voting tradition that he was brought up in whereas those of us from a Labour tradition are apparently incapable of thinking for ourselves. Sounds a bit condescending Robert and smacks of sour grapes.
Perhaps you should look a bit closer to home for the reason why you were soundly rejected by the voters of Ward 2 in May 2007.
Knowing you as I do, I have to say that the dummy would get my vote every time!
Monday 28 February 2011
Update on shared campus...
I chaired a meeting of the Port Glasgow Shared Campus Working Group tonight.
Officers provided an update on the programme of works scheduled for Easter and the Summer to get St Stephen's ready as a temporary shared campus from August. They also advised members of the group of plans to carry out a travel survey over the next few weeks in order to assess what additional measures require to be taken to deal with the increased number of pupils and staff who will be travelling to the St Stephen's campus from August.
The working group was also updated on the progress of the new shared campus. The planning application has been submitted and should be considered by the Planning Board in May.
Four major contractors have been chosen to tender - they cannot be named at this stage for commercial reasons - from a shortlist of 16 and tender documents are due to be issued at the end of March with the aim of a contractor being appointed by the end of June and work starting in July/August.
Officers provided an update on the programme of works scheduled for Easter and the Summer to get St Stephen's ready as a temporary shared campus from August. They also advised members of the group of plans to carry out a travel survey over the next few weeks in order to assess what additional measures require to be taken to deal with the increased number of pupils and staff who will be travelling to the St Stephen's campus from August.
The working group was also updated on the progress of the new shared campus. The planning application has been submitted and should be considered by the Planning Board in May.
Four major contractors have been chosen to tender - they cannot be named at this stage for commercial reasons - from a shortlist of 16 and tender documents are due to be issued at the end of March with the aim of a contractor being appointed by the end of June and work starting in July/August.
Sunday 27 February 2011
The week ahead...
My first full week as a backbench Councillor:
Monday
At work all day. In the evening I am due to chair a meeting of the Port Glasgow Shared Campus Working Group.
Tuesday
Another full day at work. In the evening I hope to attend a meeting of the Whitecroft Tenants' and Residents' Association in between family commitments.
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
7.00 Coastguard meeting at Port Glasgow Town Hall (hoping for a quick meeting so I can catch the big match on TV)
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
12.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
1.30 Induction meeting for Inverclyde CHCP
3.00 Meeting of Inverclyde CHCP Sub-Committee
5.30 Return to work in Glasgow for a Committee meeting (should get home about 8.00)
Friday
Another full day at work
Monday
At work all day. In the evening I am due to chair a meeting of the Port Glasgow Shared Campus Working Group.
Tuesday
Another full day at work. In the evening I hope to attend a meeting of the Whitecroft Tenants' and Residents' Association in between family commitments.
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
7.00 Coastguard meeting at Port Glasgow Town Hall (hoping for a quick meeting so I can catch the big match on TV)
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
12.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
1.30 Induction meeting for Inverclyde CHCP
3.00 Meeting of Inverclyde CHCP Sub-Committee
5.30 Return to work in Glasgow for a Committee meeting (should get home about 8.00)
Friday
Another full day at work
Saturday 26 February 2011
Open for business...
Kilmacolm's fantastic new community centre is now open for business.
Regular lets of the old community centre will transfer to the new centre this week coming.
The centre will be managed on behalf of the Kilmacolm New Community Centre Company by Inverclyde Leisure. Any one interested in booking the new centre should call (01505) 873994.
The reaction from the village community following the open day a couple of weeks ago has been overwhelmingly positive. If you have not had a look round it is well worth a visit.
The Library will continue to be located in the old centre for a number of weeks yet as the fit out work has still to be done. Hopefully the Library should open in its new home sometime in April.
Regular lets of the old community centre will transfer to the new centre this week coming.
The centre will be managed on behalf of the Kilmacolm New Community Centre Company by Inverclyde Leisure. Any one interested in booking the new centre should call (01505) 873994.
The reaction from the village community following the open day a couple of weeks ago has been overwhelmingly positive. If you have not had a look round it is well worth a visit.
The Library will continue to be located in the old centre for a number of weeks yet as the fit out work has still to be done. Hopefully the Library should open in its new home sometime in April.
Thursday 24 February 2011
Congratulations...
It is now official - I am no longer the Leader of Inverclyde Council.
Congratulations to my Labour colleague Iain McKenzie on his appointment as the new Leader. I am sure that he will do a first class job.
All the talk of a challenge from the opposition parties came to nothing as they failed to put up a candidate. Mind you they did ask if they could abstain from supporting Iain's appointment until it was politely pointed out to them that you cannot actually abstain if there is no vote.
The Labour Group has now formed a new coalition with Independent Ronnie Ahlfeld, Tory David Wilson and former Lib Dem, now Liberal, Councillor George White. This new arrangement should give the Council political stability through to the next Council elections in May 2012.
The people of Inverclyde can rest easy again tonight.
Congratulations to my Labour colleague Iain McKenzie on his appointment as the new Leader. I am sure that he will do a first class job.
All the talk of a challenge from the opposition parties came to nothing as they failed to put up a candidate. Mind you they did ask if they could abstain from supporting Iain's appointment until it was politely pointed out to them that you cannot actually abstain if there is no vote.
The Labour Group has now formed a new coalition with Independent Ronnie Ahlfeld, Tory David Wilson and former Lib Dem, now Liberal, Councillor George White. This new arrangement should give the Council political stability through to the next Council elections in May 2012.
The people of Inverclyde can rest easy again tonight.
Wednesday 23 February 2011
D-Day...
Today was my last full day as Council Leader as tomorrow I officially step down.
The big question of course for the last 10 days has been who will get my parking space?
In the buildings this afternoon the rumours were still rife that a new coalition has been formed to take control of the Council.
We will just have to wait until 4.00 tomorrow afternoon to find out what happens.
Isn't it exciting?
The big question of course for the last 10 days has been who will get my parking space?
In the buildings this afternoon the rumours were still rife that a new coalition has been formed to take control of the Council.
We will just have to wait until 4.00 tomorrow afternoon to find out what happens.
Isn't it exciting?
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Apology to Councillor Grieve...
It seems that my post about the SNP playing a dirty game has upset Councillors Grieve and MacLeod.
They are denying that there was ever any prospect of their Group doing a deal with the Lib Dems and others to seize control of the Council. This apparently is just a figment of Eric Baxter's imagination.
It appears that it was simply a coincidence that Councillor Grieve was considering turning up for Thursday's crucial Council meeting after being off sick for nearly a year. Those who were putting it about in the Council that he was going to turn up to support an opposition candidate for Council Leader should clearly be ashamed of themselves.
I apologise to Councillor Grieve for repeating this untruth on this blog.
Mind you the fact that a member of the SNP group has been openly saying that he would not support a deal with the Lib Dems might have something to do with the fact that the 'rainbow coalition' seems to have fallen apart.
I did have a bit of an inkling that the plot was coming apart when I was approached last night by another senior opposition councillor asking if he could be considered for the position of Planning Board Chair.
Having taken soundings from the Labour Group I am afraid that the answer has to be no.
Honest: I am not making this up!
They are denying that there was ever any prospect of their Group doing a deal with the Lib Dems and others to seize control of the Council. This apparently is just a figment of Eric Baxter's imagination.
It appears that it was simply a coincidence that Councillor Grieve was considering turning up for Thursday's crucial Council meeting after being off sick for nearly a year. Those who were putting it about in the Council that he was going to turn up to support an opposition candidate for Council Leader should clearly be ashamed of themselves.
I apologise to Councillor Grieve for repeating this untruth on this blog.
Mind you the fact that a member of the SNP group has been openly saying that he would not support a deal with the Lib Dems might have something to do with the fact that the 'rainbow coalition' seems to have fallen apart.
I did have a bit of an inkling that the plot was coming apart when I was approached last night by another senior opposition councillor asking if he could be considered for the position of Planning Board Chair.
Having taken soundings from the Labour Group I am afraid that the answer has to be no.
Honest: I am not making this up!
Sunday 20 February 2011
The week ahead...
Monday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
2.00 Meeting with Provost and Senior Officers
3.00 Members' training session on Corporate Communications
4.30 Meeting of the Labour Group
6.00 Surgery at Clune Park Resource Centre
Tuesday
At work all day. In the evening I hope to attend a meeting of Kilmacolm Community Council.
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
2.00 Meeting with a constituent
2.30 My last weekly meeting with the Chief Executive
3.30 Members' briefing on Clyde Valley Shared Services initiative
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
7.00 Meeting of the Kelburn Action Group
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
2.00 Meeting with two pupils from Gourock High School
3.00 Members' briefing on the proposed new HMP Inverclyde
4.00 Meeting of the Full Council (when I formally stand down as Council Leader)
7.00 Mass at Holy Family Church, Port Glasgow to mark Catholic Education Week
Friday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
2.00 Meeting with Provost and Senior Officers
3.00 Members' training session on Corporate Communications
4.30 Meeting of the Labour Group
6.00 Surgery at Clune Park Resource Centre
Tuesday
At work all day. In the evening I hope to attend a meeting of Kilmacolm Community Council.
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
2.00 Meeting with a constituent
2.30 My last weekly meeting with the Chief Executive
3.30 Members' briefing on Clyde Valley Shared Services initiative
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
7.00 Meeting of the Kelburn Action Group
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
2.00 Meeting with two pupils from Gourock High School
3.00 Members' briefing on the proposed new HMP Inverclyde
4.00 Meeting of the Full Council (when I formally stand down as Council Leader)
7.00 Mass at Holy Family Church, Port Glasgow to mark Catholic Education Week
Friday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments
Friday 18 February 2011
Playing a dirty game...
Strong rumours are circulating the Council that SNP Councillor Jim Grieve - who has been off sick for nearly a year - is to be wheeled in - literally - by his SNP colleagues for next Thursday's crucial vote on the new Council Leader.
Being aware that my Labour colleague Robert Moran is currently in hospital recovering from a major operation the SNP Group and their Lib Dem allies clearly see an opportunity and will go to any lengths to seize power.
These are of course the same SNP councillors who assured Robert a week before the recent budget meeting that they would not be moving an alternative budget and therefore it was OK for him to attend hospital for a scan on the afternoon of the meeting. Low and behold the following week the SNP came to an agreement with the Lib Dems and moved an alternative budget.
What Councillor Grieve and his SNP colleagues have conveniently forgotten is that if the Administration had wanted to we could have forced Councillor Grieve to quit last year when he had missed meetings for six months. This would have led to a by-election in Ward 2, which Labour would have almost certainly won.
Instead we agreed to extend Councillor Grieve's sick leave so that he could continue as a councillor - and continue to get paid.
Look how they repay us for showing sympathy for a sick 'colleague'.
Politics really is a dirty game!
The gloves are now well and truly off.
Being aware that my Labour colleague Robert Moran is currently in hospital recovering from a major operation the SNP Group and their Lib Dem allies clearly see an opportunity and will go to any lengths to seize power.
These are of course the same SNP councillors who assured Robert a week before the recent budget meeting that they would not be moving an alternative budget and therefore it was OK for him to attend hospital for a scan on the afternoon of the meeting. Low and behold the following week the SNP came to an agreement with the Lib Dems and moved an alternative budget.
What Councillor Grieve and his SNP colleagues have conveniently forgotten is that if the Administration had wanted to we could have forced Councillor Grieve to quit last year when he had missed meetings for six months. This would have led to a by-election in Ward 2, which Labour would have almost certainly won.
Instead we agreed to extend Councillor Grieve's sick leave so that he could continue as a councillor - and continue to get paid.
Look how they repay us for showing sympathy for a sick 'colleague'.
Politics really is a dirty game!
The gloves are now well and truly off.
Wednesday 16 February 2011
Congratulations...
Congratulations to my colleague Iain McKenzie on his election tonight as the new Labour Group Leader.
Having worked with me for the last eight years - four of these as my deputy - Iain is ready to make the step up. He has proved a very able Education Convener and for the last eight months he has held a key position in the local government body COSLA.
Congratulations also to Jim Clocherty on his election as Deputy Labour Group Leader.
Both Iain and Jim received the unanimous backing of the Labour Group. Despite some nonsense to the contrary in a national newspaper, the Labour Group is completely united and focused on the challenges that lie ahead.
I see from the Telegraph today that Lib Dem Leader Alan Blair would like to see a new direction for the Council.
This of course is the same Alan Blair who led the Council for four disastrous years between 2003 and 2007.
Do we really want Alan back running the Council?
Then of course there is SNP Leader Innes Nelson who has been Leader for five minutes and a Councillor for not much longer.
Any independent minded person who thinks that an SNP - Lib Dem led coalition would be good for Inverclyde must be off their head.
Having worked with me for the last eight years - four of these as my deputy - Iain is ready to make the step up. He has proved a very able Education Convener and for the last eight months he has held a key position in the local government body COSLA.
Congratulations also to Jim Clocherty on his election as Deputy Labour Group Leader.
Both Iain and Jim received the unanimous backing of the Labour Group. Despite some nonsense to the contrary in a national newspaper, the Labour Group is completely united and focused on the challenges that lie ahead.
I see from the Telegraph today that Lib Dem Leader Alan Blair would like to see a new direction for the Council.
This of course is the same Alan Blair who led the Council for four disastrous years between 2003 and 2007.
Do we really want Alan back running the Council?
Then of course there is SNP Leader Innes Nelson who has been Leader for five minutes and a Councillor for not much longer.
Any independent minded person who thinks that an SNP - Lib Dem led coalition would be good for Inverclyde must be off their head.
Tuesday 15 February 2011
How bizarre...
I see from tonight's Greenock Telegraph that SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod has congratulated the Scottish Government on providing funding towards the costs of new council houses in other council areas!
I would have thought that Jim's time might have been better spent writing to the Housing Minister asking him to honour the Government's commitment to provide funding to River Clyde Homes to build enough new houses in Woodhall to ensure that all our constituents there get a new house.
He might also want to ask the Minister when he is going to accept my invitation to come along to Clune Park.
I would have thought that Jim's time might have been better spent writing to the Housing Minister asking him to honour the Government's commitment to provide funding to River Clyde Homes to build enough new houses in Woodhall to ensure that all our constituents there get a new house.
He might also want to ask the Minister when he is going to accept my invitation to come along to Clune Park.
Monday 14 February 2011
Stepping down...
I feel deeply privileged to have held the position of Council Leader for nearly 4 years and would like to thank my colleagues in the Labour Group and the Administration for giving me this opportunity. I believe that we can be justifiably proud of what we have achieved in that time and the decisions we have taken for the benefit of future generations.
The role of Council Leader is demanding at the best of times. Trying to carry out the role while in full-time employment and with a young family to bring up has not been easy. I have had to make personal sacrifices and I feel that the time is now right for me take a step back, following approval of our two-year budget, to spend more time with my family.
I would like to thank the Council’s Chief Executive, John Mundell, and officers past and present for the support that they have given me during my time as Council Leader. They too can be proud of what we have achieved together.
The role of Council Leader is demanding at the best of times. Trying to carry out the role while in full-time employment and with a young family to bring up has not been easy. I have had to make personal sacrifices and I feel that the time is now right for me take a step back, following approval of our two-year budget, to spend more time with my family.
I would like to thank the Council’s Chief Executive, John Mundell, and officers past and present for the support that they have given me during my time as Council Leader. They too can be proud of what we have achieved together.
Sunday 13 February 2011
The week ahead...
A quiet week ahead:
Monday
At work all day with no evening commitments
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.30 Inverclyde Council Pre-agenda
4.30 Meeting with a local businessman
Wednesday
Off work in the morning to look after the kids (it is an in service day)
3.00 Weekly meeting with the Chief Executive
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.00 Liaison meeting with SPT
Friday
At work all day with no evening commitments
Monday
At work all day with no evening commitments
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.30 Inverclyde Council Pre-agenda
4.30 Meeting with a local businessman
Wednesday
Off work in the morning to look after the kids (it is an in service day)
3.00 Weekly meeting with the Chief Executive
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.00 Liaison meeting with SPT
Friday
At work all day with no evening commitments
Friday 11 February 2011
Fighting for the Port...
At yesterday's special Council meeting I was delighted to propose funding of £1.5m for Port Glasgow - £1m for the regeneration of the town centre and £0.5m for the Clune Park Area.
I was disappointed then when I saw that self-proclaimed champion of Port Glasgow, SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod, vote against my proposals.
Instead Councillor MacLeod voted in favour of a motion by Inverkip Councillor Innes Nelson to allocate funding of £600,000 for a new community facility in that village.
So much for standing up for the Port, Jim?
While, unlike you, I might not still live in my home town I always have, and always will, fight its corner.
As an aside, I was a bit mystified by the SNP proposal to allocate £220,000 for the library book replacement fund over the next 2 years while proposing to cut the book fund by £47,000 a year, each and every year, from now on. Talk about giving with the one hand and taking away with the other.
I was disappointed then when I saw that self-proclaimed champion of Port Glasgow, SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod, vote against my proposals.
Instead Councillor MacLeod voted in favour of a motion by Inverkip Councillor Innes Nelson to allocate funding of £600,000 for a new community facility in that village.
So much for standing up for the Port, Jim?
While, unlike you, I might not still live in my home town I always have, and always will, fight its corner.
As an aside, I was a bit mystified by the SNP proposal to allocate £220,000 for the library book replacement fund over the next 2 years while proposing to cut the book fund by £47,000 a year, each and every year, from now on. Talk about giving with the one hand and taking away with the other.
Sunday 6 February 2011
The week ahead...
A big week ahead, with the Council's budget meeting on Thursday:
Monday
At work all day, with a surgery at Boglestone Community Centre at 6.00 and a meeting of the Kilmacolm New Community Centre Company Board at 7.00
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.00 Chairing a meeting of the Council's Policy & Resources Committee
7.00 Meeting of the Three Wards Community Council
Wednesday
Off work today as I am putting the car in for a service
2.30 Weekly meeting with the Chief Executive
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
6.45 Meeting of Newark Primary School Parent Council
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Briefing for Councillors on proposed Greenock Twon Centre Parking Strategy
4.00 Special meeting of the Council to agree the Budget for 2011-13
Friday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments
Monday
At work all day, with a surgery at Boglestone Community Centre at 6.00 and a meeting of the Kilmacolm New Community Centre Company Board at 7.00
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.00 Chairing a meeting of the Council's Policy & Resources Committee
7.00 Meeting of the Three Wards Community Council
Wednesday
Off work today as I am putting the car in for a service
2.30 Weekly meeting with the Chief Executive
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
6.45 Meeting of Newark Primary School Parent Council
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Briefing for Councillors on proposed Greenock Twon Centre Parking Strategy
4.00 Special meeting of the Council to agree the Budget for 2011-13
Friday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments
Thursday 3 February 2011
Desperate Man (Part 2)...
I see from today's Greenock Telegraph that Stuart McMillan MSP is trying to take credit for the imminent Government U-turn over funding for Riverside Inverclyde, when only last week he was making excuses for the savage cut in RI's budget by laying the blame at the door of the current and previous Westminster Governments.
Our Stuart has clearly been tipped off by his Ministerial colleagues and told to get in first. There is must be an election in the offing?
The truth of course is that the Government has been forced into a change of heart by the fact that they entered into an agreement with local government to ring fence £12.5m for the four URCs and they now have to honour this. This will mean that an additional £5.7m will be allocated across the four URCs. Hopefully RI will receive a fair share of this funding.
Perhaps the bold Stuart can now turn his attention to the funding crisis at James Watt College. Surely a man with his influence can persuade his SNP colleagues to give the college some more money?
Our Stuart has clearly been tipped off by his Ministerial colleagues and told to get in first. There is must be an election in the offing?
The truth of course is that the Government has been forced into a change of heart by the fact that they entered into an agreement with local government to ring fence £12.5m for the four URCs and they now have to honour this. This will mean that an additional £5.7m will be allocated across the four URCs. Hopefully RI will receive a fair share of this funding.
Perhaps the bold Stuart can now turn his attention to the funding crisis at James Watt College. Surely a man with his influence can persuade his SNP colleagues to give the college some more money?
Tuesday 1 February 2011
A desperate man...
They say that desperate men do desperate things: the SNP's Stuart McMillan is certainly a desperate man, judging by the following motion that he has just lodged in the Scottish Parliament:
Date of Lodging: 1 February 2011
Short Title: Public Money Wasted on Sports Centre U-turn
S3M-07836 Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): That the Parliament notes with concern the announcement that Inverclyde Council has decided to scrap its plan to build a £10 million sports centre at Rankin Park, Greenock; notes that an estimated £338,000 of public money had already been spent on preparatory work for this project; further notes the local authority’s decision to instead go ahead with a number of smaller proposals; believes that such proposals should include a place for Belleaire Football Club, which has been established for over half a century and has made the grass pitch at Rankin Park its home ground; considers that, in the current economic climate, to have such a vast outlay of public monies on work on a project only for it to be scaled back is unacceptable, and hopes that the local authority will be more prudent in its future decision making.
A few points to consider:
The scaling back of the development at Rankin Park is directly related to savage cuts in the Council's capital funding by the SNP Government, which Mr McMillan supported.
Mr McMillan's SNP colleagues on the Council's Regeneration Committee supported the revised proposals for Rankin Park, full in the knowledge that these costs would be abortive.
The revised proposals will include a grass pitch.
The only way to avoid the costs being abortive would be to proceed with the original scheme, which would cost the Council an extra £2m.
The extent of the abortive costs for this project pale into insignificance when compared to the tens of millions of pounds of public money that was wasted when the SNP Government - backed by Mr McMillan - decided to abandon the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, on the grounds that they could not afford to proceed with the project!
People in glass houses...
Date of Lodging: 1 February 2011
Short Title: Public Money Wasted on Sports Centre U-turn
S3M-07836 Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): That the Parliament notes with concern the announcement that Inverclyde Council has decided to scrap its plan to build a £10 million sports centre at Rankin Park, Greenock; notes that an estimated £338,000 of public money had already been spent on preparatory work for this project; further notes the local authority’s decision to instead go ahead with a number of smaller proposals; believes that such proposals should include a place for Belleaire Football Club, which has been established for over half a century and has made the grass pitch at Rankin Park its home ground; considers that, in the current economic climate, to have such a vast outlay of public monies on work on a project only for it to be scaled back is unacceptable, and hopes that the local authority will be more prudent in its future decision making.
A few points to consider:
The scaling back of the development at Rankin Park is directly related to savage cuts in the Council's capital funding by the SNP Government, which Mr McMillan supported.
Mr McMillan's SNP colleagues on the Council's Regeneration Committee supported the revised proposals for Rankin Park, full in the knowledge that these costs would be abortive.
The revised proposals will include a grass pitch.
The only way to avoid the costs being abortive would be to proceed with the original scheme, which would cost the Council an extra £2m.
The extent of the abortive costs for this project pale into insignificance when compared to the tens of millions of pounds of public money that was wasted when the SNP Government - backed by Mr McMillan - decided to abandon the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, on the grounds that they could not afford to proceed with the project!
People in glass houses...
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