Tender awarded to build Port Glasgow shared campus...

The contract to build Port Glasgow’s £44 million shared campus has been awarded to GRAHAM Construction.

The new campus will be home to Port Glasgow and St Stephen’s High Schools and a new Additional Support Needs (ASN) School to replace Glenburn and Lilybank Schools.

This is such an exciting project for Port Glasgow and indeed the whole of Inverclyde. When the campus and the new St Columba’s High School in Gourock are completed in 2013 our secondary school estate will be second to none. We will also have an ASN School with facilities to match the very best.

From the outset of this Administration we said our children are the key to Inverclyde’s future and by providing them with the best facilities possible in which to learn we can give them that all-important springboard towards a better future. We are also demonstrating once again that meeting the needs of our most vulnerable children is a top priority for the Council.

The week ahead...

A busy week ahead:

Monday
At work in the morning. In the afternoon I am due to go on a walkabout with residents of the Woodhall estate in Port Glasgow. I have a surgery at 6.00 in the evening in St Francis Primary School followed by the AGM of St Francis PS Parent Council.
Tuesday
At work again in the morning. In the afternoon I have a meeting of the Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee. This will be followed by my weekly meeting with the Chief Executive. I am hoping to attend a meeting of Kilmacolm Community Council at 7.30.
Wednesday
At work in the morning. Late afternoon I have a meeting with a local union representative to discuss the Clyde Valley Shared Support Services business case. This is followed by weekly meetings of the Administration Group and the Labour Group. At 7.00 I am due to attend a meeting of the Kelburn Action Group.
Thursday
At work in the morning. In the afternoon I have a meeting of the Council's Regeneration Committee. No evening commitments currently in the diary.
Friday
A full day at work.

Youth Leaders needed...

The Council urgently needs new adult volunteer youth leaders for the Friday night Kilmacolm Youth Groups operating out of the new Kilmacolm Community Centre.

This would be an excellent opportunity for students and other young people interested in a career in teaching, social work or youth work to gain invaluable experience.

Anyone interested should contact Hugh Scott, the Council's Youth Services Team Leader on 01475 715459 or email Hugh.Scott@inverclyde.gov.uk

Carriageway resurfacing at Arran Avenue...

I am pleased to report that the Council's Roads Service is planning to resurface part of Arran Avenue in Port Glasgow between Monday 5 September and Wednesday 7 September. This will require the closure of the carriageway between Netherton Avenue and Cumbrae Avenue on these dates.

The cost of the resurfacing works is around £17,000.

During the week commencing 22 September footway upgrading will be carried out, also on Arran Avenue, at a cost of £15,000.

Clyde Valley Shared Support Services...

I attended a useful all members' briefing on the Clyde Valley Shared Support Services business case this afternoon by the Council's Chief Executive, John Mundell, and Chief Financial Officer, Alan Puckrin.

There are certainly a lot of issues to consider before we reach a decision on whether or not to participate in the new public-public partnership. This decision will be taken at a special Council meeting on 29 September.

Five more years...

I have formally advised the Labour Party that it is my intention to seek re-selection for next year's Council elections. Hopefully party members will agree that I have made a significant contribution to the Inverclyde community over the last four years and give me the opportunity to seek a further 5 years on the Council.

I not complacent however. We have a lot of very capable people in the local party, who would make excellent candidates and Councillors.

The week ahead...

Monday
A full day at work with no evening Council commitments.
Tuesday
At work until 2.00 before going to Greenock for a meeting of the Audit Committee. This will be followed by a briefing for elected members on the Clyde Valley shared support services business case. At 5.00 myself and the Depute Council Leader, Jim Clocherty, are due to hold our weekly meeting with the Chief Executive.
Wednesday 
Unfortunately, due to the short notice and work commitments, I am unable to attend the Coastguard Union's meeting in the Greenock Town Hall Saloon at 11.00. I have asked the Chief Executive to attend on my behalf and my colleague Iain McKenzie will also be in attendance. In the late afternoon I will be in the Council for weekly meetings of the Administration and Labour Groups. I then hope to get along to the AGM of Newark Primary School Parent Council at 6.30.
Thursday
Due to work commitments I am missing meetings of the Inverclyde CHCP Sub-Committee and Health & Social Care Committee. My colleague Iain McKenzie will substitute for me at both meetings. I have no evening commitments at the moment.
Friday
Most of my day will be taken up with a trip to Edinburgh for the COSLA Leaders' meeting: my first since as stepped down as Council Leader in February. It will be good to see my Labour colleagues again. I will be at work for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

Good progress being made at Parklea...

I was down at Parklea Playing Fields this afternoon watching my son Brendan play for Port Glasgow Juniors Boys Club U17s in a Glasgow & District Youth League match against Glencairn.

It was an exciting game, ending in a 4-4 draw, which was probably a fair result.

While there I took the opportunity to have a look at progress with the new community sports facility and was delighted with what I saw. The work is certainly progressing well as you can see from the pictures below.

A great night...

Had a great night at 'The Recruit' Celebration Dinner and Awards last night in Greenock Town Hall.

Well done to the young people who took part: you will all benefit from this wonderful opportunity. Only wish it had been around when I was at school.

Thank you to all the sponsors for their support and to Robert Lamb and his team at the Enterprise Centre for the work they put in with our young people.

I would certainly encourage all senior pupils in our schools to apply for next year's programme.

The dream team..

SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod was the talk of the Council again today.

Rumour has it that Jim and his good lady Sylvia are set to stand as the SNP's 'dream team' in Ward 1 at next year's Council elections. I am not sure how Jim would cope if Sylvia was elected and he wasn't!

It seems that Robert Kyle - who stood as an independent in 2007 - is set to stand for the SNP in Ward 2. They really must be struggling for candidates.

The word is that ex Labour Party member Jim Watson will be standing in Ward 4 in place of former SNP Group Leader Keith Brooks. Keith announced at today's special Council meeting that he will not be standing next year.

I was told by a number of people that the SNP are putting up 10 candidates in total, 4 more than in 2007 when they won 5 seats. Clearly they are hoping to take advantage of the collapse in the Lib Dem vote.

Mixed emotions...

I had mixed emotions this afternoon when I was appointed as the Leader of the Council for a second time.

Not many people get the chance to lead the Council once, never mind twice. I feel deeply honored and privileged.

However the reason I was given this second opportunity was down to the tragic loss of my Labour colleague David Cairns. It is still hard to accept that he is no longer with us.

I would like to thank my colleague Iain McKenzie for his excellent leadership of the Council over the last six months and to wish him well in his new role as Member of Parliament for Inverclyde. I am sure that he will do us proud.

I would also wish to thank the Labour Group and our coalition partners for the faith that they have shown in me. I am proud to lead such a strong and committed team.

"Is Councillor McCabe right man for leader?"

SNP Councillor Jim MacLeod's letter in today's Greenock Telegraph has caused much discussion in the Council buildings and beyond. He has certainly angered a number of people with his barbed comments.

For me it is water off a duck's back.

After all Jim has been having ago at me in The Greenock Telegraph for nearly 20 years. He has really only got under my skin once: when he effectively accused me of being a religious bigot. I was so angry about this that I phoned him up to give him a piece of my mind.

Jim has never been that well liked in political circles in Inverclyde - even among his SNP colleagues - and his latest diatribe probably won't help his popularity.

I have to admit however that in recent years - particularly since he joined the Council in 2007 - I have admired the way in which he has played an active role in the local community despite his disability. Representing the same ward, I know that he works very hard on behalf of his constituents.

One thing that did annoy me in his letter was the mention of the Operating Model difficulties. I have always taken my role as an employer extremely seriously, and it is simply not right for elected members to be making public comment about this matter when we are in the midst of a disciplinary process. If he genuinely thinks that there have been failings in political leadership he will have the opportunity in the near future to debate this with me.

If however he is using failings at an operational level to score political points, when his group fully supported the policy direction behind the Operating Model, that is wholly unacceptable.

Hoping mud will stick...

I see that my old foe Lib Dem Leader Alan Blair was at it again in the Greenock Telegraph today.

Alan has used the same tactics for years: throw mud at the Council and hope that some of it sticks to your political opponents.

This time he was questioning why so many of the reports on the agenda of today's Policy and Resources Committee were to be taken in private.

In the first instance the meeting was actually a special meeting scheduled so that members could be updated on a number of issues that had arisen during the summer recess. It was sheer coincidence that many of these issues were of a sensitive nature, dealing with contractual and employment matters. Normally most of the items on an agenda for a Policy & Resources Committee are held in public.

The decision to put reports in the private part of a Committee agenda is taken by the Council's Head of Legal and Democratic Services, Elaine Paterson, and not by the Committee Convener. Ms Paterson has been advising the Council on these matters for a good number of years and has provided the same advice irrespective of which party is in control.

At the start of today's meeting Councillor Blair was given the opportunity to question Ms Paterson on why so many reports were being taken in private. Ms Paterson explained that the reports contained information that was either commercially sensitive or dealt with employment matters affecting specific individuals or groups of employees. This explanation was accepted by the members of the Committee, with the sole exception of Councillor Blair.

I am sure however that if Councillor Blair had still been the Leader of the Council the agenda for today's meeting would have been the same.

It is of course the nature of game that politicians tend to say and do one thing when in power and another in opposition.

"No lessons learned"...

I see that there is a letter - name and address supplied - in today's Greenock Telegraph criticising the decision of River Clyde Homes to proceed with the demolition of the Bouverie Street tenements in Port Glasgow.

While I can understand the sense of loss that the writer is experiencing - my grandparents lived in Bouverie for a good number of years - the simple truth of the matter is that these properties are no longer fit for purpose and people do not want to live in them anymore. Take a walk up a few of the closes and you will see why.

Yes we could spend a huge amount of public money trying to bring them up to modern standards but there is no guarantee that there will be a demand for them. Most of the tenements are 4 storeys high with narrow staircases. They are not suitable for people with health issues or for families.

The test for anyone who would like to see these properties saved is to ask yourself if you would be prepared to live in them. I doubt there will be many takers.

There is the option to sell the properties off to a private developer to refurbish and provide houses for sale.

I doubt however that any developer would consider this to be a viable option without significant public subsidy. Previous experience of private developers renovating former Council houses in Inverclyde has not been that successful in the long term.

That having been said, I am sure that if there are building firms out there interested in acquiring these properties for redevelopment River Clyde Homes would be happy to meet with them.

The week ahead...

A big week for me this week:

At work all day on Monday. In the evening I have arranged a home visit with one of my constituents in Kilmacolm.

On Tuesday I will be at work in the morning and in the Council in the afternoon for a series of meetings: Policy and Resources Committee at 3.00; Regeneration Committee pre-agenda at 4.00; and the weekly Leaders' meeting with the Chief Executive at 5.00.

At work again on Wednesday morning, dropping in at the new temporary shared campus for St Stephen's and Port High on my way to Greenock in the afternoon, where I have meetings of the Administration Group and Labour Group.

At work in the morning on Thursday. In the early afternoon I have a meeting with officers in the Roads Service. At 3.00 there is training for elected members on community engagement followed by a special meeting of the Council at 4.00, where I expect to be reappointed as Council Leader.

I am due to be at work all day on Friday. In the evening I will be attending 'The Recruit' Dinner and Awards in Greenock Town Hall. This is always a great occasion. Good luck to all the young people taking part.

I have a surgery at 10.00 on Saturday morning in Kilmacolm Community Centre.

Sharing support services...

I see that the business case developed for seven of the eight Clyde Valley Councils to share support services has come in for criticism from Unison both at an Inverclyde and Scottish level.

I should make it absolutely clear that the Council Administration has an entirely open mind on whether or not this model is the way forward. Over the coming weeks the business case will be subjected to detailed review by officers and scrutiny by elected members. Full consultation will take place with the trade unions and affected employees, with their views informing the decision that will be taken by elected members.

At the same time officers, again in consultation with employees and their representatives, will develop alternative savings proposals that will be assessed against the business case for sharing services with other Clyde Valley Councils.

This having been said: it is worth remembering the context in which the Clyde Valley Councils have been looking at sharing services.

We have faced, and are very likely to continue to face, significant cuts in funding from the Scottish Government and the effective removal of our power to vary local taxation. In order to try and sustain front line services the pressure is on us to make ongoing efficiency savings, which inevitably means a reduction in the number of employees in particular service areas.

There is a view within Government that significant efficiencies could be secured by Councils sharing services. There is also a view that similar or even greater efficiencies could be achieved by merging Councils.

The risk if Councils do not voluntarily enter into service sharing arrangements, along the lines proposed for the Clyde Valley, is that smaller Councils, such as Inverclyde, will be forced to merge with larger neighbours.

Some people might argue that this would be a sensible way forward. I remain to be convinced that it would be in the long-term interests of the people of Inverclyde.

If there is a fear on the part of unions that jobs in Inverclyde could be relocated elsewhere under a shared service model I would suggest that the risk of this would be even greater if the Council was subsumed into a Greater Renfrewshire Council.

This is a huge decision for the Council. It is important that we get it right.

A bridge too far?

I see that SNP Group Leader Innes Nelson has come in for some flak for proposing that the Scottish Government builds a bridge from Gourock to Dunoon. Innes is looking for Councillors to agree to the inclusion of his 'big idea' in the new Local Development Plan.

I would be interested to know how readers think I should vote as I really haven't got much time to focus on this debate at present.

My attention is focused on more mundane matters such as ensuring that we can deliver our massive schools and leisure investment programmes, lobbying for more money from the Scottish Government to improve our housing, finding some extra funding to fill the holes in our roads, trying to sustain our various employment initiatives and grappling with how we are going to sustain our frontline services in the face of further anticipated funding cuts by the Scottish Government.

Mind you, with the Council elections due next year I probably need a big idea or two of my own.

Any thoughts?

Looking to 2012...

With next year's Council elections fast approaching there is a lot of speculation going on about which of the sitting Councillors will be stepping down, either through choice or because they face de-selection by their local parties.

We in Labour have not begun our selection process yet - the delay being down to the by-election caused by the sad passing of our colleague David Cairns. All of the sitting Councillors - with the exception of Iain McKenzie for obvious reasons - have indicated that we will be seeking re-selection. With a number of local party members already expressing an interest in standing there will certainly be competition for places. Hopefully we will have our candidates in place within the next few months.

None of the other parties have officially announced their candidates but the Lib Dems seem to have some in place already. It looks like a chap by the name of John Watson will be their candidate in Ward 1 to replace sitting Councillor Tom Fyfe. I heard at the weekend that long-time Lib Dem activist Robert Burns - who stood against me at the 2003 election in Ward 6 - will be the candidate in Ward 2.

Rumour has it that the other two Lib Dem sitting Councillors, Alan Blair and Ciano Rebecchi, will be calling it a day. There is speculation - I don't know how informed it is - that Ciano's wife, Diane, will be standing as an independent in Ward 6.

Speculation about the SNP is even more intriguing. The word in the Council buildings is that four of the five Councillors face de-selection with only Keith Brooks apparently having the support of local party members, although I am told that Keith is reluctant to stand again. Personally I would be surprised if this was the case but others certainly seem to know more about what is going on in the local SNP than I do.

There is also speculation that a number of independents are going to put their names forward, similar to in 2007, although I am not sure if they will be acting as an organised 'party' grouping this time.

The next nine months promises to be interesting.

The week ahead...

A similar week to last week.

At work most of the day on Monday and then meeting with a constituent in Kilmacolm at 4.00.

On Tuesday working until 2.00, before attending a briefing for elected members at 3.00 in Greenock by the Chief Executive of River Clyde Homes. In the evening I have a surgery at Boglestone Community Centre at 6.00, followed by a meeting of the Three Wards Community Council at the same venue.

On Wednesday I will be at work in the morning with meetings of the Administration Group (my first back as Leader) and the Labour Group in the late afternoon. This will be followed by a presentation by officers on the Strategic Development Plan at the Business Store at 6.00 for key stakeholders.

On Thursday and Friday I should be at work all day with no evening commitments at this stage.