The week ahead...

Monday
At work until 1.00 then down to Greenock for a special meeting of the Inverclyde CHCP Sub-Committee at 2.00. Council pre-agenda at 3.30 and a surgery in Boglestone Community Centre at 6.00.
Tuesday
At work until mid afternoon and then down to Greenock for my weekly meeting with the Chief Executive. Hope to attend a Park Farm TARA meeting at 7.00.
Wednesday
At work until mid afternoon then meetings in Greenock at 4.30 and 5.30 of the Administration and Labour Groups respectively.
Thursday
At work all day except for a mid morning visit to the new Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock. In the evening I will be attending a Mass in St John's in Port Glasgow to mark Catholic Education Week.
Friday
A full day at work.

Major investment agreed for Kilmacolm Primary School...

I am pleased to report that the Council agreed major investment in Kilmacolm Primary School at its special meeting on Thursday.

Funding was confirmed for the £280,000 re-roofing project, which is due to commence shortly.

New funding of £295,000 was also agreed for the refurbishment of toilets, new floor finishes and re-decoration.

I am sure that this additional investment will be welcomed by staff, pupils and parents.

Start date agreed for play area extension...

Following a pre-start meeting this week, I am pleased to report that work will commence on the new £25,000 extension to the children's play area in Kilmacolm's West Glen Park on Monday 20 February.

The project should be completed within 2-3 weeks.

This is the fourth major investment in play facilities in the Kilmacolm and Quarrier's Village area during the life of this Council. Previously a new play area was provided at Kilmacolm's Birkmyre Park and significant funding provided for the new community-led play area in Quarrier's Village. A new multi-use games area was also built by the Council in Birkmyre Park.

Artist's impression of the extension to West Glen Park play area

The week ahead...

Monday
No Council commitments today.
Tuesday
Attending a funeral in the morning. In the afternoon I have a meeting with Inverclyde Council on disability at 1.45 and a meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee at 3.00. I have my weekly meeting with the Chief Executive at 4.30 and a meeting with River Clyde Homes at 6.00.
Wednesday
At work until mid afternoon and then travelling to Greenock for meetings of the Administration Group at 4.30 and the Labour Group at 5.30.
Thursday
At work until mid afternoon before picking my kids up from school at 3.00. I have a special meeting of the Council at 4.00 to agree the budget for 2012/13. I have a meeting with the local Chamber of Commerce at 5.00.
Friday
A full day at work today.

Kilmacolm and Quarrier's Monthly Report...

The Council set a two-year budget covering the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013 last February. Following confirmation of our funding from the Scottish Government we will review the budget for 2012/13 at a special Council meeting on 9 February.

Despite a cut in our funding from the Government, the prudent approach to financial management we have taken in the last few years means that we will not require to make any further service reductions. In fact we will be in a position to allocate additional one-off funding to a number of areas, including road repairs and our flood action plan.

Further down the line however the picture is not as good. Year on year cuts in Scottish Government funding, inflationary pressures and increasing service demands will require the new Council elected in May to take some very tough decisions.

Regular users of the road between Kilmacolm and Bridge Of Weir will be aware of the dangerous conditions caused by surface water. The Council has been working with Renfrewshire Council to address this problem.

In response to complaints, and in order to improve response times in clearing snow from footpaths leading to local schools and around the centre of the village, the Council’s Head of Environmental Services, Ian Moffat, has agreed to locate a mini tractor, snow blower and pedestrian plough within Kilmacolm. The equipment will be operated by a dedicated crew who will have access to a fleet vehicle that will allow them to travel direct to Kilmacolm from home instead of going to the Port Glasgow Depot for instructions. Mr Moffat is also looking at how the gritting of the main footpaths to schools can be improved. 

The Council’s Christmas Trees drop off service at Birkmyre Park proved successful, with 20 trees deposited at the site. These were removed and taken to the depot at Parklea and put through the 'chipper'. The fresh chipped material will be used on the walkways in woodland parks and the decomposed material will be used as mulch on shrub beds and rose beds.

The Council’s Roads Service is proposing to introduce a ‘20s Plenty’ zone around the centre of Kilmacolm, in order to improve pedestrian safety. This will complement the new pedestrian crossing point to be installed on Lochwinnoch Road at the entrance to the main village car park.

Additional car parking spaces are to be provided in the Lochwinnoch Road and Pullman car parks, which should more than compensate for any on-street spaces lost due to the new crossing point. New signage will also be introduced to direct visitors to the three Council-owned car parks in the village.

These works should be carried out within the next few months.

The £25,000 extension to the Council play area at West Glen Park should be carried out this month. Local children were consulted on the design of the extension so I am hoping they will be pleased with the outcome.

Labour Launch Inverclyde local election campaign…

Sarah Boyack MSP (centre) with Labour candidates and supporters

Local Labour Party members gathered in Greenock today to discuss our manifesto for May’s Council elections and to formally launch our campaign.

The keynote speaker at the event was Sarah Boyack MSP, Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government. Speaking after the event, she said:

“I was delighted to visit Inverclyde to support the positive message being spread by our local Labour team. We had a great turn out of party members and supporters for the launch of Labour's campaign for Inverclyde Council.

“When Labour came to power in 2007 they set about turning round a poorly performing council. I was particularly impressed by the strong appetite amongst all our candidates to work hard to continue to improve local services in their local communities and to build on Labour's track record of high quality education services and in creating training opportunities and jobs in partnership with regeneration agencies and the business sector.

I discussed with local party members and supporters the huge pressure Inverclyde services have been put under through the Scottish Government’s underfunding. Although the SNP Government received a 2.7% cut from the Tory Government, they passed on a 6.1% cut to local authorities. This will be a big issue in the local elections in May and there is a lot of anger about it.”

Inverclyde Council Labour Group Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, added:

“The local manifesto we are developing will set out our vision for Inverclyde and our key priorities over the next five years if we form the Administration. As well as consulting with Party members we are keen to hear the views of local residents as it is vital that our manifesto reflects local people’s concerns, priorities and aspirations.

“People can contact us by email at inverclyde.labour@gmail.com or by writing to us at FREEPOST RRBA - YRSH - KXEH, Inverclyde Labour Party, 15 Flatterton Lane, Greenock PA16 0QR.

“Over the next few weeks Party members will be delivering 25,000 newspapers to households across Inverclyde introducing our new look Labour Team for the election. Labour has a very strong team of candidates and we will be fighting for every single vote. I believe that we have an excellent record of delivery to put before local people and the passion to drive Inverclyde forward for another five years.”

‘A strong vision and a strong track record…’

Local Labour Party members will gather in Greenock on Saturday for an important meeting in preparation for May’s Council elections.


Members will participate in a policy forum aimed at developing proposals for inclusion in the Party’s local election manifesto. The event will conclude with the formal launch of Inverclyde Labour Party’s 2012 election campaign.

The keynote speaker at the event will be Sarah Boyack MSP, Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government. Speaking ahead of her visit to Inverclyde Ms Boyack said:

“I am delighted to be visiting Inverclyde to support the positive message being spread by our local Labour team.

“We have a great group of candidates in the area and I believe we have a great offer for the people of Inverclyde. We are setting out a strong vision on the issues that matter like tackling unemployment, protecting vital public services and regenerating communities. Labour led Inverclyde Council have a particularly strong track record on educational attainment and securing positive destinations for school leavers so I’ll be keen to talk to council candidates about their plans for the future.

“The SNP have placed the burden of meeting the Conservative Government’s cuts on the shoulders of councils, turning a 2.7% cut to their overall budget into a 6.1% cut for councils. This was a missed opportunity to help people through the recession and will place significant strain on the ability of councils to deliver services to the public.

“The focus must be on making the best use of local taxpayers’ money to provide services that people can rely upon. That is the case Labour will be making and is why Labour will be working hard in the lead up to the Council elections and beyond to win people’s support on May 3rd.”

Inverclyde Council Labour Group Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, added:

“The local manifesto we are developing will set out our vision for Inverclyde and our key priorities over the next five years if we form the Administration. As well as consulting with Party members we are keen to hear the views of local residents as it is vital that our manifesto reflects local people’s concerns, priorities and aspirations.

“People can contact us by email at inverclyde.labour@gmail.com or by writing to us at FREEPOST RRBA - YRSH - KXEH, Inverclyde Labour Party, 15 Flatterton Lane, Greenock PA16 0QR.

“Over the next few weeks Party members will be delivering 25,000 newspapers to households across Inverclyde introducing our new look Labour Team for the election. Labour has a very strong team of candidates and we will be fighting for every single vote. I believe that we have an excellent record of delivery to put before local people and the passion to drive Inverclyde forward for another five years.”

Sarah Boyack MSP