Monday
At work until 2.00 before heading back to Kilmacolm to pick my kids up from school. At 4.30 I am attending a meeting of the Gibshill Task Group. I have a surgery in Kilmacolm Community Centre at 6.00 before heading down to Port Glasgow for a meeting of the new Port Glasgow West Community Council in 7 1/2 John Wood Street.
Tuesday
I have taken the morning off work as I am attending the official opening of the new Clydeview Academy at 10.00. Before that I have my weekly meeting with the Chief Executive at 8.30. After spending the afternoon at work in Glasgow it is down to Port Glasgow for the switch on of the Christmas Lights at 6.00. Following this I am attending a civic reception in Greenock to mark the 50th anniversary of St Stephen's High School.
Wednesday
I have no Council commitments as I have cancelled my meetings due to the public sector workers' strike over pensions. I will be spending the full day at work. In the evening I hope to attend a Labour Party leadership hustings in Paisley.
Thursday
At work in Glasgow until 2.00 before heading down to Greenock for the Inverclyde Alliance Board pre-agenda at 2.45. This is followed by a meeting of the full Council at 4.00. At 7.00 I am planning to attend a meeting of the board of Kilmacolm New Community Centre Company.
Friday
Another full day at work. In the evening I will be attending the switch on of the Christmas Lights in Kilmacolm (6.00) and Quarrier's Village (7.00).
Sunday 27 November 2011
Friday 25 November 2011
Did he jump or was he pushed?
SNP Councillor Chris Osborne has decided not to seek selection by his party for next year's Council elections.
The question is: did he jump or was he pushed?
It is a bit strange that in his statement Chris did not give a reason for why he was not standing again.
Rumours have been rife for months now that all was not well in the SNP camp. The party hierarchy in Edinburgh are known to have been unhappy with the performance of the local SNP Group. I understand that SNP Business Manager - and former leader of Renfrewshire Council - Derek MacKay MSP was brought in to sort them out. It has been an open secret within the Council that all of the SNP Councillors - with the exception of former Leader Keith Brooks - were fighting for their political lives.
Big Keith - as he is affectionately known - decided a while ago that he would not be standing again and announced this to the Council.
There has been a question mark over the future of Ward 2 Councillor Jim Grieve for some time now as he has attended very few meetings in the past two years due to illness, although I am told that Jim is still keen to stand again. It remains to be seen if the party will allow this.
Chris Osborne's 'decision' not to stand comes shortly after he was carpeted for initially questioning the SNP Government's decision to cut funding to Riverside Inverclyde (he is a Board member of RI). He was also believed to be looking to switch from ward 3 to the safer ward 2 but apparently there was resistance within the party to this.
The SNP have not yet announced their candidates for next year. It looks like another former Group Leader, Jim MacLeod, will be standing again in ward 1. Jim had apparently hoped to run as a 'dream team' with his wife Sylvia but she failed to get through the selection process.
Current SNP Group Leader (they have had three in three years) Innes Nelson is believed to be standing again, although there are indications that he was hoping to switch from ward 6 to ward 4.
I was sorry to hear that Chris won't be standing again, not least because it is good to have someone younger than me in the Council.
Mind you I was a bit disappointed in Chris' contribution to the Council. Rather than take the sensible approach of building bridges with the Labour Group he decided to throw his lot in with the Lib Dems, a very short-sighted decision since the Lib Dems are yesterday's men. Alan Blair is not exactly the best role model for a young impressionable Councillor!
In his statement Chris tells us that the SNP is putting together an excellent team of candidates for next year's elections. The people of Inverclyde can sleep easy then - not!
The question is: did he jump or was he pushed?
It is a bit strange that in his statement Chris did not give a reason for why he was not standing again.
Rumours have been rife for months now that all was not well in the SNP camp. The party hierarchy in Edinburgh are known to have been unhappy with the performance of the local SNP Group. I understand that SNP Business Manager - and former leader of Renfrewshire Council - Derek MacKay MSP was brought in to sort them out. It has been an open secret within the Council that all of the SNP Councillors - with the exception of former Leader Keith Brooks - were fighting for their political lives.
Big Keith - as he is affectionately known - decided a while ago that he would not be standing again and announced this to the Council.
There has been a question mark over the future of Ward 2 Councillor Jim Grieve for some time now as he has attended very few meetings in the past two years due to illness, although I am told that Jim is still keen to stand again. It remains to be seen if the party will allow this.
Chris Osborne's 'decision' not to stand comes shortly after he was carpeted for initially questioning the SNP Government's decision to cut funding to Riverside Inverclyde (he is a Board member of RI). He was also believed to be looking to switch from ward 3 to the safer ward 2 but apparently there was resistance within the party to this.
The SNP have not yet announced their candidates for next year. It looks like another former Group Leader, Jim MacLeod, will be standing again in ward 1. Jim had apparently hoped to run as a 'dream team' with his wife Sylvia but she failed to get through the selection process.
Current SNP Group Leader (they have had three in three years) Innes Nelson is believed to be standing again, although there are indications that he was hoping to switch from ward 6 to ward 4.
I was sorry to hear that Chris won't be standing again, not least because it is good to have someone younger than me in the Council.
Mind you I was a bit disappointed in Chris' contribution to the Council. Rather than take the sensible approach of building bridges with the Labour Group he decided to throw his lot in with the Lib Dems, a very short-sighted decision since the Lib Dems are yesterday's men. Alan Blair is not exactly the best role model for a young impressionable Councillor!
In his statement Chris tells us that the SNP is putting together an excellent team of candidates for next year's elections. The people of Inverclyde can sleep easy then - not!
Sunday 20 November 2011
The week ahead...
Monday
At work until 2.00 and then down to Greenock for Council pre-agenda at 3.30.
Tuesday
At work until 3.00 and then down to Greenock for weekly meeting with Chief Executive at 4.00.
Wednesday
At work until 3.00 then down to Greenock for meetings of the Administration Group at 4.30 and Labour Group at 5.30.
Thursday
At work until 3.00 followed by meeting with private landlords in Clune Park Resource Centre, Port Glasgow at 3.30.
Friday
Full day at work.
At work until 2.00 and then down to Greenock for Council pre-agenda at 3.30.
Tuesday
At work until 3.00 and then down to Greenock for weekly meeting with Chief Executive at 4.00.
Wednesday
At work until 3.00 then down to Greenock for meetings of the Administration Group at 4.30 and Labour Group at 5.30.
Thursday
At work until 3.00 followed by meeting with private landlords in Clune Park Resource Centre, Port Glasgow at 3.30.
Friday
Full day at work.
Thursday 17 November 2011
Do you remember this Chris?...
Regeneration Funding Means Brighter Future
There is no doubt that the regeneration of Inverclyde is off to a good start. Soon after the SNP formed the Scottish Government in 2007, SNP Ministers turned their attention to how they could help Inverclyde recover from decades of Labour and Tory economic mismanagement.
They knew that unless Inverclyde received significant investment then the area would not be turned around. That is why the Scottish Government has put its money where its mouth is and awarded £19 million to Riverside Inverclyde. Clearly this is a great opportunity to spend this money bringing jobs and investment to Inverclyde
We all know that Labour talked a good game when it came to regeneration but they failed to deliver.
Our commitment to the regeneration of Inverclyde can also be seen with the SNP’s Town Centre Improvement Fund. Greenock town centre was recently awarded £1.32 million, Port Glasgow got £600,000 while Gourock got £300,000. Everyone can agree that our town centres could do with improvements and these awards will go some way to achieving that.
The local SNP know that there is much more to regenerating Inverclyde than building luxury flats – that is why we are pushing for more investment to bring jobs to the area. The SNP's Cllr Chris Osborne sits on the board of Riverside Inverclyde and always seeks to reflect the views of the Inverclyde community at their meetings.
They knew that unless Inverclyde received significant investment then the area would not be turned around. That is why the Scottish Government has put its money where its mouth is and awarded £19 million to Riverside Inverclyde. Clearly this is a great opportunity to spend this money bringing jobs and investment to Inverclyde
We all know that Labour talked a good game when it came to regeneration but they failed to deliver.
Our commitment to the regeneration of Inverclyde can also be seen with the SNP’s Town Centre Improvement Fund. Greenock town centre was recently awarded £1.32 million, Port Glasgow got £600,000 while Gourock got £300,000. Everyone can agree that our town centres could do with improvements and these awards will go some way to achieving that.
The local SNP know that there is much more to regenerating Inverclyde than building luxury flats – that is why we are pushing for more investment to bring jobs to the area. The SNP's Cllr Chris Osborne sits on the board of Riverside Inverclyde and always seeks to reflect the views of the Inverclyde community at their meetings.
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Fund boost for Port Charity...
I was delighted to hear today that Port Glasgow based charity Parklea Association Branching Out has been given a £10,000 lottery award.
Branching Out is receiving the money from Awards For All. It will be used towards developing a site recently transferred from the Council which includes three large glasshouses, two smaller glasshouses and an ancillary building. This building requires a new roof and refurbishment.
The grant will be used to pay for removal of asbestos and cement roof sheets. It will also fund a replacement roof and the installation of new facilities. Branching Out provide training, work experience, recreational and social facilities for a variety of clients including adults and children with learning and/or physical disabilities.
Branching Out recently received a grant of £60,000 towards the same project from the Council's Community Facilities Fund.
Selling us down the river...
To my astonishment - and that of many others - the SNP Group on the Council today refused to support a cross-party approach to the Scottish Government to seek a long-term commitment to Riverside Inverclyde following the recent news that the Government was only prepared to allocate a further £2.5m to RI in 2012/13, falling way short of the original funding commitments given when RI was established.
Unlike their colleagues in North Ayrshire - who have been lobbying hard with the Labour-led Council for Irvine Bay URC - Inverclyde's SNP Councillors actually welcomed the cuts to RI on the basis that it protected what they see as more important parts of the Scottish Government's budget like the new Forth Bridge!
It is clear that the local SNP cannot be counted on to stand up for Inverclyde. Loyalty to their party in Edinburgh is more important to them than the interests of our community. Heaven help us if they do end up running the Council next year.
Today's decision by the SNP Group makes Councillor Chris Osborne's position as a member of the RI Board untenable in my opinion. He should resign immediately and let someone who is going to is going to stand up for Inverclyde take his place.
Inverclyde's SNP Councillors should hang their heads in shame. They have sold us down the river!
Unlike their colleagues in North Ayrshire - who have been lobbying hard with the Labour-led Council for Irvine Bay URC - Inverclyde's SNP Councillors actually welcomed the cuts to RI on the basis that it protected what they see as more important parts of the Scottish Government's budget like the new Forth Bridge!
It is clear that the local SNP cannot be counted on to stand up for Inverclyde. Loyalty to their party in Edinburgh is more important to them than the interests of our community. Heaven help us if they do end up running the Council next year.
Today's decision by the SNP Group makes Councillor Chris Osborne's position as a member of the RI Board untenable in my opinion. He should resign immediately and let someone who is going to is going to stand up for Inverclyde take his place.
Inverclyde's SNP Councillors should hang their heads in shame. They have sold us down the river!
Sunday 13 November 2011
The week ahead...
Monday
At work until 3.00 and then down to Greenock for an all Members' briefing at 4.00. In the evening I will be chairing a meeting of the Clune Park Task Group.
Tuesday
At work in the morning. In the after I have meetings at 2.00 (Regeneration Committee), 3.00 (Policy & Resources Committee) and 4.30 (weekly meeting with the Chief Executive). At 6.00 I have a surgery in St Francis' Primary School.
Wednesday
At work until 1.00. At 2.00 I will be attending a presentation on Members' Continuing Professional Development framework. I have meetings of the Administration at 4.30 and Labour Group at 5.30. In the evening I will be attending a civic reception to mark the 250th anniversary of Wellpark Mid Kirk.
Thursday
At work in the morning. In the afternoon I have meetings at 3.00 (Police briefing), 4.00 (education briefing) and 4.45 (Inverclyde Youth Council).
Friday
Through at COSLA in Edinburgh most of the day. In the later afternoon I have a meeting with Iain McKenzie MP and Duncan McNeil MSP.
At work until 3.00 and then down to Greenock for an all Members' briefing at 4.00. In the evening I will be chairing a meeting of the Clune Park Task Group.
Tuesday
At work in the morning. In the after I have meetings at 2.00 (Regeneration Committee), 3.00 (Policy & Resources Committee) and 4.30 (weekly meeting with the Chief Executive). At 6.00 I have a surgery in St Francis' Primary School.
Wednesday
At work until 1.00. At 2.00 I will be attending a presentation on Members' Continuing Professional Development framework. I have meetings of the Administration at 4.30 and Labour Group at 5.30. In the evening I will be attending a civic reception to mark the 250th anniversary of Wellpark Mid Kirk.
Thursday
At work in the morning. In the afternoon I have meetings at 3.00 (Police briefing), 4.00 (education briefing) and 4.45 (Inverclyde Youth Council).
Friday
Through at COSLA in Edinburgh most of the day. In the later afternoon I have a meeting with Iain McKenzie MP and Duncan McNeil MSP.
Saturday 12 November 2011
Turf being laid at new community sports facility...
I was down at Parklea playing fields in Port Glasgow this afternoon and was pleased to see that the contractor has started laying the artificial turf on the pitch at the new community sports facility.
The £2.9m facility - which will be home to Port Glasgow Juniors and available for wider community use - is due for completion in 2012.
Sunday 6 November 2011
The week ahead...
A quieter week this week:
Monday
At work all day. In the evening I am attending a meeting of the Woodhall Task Group at 6.30 in Woodhall Tenants' Hall.
Tuesday
Another full day at work. No evening Council commitments but parents' night at my younger children's school.
Wednesday
At work until mid afternoon and then down to Greenock for meetings at 4.30 (Administration Group) and 5.30 (Labour Group).
Thursday
At work all day with no evening commitments.
Friday
Early morning site visit in Kilmacolm to discuss proposed new pedestrian crossing point and then off to work for the rest of the day. No evening commitments.
Sunday
Representing the Council at Remembrance Sunday services in Greenock.
Monday
At work all day. In the evening I am attending a meeting of the Woodhall Task Group at 6.30 in Woodhall Tenants' Hall.
Tuesday
Another full day at work. No evening Council commitments but parents' night at my younger children's school.
Wednesday
At work until mid afternoon and then down to Greenock for meetings at 4.30 (Administration Group) and 5.30 (Labour Group).
Thursday
At work all day with no evening commitments.
Friday
Early morning site visit in Kilmacolm to discuss proposed new pedestrian crossing point and then off to work for the rest of the day. No evening commitments.
Sunday
Representing the Council at Remembrance Sunday services in Greenock.
Saturday 5 November 2011
Work progressing on shared campus...
It is good to see that work is now well underway on the construction of the Council's new £44m shared school campus in upper Port Glasgow. Driving up and down Kilmacolm Road most days will allow me to monitor progress on this exciting project.
Friday 4 November 2011
Consultation on Port Town Centre proposals...
Riverside Inverclyde and Inverclyde Council are proposing to undertake a series of environmental improvement projects within the Port Glasgow town centre area.
In order to consult with the local community and interested parties on the initial proposals a public exhibition will be held in the Port Glasgow Library on Wednesday 16th November (10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.) and Thursday 17th November (12.00 noon to 7.00 p.m.) at which a representative from Riverside Inverclyde will be available to answer any questions.
Forms will be available for members of the community and interested parties to leave comments for Riverside Inverclyde to consider when developing their proposals further.
I would encourage as many people as possible to visit the exhibition and have their say. It is important that the final proposals that are developed have the support of the community.
In order to consult with the local community and interested parties on the initial proposals a public exhibition will be held in the Port Glasgow Library on Wednesday 16th November (10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.) and Thursday 17th November (12.00 noon to 7.00 p.m.) at which a representative from Riverside Inverclyde will be available to answer any questions.
Forms will be available for members of the community and interested parties to leave comments for Riverside Inverclyde to consider when developing their proposals further.
I would encourage as many people as possible to visit the exhibition and have their say. It is important that the final proposals that are developed have the support of the community.
Thursday 3 November 2011
SNP betrayal over RI...
Riverside Inverclyde has been told it will receive no more money from the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise after March 2013.
Riverside Inverclyde was established in 2007 as a ten year initiative to transform Inverclyde into a more attractive place for the private sector to invest and for jobs to be created.
Funding was to be provided by the Scottish Government (£36 million), Scottish Enterprise (£33 million) and Inverclyde Council (£24 million).
Riverside Inverclyde is currently undertaking a variety of projects including the £180 million development of the historic James Watt Dock in Greenock, the regeneration of Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow town centres and the development of the Victoria and East India Harbours.
We had recently been given assurances that Riverside Inverclyde would be funded throughout its ten years so this news came as a complete shock. I have asked the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment to honour a commitment in the Scottish Government’s own Spending Review of continued investment in areas that need additional support and re-think this decision. So much good work has been done over the past four years it would be a betrayal to deprive the people of Inverclyde the future which they deserve and towards which so much good work has already been done.
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