Councillor’s Column
JAN BROWN - MID ARGYLL
Well, it has certainly been a busy couple of weeks – first the change of administration, which to be honest was needed and is welcomed by most of the population of not just Mid Argyll but of the whole of Argyll and Bute.
This administration is made of people who have a belief in getting the best for Argyll and Bute and will work together to achieve this.
While change is not always a good thing, I really believe that this is a change that will bring about benefit to us all. We want to make changes where it’ll do the most good and that’s where every one of you comes in.
Go to your community council meetings, take part there, see what the issues are locally and help take them forward. Contact your local councillor and ask for the changes that you’d like. Come to the council’s committee meetings to see what happens and how your councillors do business on your behalf. Put your questions forward to be answered by committee members. Come to area committee meetings and ask your questions at public question time.
Be a part of the council – it’s yours. If you don’t tell the people who can make the changes what you feel is wrong, it won’t get fixed.
You can watch all council committee meetings live via the council’s website, which I recommend. I watch as many as I can, including those I’m not a member of, and always find them interesting.
I am very proud and deeply honoured to have been selected to be your deputy provost working with Provost Dougie Philand and I know I speak for both of us when I say we will represent Argyll and Bute in the best way possible, to the best of our ability and will not let any of you down.
Now what else has been happening this month. My work as a councillor has continued and will continue to do so going forward.
I have been selected to sit on the community services committee, and planning and licensing committee which I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into.
I’ve been to a few things this month that I think are worth mentioning. There is a very good art exhibition in Dunoon Burgh Halls called “Leave the Light on”.
I attended the opening of Inveraray Pier and can’t really add much to all the things that have been said, but I will just say very well done to everyone who worked so hard to not only get this off the ground but to get the pier opened.
I think that everyone who donated to this from buying raffle tickets to putting a £1 in a bucket needs to get a big thank you as well; it wouldn’t have happened without your help.
I thought the opening day was fantastic, not only did the sun shine but there were hoards of folk there.
It was so lovely to see the kids with the crab lines and fishing nets more in hope than anything else. It really brought back memories for me.
I have to mention the
Right: Councillor Jan Brown at Lochgilphead’s MS Centre with Beth Johnstone in the bear - and Ailie Johnstone. ▍ fantastic efforts of both Scott MacMillan in the London Marathon and Karen and Brian McCurry in the Glasgow Kiltwalk, to raise money for the MS Centre - very well done.
I’m going to do my bit for the fundraising effort but more of that in the next column.
Finally, Dougie Philand and I met with our MSP Jenni Minto in the Scottish Parliament for a chat after a meeting with Scottish Canals and North Knapdale Community Council.
We also had a tour around the building, and we were like a pair of celebrity spotters. Shared the lift with a cabinet minister, saw the first minister, I could go on. And I only got lost a couple of times on the way home – a record for me.
Thanks to you all for your continued support.