Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
JIM LOGUE Sir Mo’s lofty ambition strikes a chord with all
Mo Farah, one of the greatest athletes the UK has ever had, won the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday; it is an award that is thoroughly deserved.
You may be wondering what this has to do with the council, or with North Lanarkshire; but Farah said something that strikes a chord with me.
He said: “If you dream and have the ambition and want to work hard, then you can achieve.”
The council’s announcement this week that we are going to consult on massive proposals to replace our towers with newbuild, 21st century housing demonstrates our ambition for the people of North Lanarkshire.
We are already the country’s biggest council landlord. We are already in the midst of the biggest council house building programme in a generation in Scotland.
We are already investing hundreds of millions of pounds in new houses and in maintaining our existing homes.
But if we are serious about providing the highest quality housing, and serious about regenerating our towns, then making this kind of dream a reality is the way forward.
In terms of our towers, they have provided good homes for many decades.
Indeed, I understand that some people may be reluctant to consider moving – and that is why I will listen very carefully indeed to the residents who we will consult in February next year.
However, the towers represent the housing of the past and we are seriously constrained with how much more we can do with them.
Far better then, to have homes that are accessible, adaptable and energy efficient.
In terms of our town centres, we have an enormous challenge. The retail sector is under enormous pressure from online shopping.
Decades of public policy has been focused on people not living in towns. If our town centres are to have a real future then we need to think in a radically different way.
For us, that means more people living in or close to town centres, with great transport links and good amenities.
But our ambition is not just restricted to housing. Last week we also announced a near £200 million investment in our transport infrastructure, improving links between the M74 in the south with the M80 in the north.
These plans will will improve access for businesses to the whole of North Lanarkshire.
They will create enormous opportunities along the A73 and reduce congestion and air pollution around Airdrie and Chapelhall.
They will also open up Ravenscraig for further investment.
And all these plans will create thousands of jobs and boost the economy by hundreds of millions of pounds.
At North Lanarkshire Council we have big dreams. We have the ambition.
And we are prepared to work hard to achieve for all the communities of North Lanarkshire.
If you dream and have the ambition and want to work hard, then you can achieve - Sir Mo Farrah