Councillor Dougie McFadzean, Ward 2, Kintyre and the Islands
I’m sitting typing this latest article with the wind howling around the house and the rain battering off the windows.
The past couple of weeks have been very difficult for folk living across Argyll and Bute
because of the terrible weather.
There are still roads closed after the many landslips and today I found out the bridge at Kilmelford has been badly damaged and has resulted in another road closure.
I want to pay tribute to the staff at Argyll and Bute Council, and our partner agencies, who have reacted quickly and effectively in trying to get our roads open. They still have a lot of difficult work ahead.
The last four weeks have been challenging, partly because of the weather, along with trying to support constituents when they have approached me for help.
I’ve been trying to help with key worker housing, social care support issues, emergency out-of-hours care resilience, the ongoing ferry situation, funding for community groups and with planning applications, to name but a few.
Thinking about the ferries, I was delighted to welcome Robbie Drummond and some of his senior management to Bowmore on October 5 when around 100 people from Islay got the chance to share their experiences with the CalMac team about the difficulties they have been experiencing using the CalMac service.
I am in no doubt Robbie and his team valued the experience and left with a clear idea of how reliant we are on CalMac. The BBC was also in attendance and some of us
provided short interviews.
It was also great to meet members of a newly-formed community group aiming to get the play park in Tarbert built.
Because of their drive and passion to get the ongoing issue sorted, things are starting to develop and I will support and work with them until we have a new purpose built and community designed play park, with the additional benefit of accessible equipment so that those less able can also join in.
Hopefully the park will be ready in spring 2024.
I’ve also been working with Tarbert and Skipness Community Council on a number of other issues and thank them for their support.
I am the shadow policy lead for housing within the opposition group of councillors and I have been trying to explore avenues to increase the availability of homes across Kintyre and the Islands and beyond.
There is a clear need for affordable housing on our islands and mainland areas and growth is being hindered because of the lack of affordable housing.
It frightens me when I see houses coming on to the market and I scan down to the
‘offers over’ price.
Housing here is so expensive and unaffordable for many, so the onus is on us
to create more opportunities, to talk to potential developers and to get homes built.
With that in mind, I’ll be attending an emergency housing seminar at the end of November to talk with stakeholders and explore all options. I’m really hopeful lots of positive things will happen as a result of this meeting.
If anyone knows of any parcels of land that may be available and suitable for housing I’d be grateful if you would let me know.
If you think I can help in any way, please get in touch.
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Councillor Dougie McFadzean at Saligo Bay on Islay during the high winds.