Empowerment in action

Sir, I write with reference to the headline article in the Banner (July 8) about villages rallying to save the island’s toilets and in response to Councillor Billings’ letter regarding the same. I should like to make the following points.

Firstly, had Cllr Billings’ motion to temporarily reopen four of the closed toilets reached the discussion stage at the full council meeting held on Wednesday June 28, it would then have been revealed that the community asset fund from which he had hoped to secure funding is not yet operational or open for applications.

Secondly, despite the council being in recess, officers are still working closely with the community groups who have taken over running their village toilets and those groups which are in the early stages of the asset transfer process.

I have offered assistance to the Lamlash residents wishing to form a group, been in discussion with and had a meeting with the Lochranza group, and helped my own village to form a group, of which I am a member. We are now working with council officers to get the Blackwaterfoot toilets open again.

Whilst I disagree with the decision to end provision of public toilets on Arran, or elsewhere, I recognise that these are challenging financial times and acknowledge that this decision was not taken lightly by the previous administration and is now upheld by the current Labour cabinet.

I believe that this situation represents an opportunity for Arran residents to take ownership and control of key community resources; we need to follow and celebrate the example of the Kilmory, Kildonan, Corrie and Sannox, Whiting Bay and Pirnmill communities which are already running their toilets.

Their hard work and commitment is an exemplary example of community empowerment in action.

I would encourage anybody who has an interest in this issue to join or volunteer with their local group and help to deliver public toilet provision which matches our aspirations to be a world class destination for tourists to visit and more importantly for residents to enjoy.

I hope that this clarifies matters and reassures your readers that I am working with and on behalf of Arran residents to secure the best outcomes for our island community.

Yours, SNP Councillor Ellen McMaster Shiskine