Council boss takes to streets of concern
The second in command at South Ayrshire Council has knocked on doors in Ayr’s Wallacetown alongside the police to find out how to fix the area’s problems.
Council depute chief executive Douglas Hutchison toured streets on the estates that are among the most deprived in Scotland.
It is part of efforts led by the groundbreaking Violence Reduction Unit to decrease attacks by breaking the cycle of crime in the area.
Constables Tracey Gunn and Roslin Watson started earlier this month as dedicated police locality officers in Wallacetown.
Mr Hutchison, who is director of people at the council, said: “It was great to join the team recently and a privilege meeting people face to face on their doorsteps and listen to them describe good neighbours, speak of supporting each other and talk about the challenges.
“This made the area more about real people - it’s not about numbers or issues.”
Drugs, poverty and anti-social behaviour are some of the issues making life difficult for residents.
Mr Hutchison has joined a number of staff from different agencies to carry out a survey created by the Violence Reduction
Unit.
Inspector Jason Peter, project lead with the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, director Jack Nurse from the Gaiety and Newton Primary headteacher Fiona McAvoy were among those to carry out the survey.
The Violence Reduction Unit has set up a base at the school - it’s first project in a town - outside cities.
Inspector Peter said: “It is important for people to know they are listened to.
“It is important for us to be visible and accessible. That has been demonstrated by people being willing to have a conversation with us.
He added: “This is the start of a conversation. We want to hear from all those connected with the Wallacetown area of Ayr. We have developed a short survey that looks at the positives, captures the negatives and asks people to help set our priorities for the future.
“This isn’t just another survey, it is a real opportunity for service providers in Wallacetown to get out and about, to chap doors, to speak with residents in the community and listen to them.
“For residents it is an opportunity to influence how services are delivered in the area and to let us know what they would like to see in the area and how they would like to get involved.”