Coronation Park sea wall repairs completed...

It was good to see that sea wall repairs have been completed at Coronation Park in Port Glasgow when I visited the park this morning.

These works are part of a £200,000 investment in Port Glasgow's most prominent public park by the Council. Officers are currently progressing proposals to upgrade the boat slipway in the park and carry out some environmental improvements.

I'm sure Port Glasgow residents will welcome this investment in 'Corrie Park'.

The new sea wall looking east to Ferguson's yard

Supporting local apprenticeships...

I am delighted that the Council is continuing to support apprenticeships in a range of local businesses including at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow.

Working with Inverclyde Community Development Trust, the Council has been able to provide Modern Apprenticeship opportunities for local businesses throughout the area. As a Council funded local organisation, they provide people in Inverclyde with advice, support with applications, specialist training and matching clients with job vacancies.

Ferguson's  have had a modern apprenticeship programme going back many years, with the number increasing every year. The Council played an important part in the rescue of Ferguson's last year and we are continuing to work with the new owners to help ensure that the yard has a sustainable long-term future and one way we are doing that that is by investing in the workforce of the future.

Two of Ferguson's current modern apprentices

New housing for Woodhall...

As both a Board Member and local ward Councillor it is great to see families moving into the new River Clyde Homes properties in Woodhall, Port Glasgow.

The Association has built 20 new properties at Woodhall Terrace at a cost of £1.24m under the Council's local housing strategy. The houses are a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom, semi-detached and cottage flats with on-site parking facilities.

The tenemental blocks that once stood have now been replaced by modern, energy efficient homes, in line with River Clyde Homes’ Green Strategy, that are suitable for varying needs and disabled access. 

This project is the second phase of RCH's redevelopment of social housing in the estate. A third and final phase of 16 houses is currently under construction on Brightside Avenue. It is hoped that future new build housing in Woodhall will be for sale by a private developer. The timing for this will be dictated by housing market conditions.

Woodhall is one of three major housing developments in Port Glasgow since the association was established in December 1997 following the stock transfer from the Council, the other developments being at Oronsay and Moray Road.

The association has recently acquired two key sites in the town for future new build schemes at Bay Street in the town centre and the former St Stephen's High School in upper Port Glasgow. I am hopeful that both sites will be developed within the next few years providing further much needed new homes for local people.

Down but certainly not out...

I was re-elected as Leader of Inverclyde Council Labour Group tonight for the thirteenth time at our annual general meeting and I would like to thank my colleagues for their continuing support and confidence in me.

I was first elected Leader in May 2003 following our crushing defeat to the Liberal Democrats in that year's Council elections. During the next 4 years we rebuilt our reputation and support, proving to be a very effective opposition, with the result that we won back control of the Council at the 2007 elections.

Tonight we had a wide ranging discussion about how the party both locally and nationally should respond to our defeat to the SNP in May's general election. While we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge facing us, there is a renewed determination among our Councillors to do all we can to win back the support of many of the voters we have lost and to engage with those who voted for the first time at the referendum and turned out again at the general election. In doing so we can draw on the lessons of 2003 and how we campaigned during the following 4 years. There is no substitute for hard work.

We believe that we have a strong record of delivery for the people of Inverclyde that we can put before the electorate in 2017. In the meantime we still have many more things we want to deliver in the remaining two years of this Council to make a real difference to the lives of the communities we represent.

We may be down but we are certainly not out. Inverclyde Labour still has much to offer the people of Inverclyde and we aim to play a big part in the next Council elected in 2017.  

Port Glasgow Regeneration Forum...

I was pleased to attend the first meeting of the new Port Glasgow Regeneration Forum yesterday. The Forum has been established to oversee the regeneration of Port Glasgow Town Centre.

The first meeting was very positive with representatives from the Council, Riverside Inverclyde, local traders and the community all keen to play their part in improving the vibrancy of the town centre to give it a sustainable future. The Forum will meet initially on a quarterly basis to oversee the implementation of the regeneration plan for the town centre.

My Labour colleague Michael McCormick, who is one of the ward councillors for the town centre, as well as being Convener of the Council's Environment & Regeneration Committee, was unanimously agreed as the first chair of the Forum.

Members of the new Port Glasgow Regeneration Forum

A new gateway into Port Glasgow town centre has moved a step closer.

Inverclyde Council has acquired the car park opposite Port Glasgow Town Hall to allow roads officials to consider a new exit off the A8 leading directly onto Princes Street.

The car park was originally sold by the Council to Gallagher Developments as a site for a restaurant  but this project never happened. Following the recent acquisition of Gallagher's remaining interest in Port Glasgow by the Strathclyde Pension Fund the Council has re-acquired the site with a view to opening up a new spur road into the traditional town centre off the 'Tesco roundabout'.

If the new road gets the go ahead it should encourage more traffic into the town centre providing a boost for local shops and other businesses.

Mindless vandalism to new play park..

Part of a new £67,000 children's play park in Port Glasgow has been destroyed in a mindless act of vandalism a few weeks after the park was completed.

The climbing wall in the play park at Barrs Brae is believed to have been set on fire on Friday night. I would urge anyone with information on who may have been responsible to contact Police Scotland on 101.

The Council is continuing to invest huge sums in improving outdoor play facilities for children and young people across Inverclyde and such acts of vandalism are extremely depressing. They also deprive the children who use our play parks of these important facilities and at the same time place an additional financial burden on the Council at a time we can ill afford it.

The destroyed children's climbing wall