Listening to Alan..

I see from today's Greenock Telegraph that former Council Leader Alan Blair has been giving the Labour-led Administration some advice on what should be our budget priorities.

You will remember Alan: he became Leader of the Lib Dems in 2003 after ousting Jim Mitchell, who had just led the Lib Dems to a stunning election victory over Labour, winning 13 out of 20 seats on the Council. Nearly 8 years on Alan is now leading a Lib Dem Group of just 3 on the Council.

How could this happen when Alan is so in touch with what matters to the public?

Of course all Alan is doing is a bit of pre-budget politicking since he will have no influence whatsoever over what the Administration will propose. The reason for this is not because he has nothing useful to contribute: no, it is simply because he cannot bring himself to talk to the Administration, or more accurately to me.

Alan tells us that we should be spending more money on our roads. We have just agreed to allocate an extra £400,000 this financial year for emergency repairs. We will also spending a further £120,000, which we have just been allocated by the Scottish Government. The Council's provisional capital programme also contains substantial sums for carriage way and footpath reconstruction and resurfacing during the next financial year. Despite funding cuts by the Scottish Government we will honour this commitment.

With regard to flooding, we have already allocated £500,000 in the current financial year for a number of high priority works. I am hopeful that I will be able to announce further funding on 10 February when I present the Administration's budget proposals.

Indeed I am more than confident that by the end of this Council term we will have spent far more on dealing with flooding issues that the Lib Dems did when they were in power from 2003 to 2007.