Councillor’s Column
DOUGIE MCFADZEAN - KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS
As I sit and write my latest Councillor’s Column, I feel there is a new sense of optimism in the air.
On Thursday April 4, a new era began in the council chambers at Kilmory, Lochgilphead, where we elected a new provost (Councillor Dougie Philand) and new council leader (Councillor Jim Lynch), in an attempt to have a fresh start, with new community-focused policies and to develop a council that always listens.
Work is ongoing in the background to build a strong, stable and forward-thinking council that will do its best for each and every one of us living, working or visiting our beautiful communities.
Of course, there will be many challenges ahead, for example the cost of living crisis we find ourselves in the middle of.
The catalyst for change was the overturning of the 10 per cent council tax rise, which I fully supported and is very welcome news as we battle price rise after price rise. I voted for a tax freeze in February and am delighted that is now in place.
I am certainly a believer in putting people and communities first and at the core of every decision.
The past four weeks have been very challenging and my workload has increased significantly.
I have been helping more and more people with their housing needs, some of which have been truly desperate.
I have visited constituents in dire need of help regarding health care, financial issues and care for vulnerable members of their families.
I have been inundated with complaints regarding the ferry services to both Islay and Jura, which has caused a lot of angst and heartache.
With constant breakdowns, switching ferries from route to route and questionable decision-making, I feel that people trying to get to and from our islands and remote locations (Portavadie/Tarbert in particular) have been hung out to dry.
Standby queues in excess of 50 vehicles. People sleeping in their vehicles overnight. Cattle not being able to get off the islands due to very late notice of cancellation.
Food not being able to be delivered and, indeed, in some cases going off due to the delays.
Now Islay’s largest and most capable vessel, MV Finlaggan, is away for its annual overhaul and Islay and Jura are left with two far smaller and unreliable vessels that will struggle to cope.
Over and above that, we have the awful new booking system that CalMac have spent millions of pounds on, letting travellers down time after time after time.
I have expressed my concerns in writing on many occasions to CalMac and various senior politicians in the hope that the situation improves as soon as possible. I also wish to thank the Islay Ferry Committee for keeping the pressure on CalMac and I know how hard they have been pushing.
It’s been great attending the various community council meeting across my ward. The enthusiasm and dedication of the hardy groups of volunteers always amazes me.
They are all very different, but all strive to do the best for their communities, and in their own time. I would encourage any of you to think about joining your local community council and see for yourselves the good that can be done.
So as we go forward, building a strong council for you, I do feel a sense of optimism.
Each and every one of your elected members, whether it be councillor, MSP or MP, is there to represent you and not thrust their ideas or opinions down your throats.
We are here to try and make things better for Argyll and Bute, to improve our infrastructure (which is a constant battle!), to attract investment, to increase our population by attracting new people, to improve our educational offering and our leisure offering. The list is endless, but with your help and ideas, I’m sure we will get there.