Clarity over pay rise vote
We are prompted to respond to Mr Shields’ derisive comments regarding councillors’ ‘ pay rises’ and wish to provide some clarity for your readers.
Firstly, we are wholly supportive of our council employees, who do a great job right across South Ayrshire. That it is why one of our key commitments is to protect jobs, make the best use of the people and resources we have and deliver exceptional public services for the people of South Ayrshire.
In agreeing councillors’ salary levels we were acutely aware of our responsibilities and that is why we reduced the number of senior councillors, which contributed to a saving of more than £ 36,000 from the salary bill, which is a positive outcome.
Our focus is on working for the people of South Ayrshire and for doing that councillors receive as a basic salary almost £ 6000 less than the average gross annual pay in Scotland.
I can assure you none of the councillors elected put themselves forward to become public servants on the basis of what they would be paid. It was about wanting to make a difference.
In doing that we are available to our constituents and communities 24/ 7 and the changes we agreed to some councillors’ salaries reflect a fair and reasonable payment for the responsibilities councillors have and the amount of time and effort involved in fulfilling our roles effectively.
Mr Shields is certainly welcome to let us know, in due course, if we don’t deliver that. In the meantime all 28 councillors are concentrating on what we were elected to do: working to make life better. vandalised, in spite of the CCTV coverage.
However, if the best these cameras can provide is a “grainy image” which is no use for identifying the culprit perhaps provision of a better quality system should be a priority.
I know the conservatory is a charity. Couldn’t a local company step in and update the system so any future mindless idiots could be clearly identified and brought to justice? Having moved to Prestwick two years ago, we thought it was a good place to settle as we had a Co- op on our doorstep and pubs with entertainment.
All this has changed dramatically in the past year as shops that we depended on are lying empty and pubs we used to frequent for a bit of company have disappeared to be replaced with burger bars and the like.
We had relatives visiting and they couldn’t believe the amount of charity shops with not much else.
They say it’s an OK place for a day visit but said they wouldn’t like to live here, which I find very sad.
I know we have Sainsbury and Aldi but still have to drive or get the bus.
The community council supports the group and asks our local residents to sign and share their petition. If successful our section of the A77, along with the entire stretch of carriageway, will be made safer for us all. SNP chief Douglas Campbell’s comments in the Ayrshire Post of May 26 were funny.
He states “we need to get away from being a council which sits on opposite sides of the room. When we are in the debating chamber I want every member of the council to understand the issues we are debating.”
Councillor Campbell also stigmatises the council budgeting. Not so long ago this same Councillor Campbell failed to wait for a vote on a very important issue.
He much preferred to go and play at war games, which I have no doubt he will recall. It did not go down very well with other councillors or the public. Oh it all makes work for the working man to do.
That was my comment to the two council employees last week as they removed the month- old, hideous, neon yellow paint from the edges of the steps at Ayr court building. priorities are always to make the right decisions on behalf of our respective communities based on our historic track records?
The previous Con/ Lab coalition that Mr McLean mentions so fondly were quick to dispense with our services when we disagreed with social rent increases in the budget and then realised that independents do what it says on the tin and do not carry the party line.
That coalition only shared power with themselves and through their non- inclusive budgets inflicted maximum distress on the hard- working volunteer community groups in Carrick by withdrawing gala support and implementing utility charges on small community groups who could ill afford the burden.
Our priorities in making sure that we could do our best for all of South Ayrshire was to choose vision, ambition, energy and leadership.
The choice then was simple and one which if we had not taken would have led our communities and electorate to have questioned their confidence in us.
We now truly believe that there is a potentially exciting future with a fair distribution of resources for all the communities of South Ayrshire.
Dalmellington Band members had reason to celebrate recently, travelling to Blackpool to compete in a prestigious brass band contest, the Spring Festival, which was held in the Winter Gardens.
Nineteen bands competed for the senior trophy and, in spite of being drawn to play no. 1, they took firstt prize. In addition Rebecca Wilson, cornet soloist, was awarded the Best Instrumentalist.
The band was conducted on the day by their professional conductor Richard Evans, who deservedly won the best conductor prize. Archie Hutchison, the resident musical director, was delighted to be playing in the cornet section with the band on the day. Dalmellington Band is proud of its history of 153 years of brass musicianship. Long may it continue!