The Council is now seeking applications for the next round of grants to voluntary organisations.
Application forms can be downloaded from the Council's website www.inverclyde.gov.uk and hard copies can be obtained by calling (01475) 714298.
Friday, 29 April 2011
A great day to be British...
I didn't see too much of the Royal Wedding (busy leafleting and doing the weekly shop) but from what I did see it looked a very special occasion - one of those days that makes you proud to be British.
Mind you if the Nats win next week we might not be able to say that for much longer.
They may take away our passports but they can't take away our identity!
Mind you if the Nats win next week we might not be able to say that for much longer.
They may take away our passports but they can't take away our identity!
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Inverclyde live...
I see that SNP Councillor Chris Osborne would like Inverclyde to start broadcasting Council committee meetings on the Internet.
Perhaps if that happened Chris and some of his colleagues would turn up a bit more often.
The public would also get a chance to see how inept an opposition they are.
Perhaps if that happened Chris and some of his colleagues would turn up a bit more often.
The public would also get a chance to see how inept an opposition they are.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Spotted in Kilmacolm...
I spotted some of the SNP's 'heavyweights' - they know who they are - from other parts of Inverclyde in Kilmacolm this afternoon delivering newspapers.
It looks like they have abandoned their candidate in Greenock and Inverclyde to his fate and are concentrating on the more marginal Renfrewshire North and West where Labour's candidate is school teacher Stuart Clark.
It looks like they have abandoned their candidate in Greenock and Inverclyde to his fate and are concentrating on the more marginal Renfrewshire North and West where Labour's candidate is school teacher Stuart Clark.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
The week ahead...
Back to the 1970s with a '3-day week' thanks to Easter and the Royal Wedding:
Monday
Public holiday (and my birthday) but I hope to fit in a bit of campaigning
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
12.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
1.30 Members' briefing on the draft Local Development Plan
3.00 Attending my first meeting of the Audit Committee since I was appointed a member at the recent full Council meeting
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
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
12.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
1.30 Information session for members of the Community Health and Care Partnership (CHCP) Sub-Committee
3.00 Meeting of the CHCP Sub-Committee
5.00 Leave Greenock to return to Glasgow for a committee meeting at work at 6.00
Friday
Public holiday for the Royal Wedding but I might have to drag myself away from the TV for a spot of election campaigning
Monday
Public holiday (and my birthday) but I hope to fit in a bit of campaigning
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
12.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
1.30 Members' briefing on the draft Local Development Plan
3.00 Attending my first meeting of the Audit Committee since I was appointed a member at the recent full Council meeting
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
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
12.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
1.30 Information session for members of the Community Health and Care Partnership (CHCP) Sub-Committee
3.00 Meeting of the CHCP Sub-Committee
5.00 Leave Greenock to return to Glasgow for a committee meeting at work at 6.00
Friday
Public holiday for the Royal Wedding but I might have to drag myself away from the TV for a spot of election campaigning
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Major investment in play areas...
As part of the Labour-led Administration's commitment to improving play facilities for children and young people across the district I am delighted to report that proposals for a further investment of £350,000 in play will be submitted to the Council's Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee on 3 May. £300,000 of this new funding - which was opposed by SNP and Lib Dem Councillors - was included in the Administration's budget in February.
As a Ward 1 Councillor I am particularly pleased that the proposals being submitted to the Committee include £25,000 for upgrading the existing play area at West Glen Road in Kilmacolm and a further £75,000 for the proposed major new play facility at Boglestone in Port Glasgow.
If this additional funding is approved it would bring total funding allocated by the Council to the Boglestone project to £182,000. Working with the Three Wards Community Council, officials are trying to attract external grant funding to see if we can get the total funding package up to around £200,000, which would allow us to provide a children's play area and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) for use by the older kids.
As a Ward 1 Councillor I am particularly pleased that the proposals being submitted to the Committee include £25,000 for upgrading the existing play area at West Glen Road in Kilmacolm and a further £75,000 for the proposed major new play facility at Boglestone in Port Glasgow.
If this additional funding is approved it would bring total funding allocated by the Council to the Boglestone project to £182,000. Working with the Three Wards Community Council, officials are trying to attract external grant funding to see if we can get the total funding package up to around £200,000, which would allow us to provide a children's play area and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) for use by the older kids.
Funding boost for Port Town Centre...
Following on from the Labour-led Administration's decision to invest a further £1m in Port Glasgow Town Centre - which incidentally was opposed by SNP and Lib Dem Councillors - Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has approved funding of £150,000 for improvements to Port Glasgow's main bus terminus. As a Port Glasgow Councillor I very much welcome this investment - which I and other members of the Administration have been lobbying hard for - as it should help bring the facilities for bus users at Port Glasgow up to a similar standard to Greenock's recently upgraded Bus Station at Kilblain Street.
Officers of the Council are currently working with Riverside Inverclyde (RI) to develop proposals for the Council's £1m investment in the Town Centre, which I am hopeful will lever in additional funding from RI. The proposals will be the subject of a report to the Council's Regeneration Committee at its first meeting after the summer recess.
I would like to see some of this funding used to upgrade the town's Coronation Park. In this regard I am pleased that a proposal to spend £25,000 from the Council's Play Area Investment Fund on improving the existing children's play area within the park will be considered by the Council's Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee on 3 May.
Officers of the Council are currently working with Riverside Inverclyde (RI) to develop proposals for the Council's £1m investment in the Town Centre, which I am hopeful will lever in additional funding from RI. The proposals will be the subject of a report to the Council's Regeneration Committee at its first meeting after the summer recess.
I would like to see some of this funding used to upgrade the town's Coronation Park. In this regard I am pleased that a proposal to spend £25,000 from the Council's Play Area Investment Fund on improving the existing children's play area within the park will be considered by the Council's Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee on 3 May.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Sun comes out for SNP...
I see that the Murdoch empire has come out in support of the SNP or more accurately Alex Salmond as First Minister.
The problem with this cult of personality is that we have a parliamentary democracy and not a presidential system. Salmond is only standing for election in one constituency as far as I am aware.
Of course it is not a surprise that the Sun is supporting the 'Tartan Tories'. The last thing they want is a Labour Government in Scotland standing up to the real Tories in Westminister.
The problem with this cult of personality is that we have a parliamentary democracy and not a presidential system. Salmond is only standing for election in one constituency as far as I am aware.
Of course it is not a surprise that the Sun is supporting the 'Tartan Tories'. The last thing they want is a Labour Government in Scotland standing up to the real Tories in Westminister.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Shared Campus update...
I chaired a meeting of the Port Glasgow Shared Campus Working Group tonight and was pleased to hear that plans for the temporary and permanent shared campuses are progressing well.
A significant amount of work was carried out in St Stephen's during the last few weeks. Further work will be carried out over the summer holidays to get it ready for Port Glasgow High School moving in from August.
Tenders were issued on 12 April to contractors for the new campus with a return date of 13 June. All being well, the successful contractor should be appointed by 25 July with a start on the demolition of the existing Port High building penciled in for 19 August.
At our next meeting on 6 June the working group will receive a presentation from the design team on the latest designs for the new campus.
This arguably the most exciting single project the Council has undertaken and I am very much looking forward to work starting on the new campus.
A significant amount of work was carried out in St Stephen's during the last few weeks. Further work will be carried out over the summer holidays to get it ready for Port Glasgow High School moving in from August.
Tenders were issued on 12 April to contractors for the new campus with a return date of 13 June. All being well, the successful contractor should be appointed by 25 July with a start on the demolition of the existing Port High building penciled in for 19 August.
At our next meeting on 6 June the working group will receive a presentation from the design team on the latest designs for the new campus.
This arguably the most exciting single project the Council has undertaken and I am very much looking forward to work starting on the new campus.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
The week ahead...
A shorter week due to the Good Friday public holiday:
Monday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm to pick my kids up from school
4.00 Regeneration Committee Pre-agenda (my first after my appointment as Vice Convener)
6.30 Chairing a meeting of the Port Glasgow Shared Campus Working Group
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm to pick my kids up from school
4.00 Meeting with officers about the proposed play park at Boglestone
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm to pick my kids up from school
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
At work until mid afternoon then off to Blackpool with my son's football team for an Easter tournament
Monday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm to pick my kids up from school
4.00 Regeneration Committee Pre-agenda (my first after my appointment as Vice Convener)
6.30 Chairing a meeting of the Port Glasgow Shared Campus Working Group
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm to pick my kids up from school
4.00 Meeting with officers about the proposed play park at Boglestone
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm to pick my kids up from school
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
At work until mid afternoon then off to Blackpool with my son's football team for an Easter tournament
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Contempt for local democracy...
Just been watching the SNP's Depute Leader on Newsnight Scotland struggling to justify her party's continuing attack on local democracy by blackmailing Councils into freezing the Council Tax for a further 5 years.
Her contempt for local Councils was evident for everyone to see.
She just did not understand the irony of a party that argues for greater fiscal powers for the Scottish Government planning to effectively abolish the tax powers of local authorities.
The SNP's promise to freeze the Council Tax for 5 years should not come as a surprise to anyone. As soon as the other major parties matched their 2 year stunt they were always going to trump that with a 5 year pledge.
Of course this year's freeze was only achieved by the Finance Secretary threatening Councils with punitive cuts to their grant of an unprecedented scale but still claiming that it was secured by agreement.
At least the SNP are now being honest. It doesn't matter what Councils think: the Council Tax is going to be frozen and that's that!
So much for partnership and mutual respect.
Her contempt for local Councils was evident for everyone to see.
She just did not understand the irony of a party that argues for greater fiscal powers for the Scottish Government planning to effectively abolish the tax powers of local authorities.
The SNP's promise to freeze the Council Tax for 5 years should not come as a surprise to anyone. As soon as the other major parties matched their 2 year stunt they were always going to trump that with a 5 year pledge.
Of course this year's freeze was only achieved by the Finance Secretary threatening Councils with punitive cuts to their grant of an unprecedented scale but still claiming that it was secured by agreement.
At least the SNP are now being honest. It doesn't matter what Councils think: the Council Tax is going to be frozen and that's that!
So much for partnership and mutual respect.
Ill-tempered Council meeting...
Today's full Council meeting was an ill-tempered affair.
First to get himself all hot and bothered was Lib Dem Group Leader Alan Blair, who attacked a motion from the Planning Board Chair, Conservative Councillor David Wilson, and seconded by SNP Group Leader Innes Nelson, to replace Lib Dem Tom Fyfe with SNP Councillor Keith Brooks as Planning Board Vice-Chair.
Despite Councillor Blair telling us how intelligent his colleague Councillor Fyfe is, his motion to retain Councillor Fyfe as Vice Chair was overwhelmingly defeated.
There was no secret before today that the relationship between the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Board had broken down irretrievably, with Councillor Fyfe publicly criticising Councillor Wilson and even reporting him to the Standards Commission for an alleged breach of the Councillor's code of conduct. It is simply not possible for the chair and vice chair of a committee or board to work together in such circumstances. Incidentally Councillor Wilson was cleared by the Standards Commission of any wrong-doing.
The next person to get a bit over excited was SNP Councillor Chris Osborne, who criticised the Provost for the way he was chairing the meeting and then proceeded to insult the Leader, Depute Leader and former Leader of the Council by referring to us as 'the three stooges'! Fortunately for big Chris I have a thick skin, so I won't be referring him to the Standards Commission.
We then had SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod - who has been a councillor for under 4 years - questioning Councillor George White's experience to take on the position of Chair of the General Purposes Board. I was not alone in pointing out that George is one of the longest-serving members of the Council and that he had previously chaired a major service committee.
When the dust had settled, the Administration had made a number of key positional changes.
Labour Councillor Terry Loughran has replaced Council Leader Iain McKenzie as Convener of the Education & Lifelong Learning Committee, with Iain taking on Terry's previous position of Vice Convener. Congratulations to Terry on his appointment to this important role.
Independent Councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld has taken over as Convener of the Regeneration Committee from Labour Councillor Jim Clocherty, who was previously promoted to Depute Leader of the Council. Yours truly has taken on Councillor Ahlfeld's previous position as Vice Convener of the Regeneration Committee.
I am looking forward to working with Councillor Ahlfeld to drive forward the Council's regeneration strategy in the remaining year of this Council term. A great deal has been achieved in the last 4 years, for which Jim Clocherty takes huge credit, but, as Jim will acknowledge, more needs to be done.
The redevelopment of central Gourock and the regeneration of Port Glasgow Town Centre will be two of our highest priorities. Support for new community facilities, including for Inverkip, will also be high on our agenda.
In the current economic climate it is crucial that, working with Riverside Inverclyde and our other partners, we build on the successful employment initiatives that have been developed over the last 4 years.
I am very much up for the challenge.
First to get himself all hot and bothered was Lib Dem Group Leader Alan Blair, who attacked a motion from the Planning Board Chair, Conservative Councillor David Wilson, and seconded by SNP Group Leader Innes Nelson, to replace Lib Dem Tom Fyfe with SNP Councillor Keith Brooks as Planning Board Vice-Chair.
Despite Councillor Blair telling us how intelligent his colleague Councillor Fyfe is, his motion to retain Councillor Fyfe as Vice Chair was overwhelmingly defeated.
There was no secret before today that the relationship between the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Board had broken down irretrievably, with Councillor Fyfe publicly criticising Councillor Wilson and even reporting him to the Standards Commission for an alleged breach of the Councillor's code of conduct. It is simply not possible for the chair and vice chair of a committee or board to work together in such circumstances. Incidentally Councillor Wilson was cleared by the Standards Commission of any wrong-doing.
The next person to get a bit over excited was SNP Councillor Chris Osborne, who criticised the Provost for the way he was chairing the meeting and then proceeded to insult the Leader, Depute Leader and former Leader of the Council by referring to us as 'the three stooges'! Fortunately for big Chris I have a thick skin, so I won't be referring him to the Standards Commission.
We then had SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod - who has been a councillor for under 4 years - questioning Councillor George White's experience to take on the position of Chair of the General Purposes Board. I was not alone in pointing out that George is one of the longest-serving members of the Council and that he had previously chaired a major service committee.
When the dust had settled, the Administration had made a number of key positional changes.
Labour Councillor Terry Loughran has replaced Council Leader Iain McKenzie as Convener of the Education & Lifelong Learning Committee, with Iain taking on Terry's previous position of Vice Convener. Congratulations to Terry on his appointment to this important role.
Independent Councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld has taken over as Convener of the Regeneration Committee from Labour Councillor Jim Clocherty, who was previously promoted to Depute Leader of the Council. Yours truly has taken on Councillor Ahlfeld's previous position as Vice Convener of the Regeneration Committee.
I am looking forward to working with Councillor Ahlfeld to drive forward the Council's regeneration strategy in the remaining year of this Council term. A great deal has been achieved in the last 4 years, for which Jim Clocherty takes huge credit, but, as Jim will acknowledge, more needs to be done.
The redevelopment of central Gourock and the regeneration of Port Glasgow Town Centre will be two of our highest priorities. Support for new community facilities, including for Inverkip, will also be high on our agenda.
In the current economic climate it is crucial that, working with Riverside Inverclyde and our other partners, we build on the successful employment initiatives that have been developed over the last 4 years.
I am very much up for the challenge.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Heaven help us...
Just been watching Eric Pickles, the English Tory Local Government Secretary, and Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Tory Leader, on Newsnight and Newsnight Scotland respectively.
If they are the best that the Tories can come up with then heaven help us.
Pickles is way out of his depth and Goldie was torn to shreds by Gordon Brewer.
The thought of the dream team of Alex and Annabel leading a Tartan Tory coalition is frightening!
If they are the best that the Tories can come up with then heaven help us.
Pickles is way out of his depth and Goldie was torn to shreds by Gordon Brewer.
The thought of the dream team of Alex and Annabel leading a Tartan Tory coalition is frightening!
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
You Tube...
I see from today's Greenock Telegraph that the SNP candidate for Greenock and Inverclyde has made a video to launch his campaign, in which he claims credit for record investment in social housing in Inverclyde, the £5.5m contribution from the Scottish Government for the shared campus in Port Glasgow and £2m for regeneration of our three town centres.
He fails to point out that if the local SNP's campaign against stock transfer had been successful we would not have had the record investment in social housing approved by the previous Labour-led Scottish Executive.
He fails to point out that the reason we are having a shared campus in Port Glasgow is down to the courage and conviction of Inverclyde's Labour Councillors and that the £5.5m was secured after effective lobbying by these Councillors through COSLA and with the support of our two local Labour MSPs, Duncan McNeil and Trish Godman.
And he also fails to point out that his SNP colleagues on Inverclyde Council recently voted against a £1m investment in Port Glasgow Town Centre.
He fails to point out that if the local SNP's campaign against stock transfer had been successful we would not have had the record investment in social housing approved by the previous Labour-led Scottish Executive.
He fails to point out that the reason we are having a shared campus in Port Glasgow is down to the courage and conviction of Inverclyde's Labour Councillors and that the £5.5m was secured after effective lobbying by these Councillors through COSLA and with the support of our two local Labour MSPs, Duncan McNeil and Trish Godman.
And he also fails to point out that his SNP colleagues on Inverclyde Council recently voted against a £1m investment in Port Glasgow Town Centre.
Labour's 2 week cancer waiting time guarantee...
| Labour has always been the party of the NHS. We created it, we supported it and we defended it in its hour of need. And if I am First Minister, I will protect the NHS again. But there are some areas I want to see improvements in. One of them is cancer test waiting times. Cancer continues to claim the lives of too many Scots and casts a dark shadow over too many families. We must step up our efforts in the fight against cancer so we can diagnose it faster. That is why today I launched Labour’s pledge to bring in a new right to see a cancer specialist and get results within two weeks, halving the current waiting time. Families need politicians to be focused on what really matters. That is why reducing cancer waiting times is so important. Waiting times for cancer diagnosis have already come down in Scotland as a result of the investment of the previous Labour Government, but the SNP have not done enough to carry this work forward. Now the Tories are back, we see what they really want to do to our NHS, but here in Scotland I am determined to do things differently. I know how worrying a time going to the GP with suspected cancer can be. That’s why I am so proud that Scottish Labour has pledged to halve the waiting time for specialist results. Your sincerely  Iain Gray Scottish Labour Leader |
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Deadline for Postal Vote Applications...
Voters in Inverclyde have until Thursday 14th April to apply for a postal vote in next month’s Scottish Parliament Election and UK Referendum.
Voting by post is an easy and convenient way to vote for people who are unable to get to the polling station.
Anyone aged 18 or over who is on the electoral register can apply for a postal vote. You don’t need to give a reason why, just fill in the application form available on www.aboutmyvote.co.uk , print it, sign it, and send it back to the local electoral registration office. Postal votes are usually sent out about a week before election day and once you have got it, mark your vote on the ballot paper and make sure you send it back to that it arrives by close of poll – 10pm on Thursday 5th May.
Postal votes can be sent to a home address or to any other address specified. They can be sent overseas although voters should consider whether there will be enough time to receive and return their ballot paper by election day.
One alternative is voting by proxy – appointing someone to vote on their behalf.
Postal vote applications should be sent to Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board, The Robertson Centre, 16, Glasgow Road, Paisley PA1 3QF by 5pm on Thursday 14th April.
Friday 15th April is the deadline to register to vote.
Thursday 21st April is the deadline to apply to vote by proxy.
Details of how to apply and to register to vote can be found at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
Monday, 11 April 2011
What does Alan think?
I see that the Lib Dem former leader of Liverpool City Council has urged Party Leader and Depute Prime Minister Nick Clegg to pull out of the coalition government in a confidential letter seen by the BBC.
Warren Bradley urged his party leader to act before it "disappears into the annals of history".
He said Lib Dem councillors were set to lose seats in 5 May's local elections and the coalition was to blame.
Mr Bradley, who led the council for five years, said: "The boil is about to come to a head and burst (probably on election night)."
In the e-mail marked "In Confidence - Private", he writes: "Many other long-serving councillors could be defeated not because of their record, but because of your record and the perception of what we as Liberal Democrats now are."Mr Bradley, who has previously been critical of the leadership, calls for the end of the coalition: "We have to be independent and we have to sever ties from the coalition; if we fail to do this, we have only our parliamentarians to blame."
I wonder if Alan Blair, the former Lib Dem Leader of Inverclyde Council, shares his colleague's concerns about the coalition?
Sunday, 10 April 2011
The week ahead...
A relatively quiet week:
Monday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments, so I hope to continue with the delivery of letters to postal voters in Port Glasgow
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.00 Meeting with officers
7.00 Meeting of Three Wards Community Council
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.30 Leave work to travel to Port Glasgow
2.00 Attending a tenant led inspection of the Kelburn estate
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
6.30 Delivering postal voter letters in Port Glasgow
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.00 Briefing by Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
4.00 Meeting of Inverclyde Council
6.00 Delivering postal voter letters in Port Glasgow
Friday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments
Monday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments, so I hope to continue with the delivery of letters to postal voters in Port Glasgow
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.00 Meeting with officers
7.00 Meeting of Three Wards Community Council
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.30 Leave work to travel to Port Glasgow
2.00 Attending a tenant led inspection of the Kelburn estate
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
6.30 Delivering postal voter letters in Port Glasgow
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.00 Briefing by Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
4.00 Meeting of Inverclyde Council
6.00 Delivering postal voter letters in Port Glasgow
Friday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments
Friday, 8 April 2011
Library opening delayed...
The opening of Kilmacolm's new library, which was to have taken place this month, has been delayed until next month.
The library is to move from its current home in the Kilmacolm Institute building to a new home in the recently refurbished former school board building across the road. Unfortunately due to a water leak in the school board building the fit out of the library has had to be delayed.
Work on the fit out is now due to start on Monday 9th May and the library should open in its new home before the end of the month. In the meantime the library will continue to operate from its existing premises.
While this delay is disappointing I am sure that the new library will be well worth the wait. It will be fitted out to a very high standard, with services available including a children's section and a learning zone with 11 public access PCs and an interactive whiteboard.
The library is to move from its current home in the Kilmacolm Institute building to a new home in the recently refurbished former school board building across the road. Unfortunately due to a water leak in the school board building the fit out of the library has had to be delayed.
Work on the fit out is now due to start on Monday 9th May and the library should open in its new home before the end of the month. In the meantime the library will continue to operate from its existing premises.
While this delay is disappointing I am sure that the new library will be well worth the wait. It will be fitted out to a very high standard, with services available including a children's section and a learning zone with 11 public access PCs and an interactive whiteboard.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Contractor appointed for new Parklea community stadium...
I am delighted to report that Barr Ltd have been appointed as the contractor for Phase 5 of the redevelopment of Parklea Playingfields in Port Glasgow and that work is scheduled to start on Monday 18 April.
Phase 5 comprises of the following works:
The provision of car parking, paths and associated balance of road infrastructure;
A new community stadium including changing accommodation and associated lockers for all pitches, reception, toilets, community function room, kitchen and first aid facility; and
A multi sport 3G artificial grass surface measuring 118m x 72m, big enough to accommodate 7-a-side football tournaments and American football in an environment capable of hosting junior football and their spectators.
This further investment means that we are well on our way to delivering on the Labour-led Administration's promise to make Parklea a centre of excellence for football in Inverclyde.
Phase 5 comprises of the following works:
The provision of car parking, paths and associated balance of road infrastructure;
A new community stadium including changing accommodation and associated lockers for all pitches, reception, toilets, community function room, kitchen and first aid facility; and
A multi sport 3G artificial grass surface measuring 118m x 72m, big enough to accommodate 7-a-side football tournaments and American football in an environment capable of hosting junior football and their spectators.
This further investment means that we are well on our way to delivering on the Labour-led Administration's promise to make Parklea a centre of excellence for football in Inverclyde.
One Week Left to Register Your Vote...
Inverclyde Council is urging voters to make sure they are registered to vote in both the Scottish Parliament election and a UK-wide referendum on Thursday 5th May.
People have until Friday 15th April to ensure their names are on the Electoral Register to avoid missing out on next month’s polls.
A person can vote in the Scottish Parliament election and the referendum if they are on the electoral register, are 18 or over on 5th May and are a British citizen, or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Irish Republic.
Citizens of other European Union countries registered to vote in Scotland can vote in the Scottish Parliament election. However, they can’t vote in the referendum.
To register to vote call 01475 790 135 Monday to Friday. Forms can be printed from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
People have until Friday 15th April to ensure their names are on the Electoral Register to avoid missing out on next month’s polls.
A person can vote in the Scottish Parliament election and the referendum if they are on the electoral register, are 18 or over on 5th May and are a British citizen, or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Irish Republic.
Citizens of other European Union countries registered to vote in Scotland can vote in the Scottish Parliament election. However, they can’t vote in the referendum.
To register to vote call 01475 790 135 Monday to Friday. Forms can be printed from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
Short memories...
I had to laugh when I opened my Greenock Telegraph today to see the smiling face of Lib Dem Councillor Alan Blair as he stood beside a group of central Greenock residents celebrating a £25,000 Big Lottery grant for a new play area in Sir Michael Street.
The article contained no mention that this project had already been allocated £75,000 by the Council - through the good offices of my Labour colleague Jim Clocherty - from funding contained within the Administration's 2010 budget.
The irony of course is that Councillor Blair - who believes that "a playpark is very much needed in that part of central Greenock" - actually voted against the Administration's funding for play areas.
This is just typical of opposition Councillors who want to take credit for projects that they voted against.
We had another example at the recent Policy & Resources Committee when SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod asked when proposals for the £1m investment in Port Glasgow Town Centre contained within the Administration's February 2011 budget would be brought forward, again conveniently forgetting that he voted against this investment.
Our opposition Councillors clearly have short memories, or more likely brass necks!
The article contained no mention that this project had already been allocated £75,000 by the Council - through the good offices of my Labour colleague Jim Clocherty - from funding contained within the Administration's 2010 budget.
The irony of course is that Councillor Blair - who believes that "a playpark is very much needed in that part of central Greenock" - actually voted against the Administration's funding for play areas.
This is just typical of opposition Councillors who want to take credit for projects that they voted against.
We had another example at the recent Policy & Resources Committee when SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod asked when proposals for the £1m investment in Port Glasgow Town Centre contained within the Administration's February 2011 budget would be brought forward, again conveniently forgetting that he voted against this investment.
Our opposition Councillors clearly have short memories, or more likely brass necks!
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
"Black Wednesday for families" as cuts to family budgets bite - Ed Balls
Cuts to childcare support alone will leave families up to £1500 a year worse off.
Families up and down the country will today (Wednesday) start to feel the real impact of this Tory-led Government’s decision to cut too deep and too fast as cuts to tax credits, childcare support and child benefit start to take hold.
With family budgets already squeezed by January’s VAT increase and rising inflation Labour is warning that today’s measures will add to the growing squeeze on millions of families on low and middle incomes – with women and families with children being hardest hit.
In what Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls is calling a “Black Wednesday for millions of families across Britain” a raft of changes will take effect today:
Cuts to the amount parents can claim on childcare – worth up to £1560 per year for families with two or more children
Child benefit frozen for three years – a real terms cut of £75.40 this year for a family with three children
Baby element of the child tax credit scrapped – worth £545 per year
Benefits set on a permanently lower path of inflation – a real terms cut which means less generous benefits this year and every year going forward
Basic and 30 hour elements of the Working Tax Credit frozen – an overall loss of £391 a year by 2013 for some families
Second income threshold for family element of Child Tax Credit cut – fewer families eligible for tax credits
Withdrawal rates for tax credits increased to 41% – a loss of £400 a year for someone earning £26,420 and in receipt of tax credits
In an article for the Labour Uncut website today Ed Balls MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, says:
“Today will be a Black Wednesday for millions of families across Britain.
“David Cameron promised to lead the most family-friendly government ever and George Osborne said we’re all in this together. So why are their changes to tax and benefits coming into force today hitting women harder than men and taking so much support from children, with families on low and middle incomes being hit the hardest of all?
“We’ve been through a global financial crisis – not a recession made in Britain. And like every major economy in the world we now have a big challenge to get the deficit down. So there have to be tough decisions including some spending cuts and fair tax rises like the 50p top rate of tax for the richest and the national insurance rise we proposed last year.
“But as we have consistently argued, by making a political choice to cut the deficit further and faster than any other major country George Osborne is going too deep and too fast and putting jobs and growth at risk. And he is doing so in an unfair way, giving the banks a tax cut this year while low and middle income families are hit hard.”
“All this pain, all in one go, aimed at families with children, is not just deeply unfair it will hamper our economy too. By going too deep and too fast George Osborne is damaging consumer confidence – which is now at a near 20 year low – and holding back an economy which should be growing strongly this year. The government is now set to spend over £12 billion more on benefits than it planned in the autumn. This creates a vicious circle because the higher unemployment and slower growth now forecast means the government is actually set to borrow £46 billion more over the coming years.”
Analysis by the House of Commons Library for Fiona O’Donnell MP has found that the changes coming in today, combined with the Government's VAT rise, will cost a family with three children – and each parent earning £26,000 – over £1,700 a year. This is equivalent to around 5p extra on the basic rate of income tax.
Amongst these changes is the decision – announced in last October’s Spending Review – to reduce the amount of childcare costs paid through the Working Tax Credit. Independent research by the Resolution Foundation has found that this benefit is claimed by 450,000 households – most of which are on incomes of £30,000 or lower. Almost two thirds of those who claim the support are lone parents.
They will lose on average £436 a year as a result of this change alone. In London, families will lose over £600 a year on average. For some families with two or more children it could be up to £1560 lost.
On the cuts to childcare support Ed Balls MP added:
“This little noticed change will have a huge impact on hundreds of thousands of families, but particularly women with children who work part time and on low pay. But cuts to childcare support make no sense at all if it simply makes it harder for parents to go out to work – as the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned – and so ends up costing the taxpayer more.
“Once again we can expect Nick Clegg to this week trumpet an income tax cut for some on lower incomes as a key achievement of the coalition. But the truth is that the increase in the personal allowance is a fig-leaf for what’s really happening to families. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said the government is giving a little with one hand, but taking much more away with lots of other hands.
“So we should remind Nick Clegg that it’s more than offset by the Tory VAT rise he himself campaigned against a year ago – which the Treasury says will cost a family with children an average of £450 a year – and all the other changes coming into effect today.”
Families up and down the country will today (Wednesday) start to feel the real impact of this Tory-led Government’s decision to cut too deep and too fast as cuts to tax credits, childcare support and child benefit start to take hold.
With family budgets already squeezed by January’s VAT increase and rising inflation Labour is warning that today’s measures will add to the growing squeeze on millions of families on low and middle incomes – with women and families with children being hardest hit.
In what Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls is calling a “Black Wednesday for millions of families across Britain” a raft of changes will take effect today:
Cuts to the amount parents can claim on childcare – worth up to £1560 per year for families with two or more children
Child benefit frozen for three years – a real terms cut of £75.40 this year for a family with three children
Baby element of the child tax credit scrapped – worth £545 per year
Benefits set on a permanently lower path of inflation – a real terms cut which means less generous benefits this year and every year going forward
Basic and 30 hour elements of the Working Tax Credit frozen – an overall loss of £391 a year by 2013 for some families
Second income threshold for family element of Child Tax Credit cut – fewer families eligible for tax credits
Withdrawal rates for tax credits increased to 41% – a loss of £400 a year for someone earning £26,420 and in receipt of tax credits
In an article for the Labour Uncut website today Ed Balls MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, says:
“Today will be a Black Wednesday for millions of families across Britain.
“David Cameron promised to lead the most family-friendly government ever and George Osborne said we’re all in this together. So why are their changes to tax and benefits coming into force today hitting women harder than men and taking so much support from children, with families on low and middle incomes being hit the hardest of all?
“We’ve been through a global financial crisis – not a recession made in Britain. And like every major economy in the world we now have a big challenge to get the deficit down. So there have to be tough decisions including some spending cuts and fair tax rises like the 50p top rate of tax for the richest and the national insurance rise we proposed last year.
“But as we have consistently argued, by making a political choice to cut the deficit further and faster than any other major country George Osborne is going too deep and too fast and putting jobs and growth at risk. And he is doing so in an unfair way, giving the banks a tax cut this year while low and middle income families are hit hard.”
“All this pain, all in one go, aimed at families with children, is not just deeply unfair it will hamper our economy too. By going too deep and too fast George Osborne is damaging consumer confidence – which is now at a near 20 year low – and holding back an economy which should be growing strongly this year. The government is now set to spend over £12 billion more on benefits than it planned in the autumn. This creates a vicious circle because the higher unemployment and slower growth now forecast means the government is actually set to borrow £46 billion more over the coming years.”
Analysis by the House of Commons Library for Fiona O’Donnell MP has found that the changes coming in today, combined with the Government's VAT rise, will cost a family with three children – and each parent earning £26,000 – over £1,700 a year. This is equivalent to around 5p extra on the basic rate of income tax.
Amongst these changes is the decision – announced in last October’s Spending Review – to reduce the amount of childcare costs paid through the Working Tax Credit. Independent research by the Resolution Foundation has found that this benefit is claimed by 450,000 households – most of which are on incomes of £30,000 or lower. Almost two thirds of those who claim the support are lone parents.
They will lose on average £436 a year as a result of this change alone. In London, families will lose over £600 a year on average. For some families with two or more children it could be up to £1560 lost.
On the cuts to childcare support Ed Balls MP added:
“This little noticed change will have a huge impact on hundreds of thousands of families, but particularly women with children who work part time and on low pay. But cuts to childcare support make no sense at all if it simply makes it harder for parents to go out to work – as the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned – and so ends up costing the taxpayer more.
“Once again we can expect Nick Clegg to this week trumpet an income tax cut for some on lower incomes as a key achievement of the coalition. But the truth is that the increase in the personal allowance is a fig-leaf for what’s really happening to families. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said the government is giving a little with one hand, but taking much more away with lots of other hands.
“So we should remind Nick Clegg that it’s more than offset by the Tory VAT rise he himself campaigned against a year ago – which the Treasury says will cost a family with children an average of £450 a year – and all the other changes coming into effect today.”
Fighting for what really matters...
Foreword to The Scottish Labour Party Manifesto 2011
We pursue growth, more jobs and more businesses, for a reason. We do so because work, labour itself, is the best chance of a better life for all, and work remains the only real route out of poverty.
The chance of a good life should be our birthright rather than an accident of our birth. Poverty envelops too many too early and remains too common and too persistent to be tolerated in a country that dreams of a better future.
In the 1980s I taught in a secondary school in Edinburgh. I saw teenagers lose their future and their hopes to the spectre of unemployment and to a government that did not care.
That is why I am standing to be First Minister of Scotland, so that this Tory government cannot repeat the mistakes of yesterday and blight all of our tomorrows. The difference today is our own Scottish Parliament. We can take a different path.
The great achievements of our past can be an inspiration for our future. We can create powerful new industries driving towards a green economy that creates the jobs we need to generate prosperity for all. I make no apologies for the scale of my ambition for Scotland.
It is the job of leaders to look to the horizon. My choices will be set by these priorities: creating jobs for all and leaving nobody behind.
The vision that guides me is a Scotland of full employment; a more equal Scotland, with the freedom to give full expression to who we feel we are. This is how we begin - ending youth unemployment by investing in education and skills, in apprenticeships and jobs. The costs of inaction are far greater than the sum of these ambitions.
I will balance the Scottish budget, but I refuse to balance it on the back of working people. We will drive efficiency, reform our public services and cut the cost of governing, but we will do it to make Scotland fairer. Our choices will be different.
We can only do this if we focus relentlessly on what matters and make the tough choices that deliver change.
No more distractions, no more constitutional wrangling. I’ll fight for what really matters. That’s what Labour exists to do.
This is our programme for Scotland. It talks to the concerns of the people of Scotland: jobs, safer streets, better schools, our NHS, our environment.
It is the product of the widest and deepest consultation ever undertaken by a political party in this country.
Give Labour your trust. We will fight for what really matters. And that is you, your family and your future.
Iain Gray
Scottish Labour Leader
To download a copy of the manifesto visit www.scottishlabour.org.uk
We pursue growth, more jobs and more businesses, for a reason. We do so because work, labour itself, is the best chance of a better life for all, and work remains the only real route out of poverty.
The chance of a good life should be our birthright rather than an accident of our birth. Poverty envelops too many too early and remains too common and too persistent to be tolerated in a country that dreams of a better future.
In the 1980s I taught in a secondary school in Edinburgh. I saw teenagers lose their future and their hopes to the spectre of unemployment and to a government that did not care.
That is why I am standing to be First Minister of Scotland, so that this Tory government cannot repeat the mistakes of yesterday and blight all of our tomorrows. The difference today is our own Scottish Parliament. We can take a different path.
The great achievements of our past can be an inspiration for our future. We can create powerful new industries driving towards a green economy that creates the jobs we need to generate prosperity for all. I make no apologies for the scale of my ambition for Scotland.
It is the job of leaders to look to the horizon. My choices will be set by these priorities: creating jobs for all and leaving nobody behind.
The vision that guides me is a Scotland of full employment; a more equal Scotland, with the freedom to give full expression to who we feel we are. This is how we begin - ending youth unemployment by investing in education and skills, in apprenticeships and jobs. The costs of inaction are far greater than the sum of these ambitions.
I will balance the Scottish budget, but I refuse to balance it on the back of working people. We will drive efficiency, reform our public services and cut the cost of governing, but we will do it to make Scotland fairer. Our choices will be different.
We can only do this if we focus relentlessly on what matters and make the tough choices that deliver change.
No more distractions, no more constitutional wrangling. I’ll fight for what really matters. That’s what Labour exists to do.
This is our programme for Scotland. It talks to the concerns of the people of Scotland: jobs, safer streets, better schools, our NHS, our environment.
It is the product of the widest and deepest consultation ever undertaken by a political party in this country.
Give Labour your trust. We will fight for what really matters. And that is you, your family and your future.
Iain Gray
Scottish Labour Leader
To download a copy of the manifesto visit www.scottishlabour.org.uk
On the campaign trail...
I was out putting up Labour posters in a wind swept and wet Kilmacolm and Quarrier's Village last night for our candidate Stuart Clark.
This afternoon, after the rain had stopped, I was out in the Boglestone area of Port Glasgow delivering direct mail to postal voters for our candidate Duncan McNeil.
Only four weeks campaigning left!
This afternoon, after the rain had stopped, I was out in the Boglestone area of Port Glasgow delivering direct mail to postal voters for our candidate Duncan McNeil.
Only four weeks campaigning left!
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Saying goodbye to an old comrade...
I attended the funeral mass for Labour Party stalwart Jim McLaughlin this morning.
Jim and his late wife Mary were active members of the local party for a long number of years. They never held pubic office but, like so many others, their contribution to the party was every bit as important. They were part of the backbone of the party. Without them people like me would not be in the position we are.
Jim will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues in the Inverclyde Labour Party. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
Jim and his late wife Mary were active members of the local party for a long number of years. They never held pubic office but, like so many others, their contribution to the party was every bit as important. They were part of the backbone of the party. Without them people like me would not be in the position we are.
Jim will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues in the Inverclyde Labour Party. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
The week ahead...
With the kids off school this week I have taken the week off work. However with the Scottish Election campaign well underway I will also be spending some time delivering direct mail to postal voters and putting up placards.
My commitments for the week are as follow:
Monday
6.45 Chairing a meeting of the Clune Park Task Group
8.15 Home visit to a constituent
Tuesday
6.30 Meeting of Whitecroft TARA
Wednesday
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
My commitments for the week are as follow:
Monday
6.45 Chairing a meeting of the Clune Park Task Group
8.15 Home visit to a constituent
Tuesday
6.30 Meeting of Whitecroft TARA
Wednesday
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
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