What a time to choose to go to the Cotswalds. However I got home before the total deluge – and straight into a row about hall booking fees.
Someone who shall be nameless ( literally as no one is admitting responsibility) sent out a letter to Maybole community groups saying that their charges for using the Town Hall were going to rocket.In some cases this meant going from paying nothing to £8 an hour.
Understandably uproar followed. Groups from pensioners who play carpet bowls to the Brownies could see a bleak future ahead; Cathie Jamieson MSP visited the town giving them her support; a meeting was called for last Monday night.
In the role of Daniel was Pat Whelan – the council officer in charge of the department which sent out the offending letter. The `lions` were representatives of all the local groups who use the hall and understandable they were raring for a fight.
Pat Whelan had to admit that the letter should never have been sent out – and told everyone there to ignore what they had been told . It was back to square one.
He explained that different halls are charged at different rates throughout South Ayrshire and they were trying to get a system in place where all are treated equally. And hall charges will in fact come before the Leadership Panel of the council at the end of August.
From there, any decisions they make will go before the Community Services Scrutiny Panel – which will do `as it says on the tin` - scrutinise the decision and decide if it`s fair. The good news for Maybole is that three of the four members of that panel are local councillors, Brian Connelly, Sandra Goldie and myself and if we weren`t aware of it before, after last week`s meeting we certainly know now how important a role the Town Hall plays in local life.
And we know it must be affordable.
The main thing for now is that the price hike as been put on hold, autumn classes and groups can put their programmes in place – they are not going to be priced out at the end of August.
What about the future? We need to wait and see, but be assured the local councillors will be fighting to keep the hall open and accessible to everyone.
Saturday, 28 July 2007
Holidays over
What a time to choose to go to the Cotswalds. However I got home before the total deluge – and straight into a row about hall booking fees.
Someone who shall be nameless ( literally as no one is admitting responsibility) sent out a letter to Maybole community groups saying that their charges for using the Town Hall were going to rocket.In some cases this meant going from paying nothing to £8 an hour.
Understandably uproar followed. Groups from pensioners who play carpet bowls to the Brownies could see a bleak future ahead; Cathie Jamieson MSP visited the town giving them her support; a meeting was called for last Monday night.
In the role of Daniel was Pat Whelan – he council officer in charge of the department which sent out the offending letter. The `lions` were representatives of all the local groups who use the hall and understandable they were raring for a fight.
Pat Whelan had to admit that the letter should never have been sent out – and told everyone there to ignore what they had been told . It was back to square one.
He explained that different halls are charged at different rates throughout South Ayrshire and they were trying to get a system in place where all are treated equally. And hall charges will in fact come before the Leadership Panel of the council at the end of August.
From there, any decisions they make will go before the Community Services Scrutiny Panel – which will do `as it says on the tin` - scrutinise the decision and decide if it`s fair. The good news for Maybole is that three of the four members of that panel are local councillors, Brian Connelly, Sandra Goldie and myself and if we weren`t aware of it before, after last week`s meeting we certainly know now how important a role the Town Hall plays in local life.
And we know it must be affordable.
The main thing for now is that the price hike as been put on hold, autumn classes and groups can put their programmes in place – they are not going to be priced out at the end of August.
What about the future? We need to wait and see, but be assured the local councillors will be fighting to keep the hall open and accessible to everyone.
Someone who shall be nameless ( literally as no one is admitting responsibility) sent out a letter to Maybole community groups saying that their charges for using the Town Hall were going to rocket.In some cases this meant going from paying nothing to £8 an hour.
Understandably uproar followed. Groups from pensioners who play carpet bowls to the Brownies could see a bleak future ahead; Cathie Jamieson MSP visited the town giving them her support; a meeting was called for last Monday night.
In the role of Daniel was Pat Whelan – he council officer in charge of the department which sent out the offending letter. The `lions` were representatives of all the local groups who use the hall and understandable they were raring for a fight.
Pat Whelan had to admit that the letter should never have been sent out – and told everyone there to ignore what they had been told . It was back to square one.
He explained that different halls are charged at different rates throughout South Ayrshire and they were trying to get a system in place where all are treated equally. And hall charges will in fact come before the Leadership Panel of the council at the end of August.
From there, any decisions they make will go before the Community Services Scrutiny Panel – which will do `as it says on the tin` - scrutinise the decision and decide if it`s fair. The good news for Maybole is that three of the four members of that panel are local councillors, Brian Connelly, Sandra Goldie and myself and if we weren`t aware of it before, after last week`s meeting we certainly know now how important a role the Town Hall plays in local life.
And we know it must be affordable.
The main thing for now is that the price hike as been put on hold, autumn classes and groups can put their programmes in place – they are not going to be priced out at the end of August.
What about the future? We need to wait and see, but be assured the local councillors will be fighting to keep the hall open and accessible to everyone.
Saturday, 14 July 2007
mid summer update
I think the stouche over the lapdancing/pole dancing club application is finally beginning to subside – but it certainly was the talk of the steamie for a couple of weeks and livened up the usually rather dry and dusty corridors at the County Buildings . Everyone was talking about it. Of course it could all be stirred up again in October at the next Licensing Board meeting when Forbes Robertson will be able to re-apply for his entertainment licence. By that time board members will have been able to do their homework and we will have caught up with the Scottish Executive`s latest recommendations regarding `adult entertainment`.
The responses to my blog were interesting – particularly the young woman who pointed out that it wasn`t women who were exploited at such clubs – but it was more a case of the women exploiting the men who came to watch. Interesting point.
The thorny subject of community and town hall rents raised its head briefly this week when a letter went out to the users of Maybole Town Hall telling them that the hourly rent was to increase to £8. Consternation – even panic - naturally followed with clubs and groups thinking they were facing shutdown. However that decision has been put on hold until the whole question of hall rents in South Ayrshire is discussed by the leadership panel at the end of August. Will the panel recommend that the rents go up? We will need to wait and see. – and be ready for a fight.
The council is now going into recess for a few weeks – which has come as a relief particularly to we new councillors who have been running round like headless chickens (at least that`s what it sometimes felt like) trying to learn everything at once. It is now time to take stock and get ready for a busy decision-making time ahead.
We are of course still in contact – recess just means there are no official meetings – so don`t hesitate to get in touch via the blog, email or phone if you have any problems or concerns.
The council never really closes.
The responses to my blog were interesting – particularly the young woman who pointed out that it wasn`t women who were exploited at such clubs – but it was more a case of the women exploiting the men who came to watch. Interesting point.
The thorny subject of community and town hall rents raised its head briefly this week when a letter went out to the users of Maybole Town Hall telling them that the hourly rent was to increase to £8. Consternation – even panic - naturally followed with clubs and groups thinking they were facing shutdown. However that decision has been put on hold until the whole question of hall rents in South Ayrshire is discussed by the leadership panel at the end of August. Will the panel recommend that the rents go up? We will need to wait and see. – and be ready for a fight.
The council is now going into recess for a few weeks – which has come as a relief particularly to we new councillors who have been running round like headless chickens (at least that`s what it sometimes felt like) trying to learn everything at once. It is now time to take stock and get ready for a busy decision-making time ahead.
We are of course still in contact – recess just means there are no official meetings – so don`t hesitate to get in touch via the blog, email or phone if you have any problems or concerns.
The council never really closes.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Busy, busy, busy
YOU have a lot of calls on your time as a councillor.
The past month has been particularly busy with galas, school events not to mention the one-to-one problems raised by constituents which have to be dealt with. There have been community council meetings – we have five in Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton – and panel meetings and training sessions within the County Buildings.
This may sound like the build- up- to a moan, but the reverse is true. It has been a fascinating, if hectic two months since the election – nobody told me it would be this busy.
One of the most interesting meetings was the first get-together of the new Licensing Board. To explain to those who don`t know, the Board, deals with applications from all licensed premises, from hotels and pubs to private clubs. We determine how long they can open, what can happen inside the buildings and while ensuring the licensee can earn a living we also take care of the needs of the public making sure there is little or no disturbance from rowdy drunks, no loud music upsetting the peace of neighbours. It can be a delicate balancing act.
However one important move we made last week at our first meeting was to restrict the hours of Beer Gardens – which have sprung up since smoking was banned last year. Beer Gardens may be good for the nicotine addict, but can be particularly annoying for neighbours if they get too noisy – you can`t exactly shut the doors to keep the sound in . From now they will need to close at 10pm. This applies right now to new applications but will gradually cover all licensed premises in South Ayrshire.
As you will see from the Ayrshire post one unusual application at this meeting was for an entertainments licence for lap/pole dancing in a local club. This opened up a moral dilemma for me. I see this as opening up a whole new spectrum in `leisure entertainment` in Ayr. Do we want what I see as the sex industry in our towns; and how do you protect the women so employed from exploitation? The argument was put that it would bring more `tourists` to Ayr. Is this the sort of tourism we want?
However we were saved from making a decision as the licensing laws are about to undergo major changes and we will have to investigate how the Scottish Executive looks on such `adult entertainment before coming to a decision`. The application has been delayed to the next Board meeting in October.
On the brighter side, with my Licensing Board hat on I met Ayr`s superstars the McDonald brothers who are supporting a Board initiative in clubs and pubs this summer aimed particularly at girls- Who`s Keeping an Eye on Your Drink?` I had my picture taken with them – definitely one for the album.
Two comments have been made anonymously to me by email about this blog
1. Lighten up Ann, you are living in the past. Women being exploited? it's us that are exploiting the men by giving them a little thrill in return for hard cash. A local job here in Ayr will save me having to travel to Glasgow to do this work.
Shirley
I am glad you are fighting this move to bring the sex industry into our town.
How about setting up an on line petition against this sex club which will show the Council how normal people feel about a sex club in .
I publish these to show just how widely diverse views on this subject are likely to be.
The past month has been particularly busy with galas, school events not to mention the one-to-one problems raised by constituents which have to be dealt with. There have been community council meetings – we have five in Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton – and panel meetings and training sessions within the County Buildings.
This may sound like the build- up- to a moan, but the reverse is true. It has been a fascinating, if hectic two months since the election – nobody told me it would be this busy.
One of the most interesting meetings was the first get-together of the new Licensing Board. To explain to those who don`t know, the Board, deals with applications from all licensed premises, from hotels and pubs to private clubs. We determine how long they can open, what can happen inside the buildings and while ensuring the licensee can earn a living we also take care of the needs of the public making sure there is little or no disturbance from rowdy drunks, no loud music upsetting the peace of neighbours. It can be a delicate balancing act.
However one important move we made last week at our first meeting was to restrict the hours of Beer Gardens – which have sprung up since smoking was banned last year. Beer Gardens may be good for the nicotine addict, but can be particularly annoying for neighbours if they get too noisy – you can`t exactly shut the doors to keep the sound in . From now they will need to close at 10pm. This applies right now to new applications but will gradually cover all licensed premises in South Ayrshire.
As you will see from the Ayrshire post one unusual application at this meeting was for an entertainments licence for lap/pole dancing in a local club. This opened up a moral dilemma for me. I see this as opening up a whole new spectrum in `leisure entertainment` in Ayr. Do we want what I see as the sex industry in our towns; and how do you protect the women so employed from exploitation? The argument was put that it would bring more `tourists` to Ayr. Is this the sort of tourism we want?
However we were saved from making a decision as the licensing laws are about to undergo major changes and we will have to investigate how the Scottish Executive looks on such `adult entertainment before coming to a decision`. The application has been delayed to the next Board meeting in October.
On the brighter side, with my Licensing Board hat on I met Ayr`s superstars the McDonald brothers who are supporting a Board initiative in clubs and pubs this summer aimed particularly at girls- Who`s Keeping an Eye on Your Drink?` I had my picture taken with them – definitely one for the album.
Two comments have been made anonymously to me by email about this blog
1. Lighten up Ann, you are living in the past. Women being exploited? it's us that are exploiting the men by giving them a little thrill in return for hard cash. A local job here in Ayr will save me having to travel to Glasgow to do this work.
Shirley
I am glad you are fighting this move to bring the sex industry into our town.
How about setting up an on line petition against this sex club which will show the Council how normal people feel about a sex club in .
I publish these to show just how widely diverse views on this subject are likely to be.
Monday, 18 June 2007
Back to the real world
No I have not been away just totally immersed in the County Buildings which is a bit like the Dr Who "tardis" - looks normal from the outside but inside a different world all together.
Well we are just over a month into government – sorry I am sounding like T Blair or Alex Salmond. What I should say is the council has been in business for about six weeks now – and are we much further forward? I hope so.
All the new panels are in place ( the new word for committees) and members are trying to get their minds round the new setup. The same could be said for the officers who are also working under a new system.
It may sound a bit chaotic – but don`t panic dear reader – the business of local government still continues to flow with decisions being made, plans being passed, grants being allocated…Policy is still being formulated, but that will come and all hopefully to the benefit of you the council taxpayer.
The committees may have new names but the people are still there doing the same job. However as was pointed out at the meeting of voluntary community groups last week it is not always easy for somebody on the outside to find out who is there on the inside to provide help when it is needed. Part of the essence of the new South Ayrshire Council is community involvement – so easier access is something we must look at. A clear contact list on the council award winning website ( www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk ) would be a start. But then what do you do for the people not on the internet and there are still a lot of them out there?. Lists pinned up on library walls perhaps.
In between panel meetings, training sessions (learning how to be a good councillor and giving you value for your council tax) this is the season of galas and school productions and prizegivings – so the councillors` diaries are pretty crowded.
I was at Maybole Gala Day on Saturday and despite the wintery weather – it was freezing! (so much for global warming) – there was a great turnout to see the procession and crowning of the King and Queen of Carrick. The Burns theme of the previous week continued into the Gala – Maybole has been celebrating the fact that Burns` parents met and married in the town – and lots of kids and adults were in period costume.
As well as local folk, the Gala procession had one MP one MSP, the Provost, four councillors, plus the World President of the Burns Federation and the next World President of the Burns Federation. Surely that must be some sort of record!..I suspect the Coylton Gala on this coming Saturday (June 23) may not have such a `star` line-up – but maybe the weather will be better. Let`s hope so.
Well we are just over a month into government – sorry I am sounding like T Blair or Alex Salmond. What I should say is the council has been in business for about six weeks now – and are we much further forward? I hope so.
All the new panels are in place ( the new word for committees) and members are trying to get their minds round the new setup. The same could be said for the officers who are also working under a new system.
It may sound a bit chaotic – but don`t panic dear reader – the business of local government still continues to flow with decisions being made, plans being passed, grants being allocated…Policy is still being formulated, but that will come and all hopefully to the benefit of you the council taxpayer.
The committees may have new names but the people are still there doing the same job. However as was pointed out at the meeting of voluntary community groups last week it is not always easy for somebody on the outside to find out who is there on the inside to provide help when it is needed. Part of the essence of the new South Ayrshire Council is community involvement – so easier access is something we must look at. A clear contact list on the council award winning website ( www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk ) would be a start. But then what do you do for the people not on the internet and there are still a lot of them out there?. Lists pinned up on library walls perhaps.
In between panel meetings, training sessions (learning how to be a good councillor and giving you value for your council tax) this is the season of galas and school productions and prizegivings – so the councillors` diaries are pretty crowded.
I was at Maybole Gala Day on Saturday and despite the wintery weather – it was freezing! (so much for global warming) – there was a great turnout to see the procession and crowning of the King and Queen of Carrick. The Burns theme of the previous week continued into the Gala – Maybole has been celebrating the fact that Burns` parents met and married in the town – and lots of kids and adults were in period costume.
As well as local folk, the Gala procession had one MP one MSP, the Provost, four councillors, plus the World President of the Burns Federation and the next World President of the Burns Federation. Surely that must be some sort of record!..I suspect the Coylton Gala on this coming Saturday (June 23) may not have such a `star` line-up – but maybe the weather will be better. Let`s hope so.
Friday, 25 May 2007
Sweetness and light in the council chamber
THE view this week is really from the Council Chamber for the new council had their first formal meeting on May 21 and top posts were allocated. Winifred Sloan is Provost again – and will continue her Civic Pride programme. Leader of the council is Conservative Hugh Hunter. The principal leadership panel is made up of Tories, (the majority party) but all the other senior posts have been distributed between the SNP, Labour and Independent
The council is taking on a exciting new format – Cabinet style they call it - which involves a new range of panels (instead of committees)_- but it is felt this will give a better standard of service from all of us. The Cabinet will have the job of making the decisions and the Scrutiny committees will have the chance to review these before they are implemented. This is supposed to give a greater opportunity for public debate. It is early days for councillors and officers – so it will be a challenge for everyone to make it work.
The Council meeting went remarkable smoothly considering this was the first time four different parties faced each other across the council chamber – and there was remarkably little cross party sniping. Long may it continue for the new partnership style of local government is all about us working well together.
June 5 sees the council getting down to the serious business of running South Ayrshire – I will keep you posted. Of my wide range of positions - from panels to outside bodies – I think I will find the Regulatory Panel which deals with planning and the Licensing Board the most interesting.
Those living in the rural part of South Ayrshire will be pleased to know that the Rural Committee has been maintained and of course the various Community Councils can look forward to receiving real money to work with in the coming year - £2,000 for the smallest rising to £5,000.
Speaking of Community Councils – the ward of Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton, has five so it should be fun trying to cover them all – particularly as some meet on the same night. This might be where having four councillors for the ward may prove an advantage – we can split up so that everyone is looked after and the views expressed relayed to the other councillors.
The council is taking on a exciting new format – Cabinet style they call it - which involves a new range of panels (instead of committees)_- but it is felt this will give a better standard of service from all of us. The Cabinet will have the job of making the decisions and the Scrutiny committees will have the chance to review these before they are implemented. This is supposed to give a greater opportunity for public debate. It is early days for councillors and officers – so it will be a challenge for everyone to make it work.
The Council meeting went remarkable smoothly considering this was the first time four different parties faced each other across the council chamber – and there was remarkably little cross party sniping. Long may it continue for the new partnership style of local government is all about us working well together.
June 5 sees the council getting down to the serious business of running South Ayrshire – I will keep you posted. Of my wide range of positions - from panels to outside bodies – I think I will find the Regulatory Panel which deals with planning and the Licensing Board the most interesting.
Those living in the rural part of South Ayrshire will be pleased to know that the Rural Committee has been maintained and of course the various Community Councils can look forward to receiving real money to work with in the coming year - £2,000 for the smallest rising to £5,000.
Speaking of Community Councils – the ward of Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton, has five so it should be fun trying to cover them all – particularly as some meet on the same night. This might be where having four councillors for the ward may prove an advantage – we can split up so that everyone is looked after and the views expressed relayed to the other councillors.
Monday, 14 May 2007
from the council chamber - it begins
I HAVE discovered a new human condition . . . electionlag. It`s like jetlag, only worse and it lasts longer…It maybe had something to do with the 24-hour stint on election day. All started well. The sun shone, the voters were appearing to come out, there was even a bit of a carnival atmosphere outside Coylton polling station and it all passed quite nicely until around 11pm – when the new electronic system of counting took over and we discovered the intricacies of the two part voting form for the parliament had by-passed a large number of the electorate!.
Then I guess you could say things went from bad to worse. Being the cynics that we are and going on past experience, when the company engineers in charge of the super duper new system assured us beforehand that nothing could go wrong – we somehow knew that it would. Half their counting machines gave up the ghost early and my ward results managed to get lost somewhere in the system. They assured us they were in there but meanwhile as all the other candidates were assessing from screens how their votes were going – the one for Maybole North Carrick and Coylton was blank. We were in the dark.
Add to that the confusion of the spoilt papers – South Ayrshire had about 900 – and you can see it was a fun – or for that, read fraught – night for all concerned. I decided around 3am I was dead on my feet and decided to go home for a couple of hours rest. My head barely reached the pillow when the phone rang at 4.30am and I was called back to the Citadel. Things were happening I was told. Not quite true – but after standing around for another couple of hours the results were at last being announced and by 7.30am I was celebrating being a new councillor – one of 15 on the new-look South Ayrshire Council.
And new look it certainly is with 12 of us Tories, nine Labour, eight SNP and one Independent (Something the Ayrshire Post somehow managed to miss. Brian Connolly who beat me be one vote last time round, was re-elected)..The first couple of days passed in a bit of a haze – but I wasn`t alone in feeling like that. We were councillors but didn`t know where to go or what to do. The corridors of the County Buildings are a maze for the uninitiated. They all look alike so we found ourselves wandering aimlessly for a while and this combined with the tiredness produced that electionlag feeling.
The system has now clicked in and the council officers have arranged `councillor classes` for us. So it is a bit like going back to school to learn the intricacies of local government and how it operates. We will also need to learn how to work together. Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton is one ward with four councillors, one from each party – Tory, Labour, SNP and Independent. How we will share responsibility? It is a learning process for us all
The first meeting of the council proper is Monday, May 21 at 10am . How will it go?
I will certainly keep you posted.
Then I guess you could say things went from bad to worse. Being the cynics that we are and going on past experience, when the company engineers in charge of the super duper new system assured us beforehand that nothing could go wrong – we somehow knew that it would. Half their counting machines gave up the ghost early and my ward results managed to get lost somewhere in the system. They assured us they were in there but meanwhile as all the other candidates were assessing from screens how their votes were going – the one for Maybole North Carrick and Coylton was blank. We were in the dark.
Add to that the confusion of the spoilt papers – South Ayrshire had about 900 – and you can see it was a fun – or for that, read fraught – night for all concerned. I decided around 3am I was dead on my feet and decided to go home for a couple of hours rest. My head barely reached the pillow when the phone rang at 4.30am and I was called back to the Citadel. Things were happening I was told. Not quite true – but after standing around for another couple of hours the results were at last being announced and by 7.30am I was celebrating being a new councillor – one of 15 on the new-look South Ayrshire Council.
And new look it certainly is with 12 of us Tories, nine Labour, eight SNP and one Independent (Something the Ayrshire Post somehow managed to miss. Brian Connolly who beat me be one vote last time round, was re-elected)..The first couple of days passed in a bit of a haze – but I wasn`t alone in feeling like that. We were councillors but didn`t know where to go or what to do. The corridors of the County Buildings are a maze for the uninitiated. They all look alike so we found ourselves wandering aimlessly for a while and this combined with the tiredness produced that electionlag feeling.
The system has now clicked in and the council officers have arranged `councillor classes` for us. So it is a bit like going back to school to learn the intricacies of local government and how it operates. We will also need to learn how to work together. Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton is one ward with four councillors, one from each party – Tory, Labour, SNP and Independent. How we will share responsibility? It is a learning process for us all
The first meeting of the council proper is Monday, May 21 at 10am . How will it go?
I will certainly keep you posted.
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