local news


I would like to wish all my constituents in Kilmacolm and Quarrier’s Village a happy and prosperous New Year.


Despite the cuts in funding we are facing from the Scottish Government, 2012 should be another year of progress for Inverclyde.


Work will continue on our exciting new £44m shared campus in Port Glasgow and start on the new £15m St Columba’s High School in Gourock. The £5m refurbishment and extension of the former Overton Primary School building for the new Whinhill Primary School is scheduled for completion in July.


2012 will be marked by further significant progress with our Leisure Strategy with the completion of the £1.7m refurbishment of Ravenscraig Stadium in Greenock; a new £3.5m community stadium at Parklea in Port Glasgow; and the £1.8m re-build of Gourock Pool.


We will see the completion of our new £10m Beacon Arts Centre at East India Harbour in Greenock; major investment in Port Glasgow and Gourock town centres; the opening of the Council’s new customer service centre on the ground floor of Greenock’s Municipal Buildings; and major investment in new and upgraded play facilities across Inverclyde.


As you can see, there is much to look forward to this year.


My surgeries this month are on Monday 23rd January, 6pm - 7pm in Park Farm Community Hall, Port Glasgow and on Saturday 28th January, 10am - 11am, in Kilmacolm Community Centre.


You can also contact me directly to discuss any matters that are of concern to you by telephone on 01475 712020 (during office hours) and 871368 (home) or by email to Stephen.McCabe@inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to me at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL.


You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my blog: http:// councillorstephenmccabe.blogspot.com


The Bonfire and Fireworks I am told by many were a success, weather helped and the quality of the fireworks had improved. Catering by Duchal, Kidston and St Columba’s nurseries was much more varied than usual( more to come next year). Increasingly the event means more and more organising and thanks are due to Sam Johnston and his team who build the bonfire , Dougie at Scart for tractors and field management and Malcolms in the person of Neil Gardner for the lights. The police were really needed this year with a larger than usual crowd. Peter Kellock and Lawrie Campbell and their teams were stalwarts and as always we appreciate the generosity of Lord Maclay and Robert Baxter.


Hamish Hardie tells me he was an Olympian in 1948 in the sailing events. I bet there are few people in Inverclyde who hold that distinction . It would be a just recognition if Hamish could be involved in the carrying of the Olympic Flame from Kilmacolm to Port Glasgow. Need to get in training Hamish, the stretch to Craigmarloch is pretty well uphill. The golf club have also put forward the Briggs sisters, both Scottish Internationalists this year.


I ended up being Santa on four occasions at nurseries, very enjoyable and beats sitting in boring committee meetings . I also attended a dozen nativities and carol services at the schools, youth organisations and nurseries within my ward.


As a director of Riverside Inverclyde I was very disappointed in the cut of 57% in the budget this year . We were moving at a pace to regenerate the Inverclyde Waterfront but this disproportionate cut by the Scottish Government has taken the wind out of our sails and further planned cuts will I am afraid leave us mortally wounded.


Barbara Baxter is to be thanked for the work she does for Erskine. The dance she organises has the biggest number of raffle prizes I have heard of.


The Kilmacolm Dramatic Society’s presentation of Outside Edge was most enjoyable and amongst many excellent performances I felt John Watson’s portrayal of Rodger shaded it.


The road between Kilmacolm and Bridge of Weir has been dangerous due to flooding with several accidents. Inverclyde and Renfrewshire roads departments met on site on the 14th December and hopefully there will be a swift resolution of the problem of excess water on the road.


I trust everybody had a peaceful and healthy Christmas and New Year.


My surgery is the 21st January 10 am at the Cargill Centre and27th 2pm at the Kafay Dubbs Rd Port Glasgow.


I can be contacted on 01475 741969, 712727 and 07766 992294. 44 |JANUARY 2012 | your LOCAL news every month - in print and online |


I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and that Santa was good to you all.


Last month, was a very busy one for me. On the 2nd December I started the day chairing a conference on the UK government’s Welfare Reforms and how changes to the welfare state are likely to have a detrimental effect for tens of thousands of Scots. Later that day I had the great privilege of switching on the Christmas lights at Kilmacolm, saying a few words at the Cargill Centre and singing along with the village school choir. From there, councillors McCabe, Wilson and I winged our way over to the Christmas lights switch on in Quarrier’s Village where David led the carol singing. X Factor need have no worries from any of the three of us! In between floods, snow/ice and the recent great storm, I also managed to attend the Christmas lights switch on in Port Glasgow and Greenock.


During December I was fortunate to attend several schools and nursery nativity plays and shows. I always enjoy attending these events. The school shows help demonstrate the talents that many of our young people seem to have in abundance. They also help provide me with some respite from a succession of council meetings.


As I referred to above, last month saw us witnessing almost every weather pattern that could be thrown at us. It was a particularly bad time, and as I write my article we are told that more bad weather is likely to be on the way. I realise that there is only so much that the council can do to combat some of these terrible weather conditions, I do feel we have to be more clever in how we deal with these conditions in the future. I can not help thinking that when we get a few inches of snow that life seems to almost ground to a halt in Inverclyde while in other countries where they have several feet of snow and ice life goes on as normal. Perhaps a visit by a few of our officials to one or two of these countries to see how they manage to keep their roads and paths clear over the winter would not be a bad thing. As some people may be aware I have continuously called for offenders on Community Payback Orders to assist council employees to help clear our roads and pavements of snow and ice during the winter. We must use every resource that we have at our disposal to keep our roads and paths clear.


With regards to the district’s flooding problems, it was good to see that my colleague Stuart McMillan MSP has met with the Environmental Minister Fergus Ewing and has a commitment from Fergus that he will come to Inverclyde for a visit and to see how the Scottish Government can assist the district to tackle a problem that sadly goes back several decades.


Last month I had the privilege of attending the official opening of yet another new school in Inverclyde, Notre Dame High School. It has been great to see the number of new schools that have been built or have been refurbished in the last few years in Inverclyde, and we eagerly await the new Shared Campus in Port Glasgow which will accommodate Port Glasgow and St Stephen’s High Schools as well as the new Additional Needs School. These new and refurbished schools offer our young people facilities that are fit for the 21st century and which are conducive to good learning.


In December I attended the Pride of Inverclyde Awards which are hosted annually by the council in recognition of employees who have gone the extra mile in their jobs to make the district a better place to live. One of the award winners this year was one of the council’s community wardens who literally helped save two people’s lives in separate incidents. The employee seemed to be embarrassed by his award and the fuss that was made, but he was fully deserving of his award for the actions he took to save these two people’s lives.


My next surgeries in January will be published in the local newspaper. Anyone wanting to contact me can do so by phoning me at my council office on 01475-712727 or on my mobile phone 07747 765 839, or by emailing me at jim.macleod@inverclyde. gov.uk or writing to me at Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Clyde Square, Greenock, PA15 ILY.


Finally, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.


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