Well, our long hot summer has come to an end and on 23rd September we moved into Autumn. We still have a good chance of some warm and sunny days before we get into the depths of winter so we should make the best of them while we can.
It’s been an interesting summer but not one without its challenges. The Councils grass cutting services were under pressure and our area was beginning to look neglected and run down; we saw our library opening hours reduce; community centres earmarked for similar reductions; and pressure on jobs as despite earmarked funding of £2.4m, Greenlight Environmental Services went into administration and 109 employees were made redundant. However, the Council stepped in and gave 19 of the staff a temporary contract for 12 weeks so that our recycling services would continue. Unfortunately, the 109 Greenlight staff are still facing an uncertain future.
Over the summer we have had some fantastic news in education as we saw our pupils in our Secondary Schools exceed our expectations and smashed the SQA exams. While the rest of Scotland struggled, schools in West Dunbartonshire achieved their highest ever exam results ever. Well done to the pupils and teachers for all of their hard work and to all the parents for the help and support that they give day-in and day-out to our schools.
With Autumn now upon us, it’s time for everyone to start looking ahead to the challenges of winter. The Council is already consulting with community groups on its 2018/19 Winter Maintenance strategy. This is a chance to ask about gritting arrangements for your area, gritting of pathways in key areas such as schools and medical centres and an opportunity to check whether your community has sufficient grit bins and that they are fully stocked before the winter weather blows in on our communities. Last winter Labour Councillors and Community Councillors argued for more funding for winter maintenance but the SNP Administration and Tories rejected this. Instead, they have promoted a self-help approach. I don’t know how many communities had explored or taken up this offer but if there is an appetite for this in your community then you should contact the council to see what practical help they will provide.
Finally, well done to all of those citizens, young and old, that were successful in the Provost Civic Awards 2018 and to all the runners-up. Everybody likes to be a winner but the work of all of our volunteers in our communities are what makes our area a great place to live so well done to everyone.
West Dunbartonshire Councillor Martin Rooney 