Demolition of former social work offices complete...

The demolition of the former Social Work offices in Scarlow Street, Port Glasgow has been completed.

Work is due to start shortly on the construction a new 25 space car park on the cleared site for the nearby Scarlow House Business Centre, which is managed by the Council's Urban Regeneration Company, Riverside Inverclyde. The car park should help make the centre more attractive to prospective tenants.

The cleared site ready for the construction of the car park

Riverside Inverclyde's Scarlow House Business Centre

Major roads project completed...

In the last few weeks the Council has been carrying out major improvements to the A761 Kilmacolm to Bridge of Weir Road at a cost of over £300,000. 

The first phase of the project involved extensive drainage improvements on the north side of the A761 to reduce the damage being caused to the carriageway each year due to heavy rainfall. 

The second phase was complete carriageway reconstruction from the B788 Milton Road at the Knapps to the boundary with Renfrewshire.

I'm sure these improvements will be greatly appreciated by those who travel this road regularly.

The Council's Roads Service is to be commended for carrying out the carriageway reconstruction works at night to minimise disruption to road users.

The A761 towards Bridge of Weir

The week ahead...

Monday
In the late afternoon I have a meeting of the cross-party Members' Budget Working Group, which will be looking at the expected level of savings the Council has to make over the next two financial years. In the evening I will be attending a joint meeting of Port Glasgow's two community councils.
Tuesday
In the evening I will be attending a meeting of Kilmacolm Community Council.
Wednesday
In the afternoon I have my weekly meetings with the Chief Executive and the Labour Labour Group.
Thursday
No Council commitments at this time.
Friday
I am hoping to meet with Ronnie Cowan MP to discuss how we can work together in the interests of Inverclyde.

Call for immediate end to Council Tax freeze...

I was pleased to be re-appointed as the Deputy Leader of the COSLA Labour Group at our Annual General Meeting this morning. I was even more pleased when later in the morning all political groups within COSLA unanimously supported proposals for reform of the Council Tax to make it more progressive and for an immediate end to the regressive eight year Council Tax freeze.

Councillors from all parties - SNP, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives - came together with Independent Councillors to endorse COSLA's submission to the Scottish Government's Commission on Local Tax Reform. At the heart of this submission are proposals for the development of a modernised Council Tax as the basis for local tax reform in Scotland and the restoration of local democratic accountability through the abolition of the power of the Scottish Government to impose a Council Tax freeze on Councils.

It is time all political parties at Holyrood realised local Councillors are simply not prepared to toe the party line anymore. As they argue for greater financial controls and freedom from Westminster we are arguing exactly the same case for Scottish local government. We will no longer tolerate double standards.

The bidding war on who can freeze the Council Tax for the longest period must come to an end now!

The week ahead...

Monday
In the morning I am attending a flag raising ceremony in Clyde Square to mark Armed Forces Day.
Tuesday
In the morning I am attending meetings in Glasgow on national pay negotiations and the City Deal. In the evening I have a surgery in Kilmacolm Community Centre.
Wednesday
No Council engagements due to private commitments.
Thursday
No Council commitments at this time.
Friday
Through at COSLA in the morning for the quarterly Convention meeting.

The week ahead...

Monday
In the afternoon I will be chairing a meeting of the Community Planning Partnership - the Inverclyde Alliance - Board.
Tuesday
In the early afternoon I will be attending a briefing for members on new parking proposals for towns and villages outside Greenock. This is followed by a special meeting of the Environment & Regeneration Committee and a meeting of the River Clyde Homes Board.
Wednesday
In the afternoon I have my weekly meetings with the Chief Executive and the Labour Group. In the evening I will be attending the annual general meeting of Newark Primary School Parent Council.
Thursday
In the afternoon I have a members' training session followed by meetings of the Audit Committee and Policy & Resources Executive Committee. In the evening I hope to attend the St Stephen's High School show.
Friday
No Council commitments at this time.

The week ahead...

Monday
In the afternoon I am attending a briefing by Inverclyde Foodbank for Councillors and then visiting the refurbished Ardgowan Primary School.
Tuesday
In the morning I have my weekly meeting with the Chief Executive. In the late afternoon I will be attending a briefing for Councillors on Universal Credit.
Wednesday
In the afternoon I will be attending a meeting of the Riverside Inverclyde Board followed by a meeting of the Labour Group. In the evening I will be attending the Kilmacolm Primary School Show.
Thursday
I am in Edinburgh in the morning at a local government pay negotiation meeting at COSLA. In the evening I have a surgery in St Francis' Primary School and the Port Glasgow High School Show.
Friday
In the morning I am attending an Inverclyde Alliance event at Greenock Job Centre.

New MUGA for Woodhall...

I was pleased to hear at last night's Woodhall Task Group meeting that the tender for a new multi-use games area (MUGA) for Woodhall is close to being accepted and work should commence this summer on the £150,000 project.

Funding for the project is being provided by the Big Lottery through a grant to Woodhall Community Association Ltd. River Clyde Homes is making land available on Parkhill Avenue for the MUGA and the Council will oversee its construction. It is an excellent example of partnership working.

The Community Association is to be congratulated on delivering this new facility for Woodhall and the surrounding areas. I am sure it will be greatly welcomed by local youngsters.

Statement on the planned closure of Playtex in Port Glasgow...

It would appear from the letter I received today from the management of DBApparel that the company intends to proceed with the closure of its site at Playtex Park, Port Glasgow. This is deeply regrettable as Inverclyde can ill-afford job losses on this scale. I have asked officers to contact the company to confirm that this is indeed the case.

I have received assurances from the management that the highest priority will be given to employees affected by closure to assist them in new employment. The management have also given me their assurance that they will be meeting with Scottish Enterprise/PACE representatives this week to examine additional support for employees

.

Given the long association that Playtex has had with our area this is a sad day for Port Glasgow and Inverclyde.

My thoughts are with the employees and their families who will be directly affected by this closure.

Statement on reports that the QE2 is for sale...

The QE2 is an important piece of maritime history for the Clyde and Greenock. She was known as the most famous and grandest liner in the world. To see this once magnificent flagship of the Cunard line languishing in a dock in Dubai is simply heart-breaking.

Given the reception just a few short weeks ago to the Queen Mary 2 on the 175^th anniversary of Cunard on the Clyde, it is clear that the QE2 could be a major draw for visitors to Inverclyde and Scotland. That could be a major boost to the growing reputation we have for cruise ships and for tourism.  It could also boost the promotion of the Clyde and Inverclyde’s proud maritime history to a national and, potentially, international audience.

Bringing the QE2 home is a herculean task, but it is one that requires national support in Scotland and perhaps across the UK, if it has any chance of happening. Officers will make contact with the Dubai Government to find out the exact position, to find out if the reports on her condition are accurate and if she is actually for sale.

I will be writing to the First Minister, The Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism at the Scottish Government, and our MP and MSPs serving the Inverclyde area to call on them to use their influence through parliamentary motions in both parliaments to secure support and sources of national funding to bring the QE2 home.

£310,000 road investment underway...

As a local ward Councillor I am delighted that the Council is currently undertaking major improvement works on the main A761 Kilmacolm to Bridge of Weir Road.

The first phase of the project involves extensive drainage improvements on the north side of the A761 to reduce the damage that is being caused to the carriageway each year during heavy rain fall. The water that flows off the fields also makes the road dangerous to drive. The drainage works should be completed by Friday 5 June.

The second phase of the project is complete carriageway resurfacing from the B788 Milton Road at the Knapps to the junction with Renfrewshire, a distance of some 1,600m. The carriageway works are programmed to start on 14 June and last for three weeks. The work will be carried out overnight to minimise traffic disruption on what is a very busy road.

The total investment by the Council in this project is around £310,000.

When theses works are completed the entire road between Kilmacolm and Bridge of Weir will have been resurfaced - previous phases of resurfacing were carried out by both Councils - and the road should be safer to drive in poor weather.