General Election

THIS is my first column since the UK General Election on 4 July, so it provides me with the opportunity to congratulate my council colleague Martin McCluskey on being elected as the first MP for the new Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency.

Martin shares my passion and determination to make Inverclyde an even better place to live, work, visit and do business and I look forward to working with him to see what opportunities there are for the council and government to collaborate to achieve our shared ambition and improve outcomes for our residents.

A special mention to the many council staff involved in organising the election.

Staff from most offices and departments were involved.

Running an election is a huge undertaking and was done at relatively short notice on top of core duties and at a time of year when many people are normally off on holiday.

There were also unforeseen challenges with postal votes that were outwith their control.

Well done to all involved in organising the election and the count in Greenock Town Hall.

Commiserations to Ronnie Cowan who has left office after nine years as Inverclyde’s MP.

We may not have always seen eye to eye, but I wish Ronnie and his staff all the very best with whatever they choose to do next.

Summer of Fun 2024

NOW I don’t want to tempt fate, but it seems summer has finally arrived with some nice warm and sunny weather over the last few days. Long may it continue.

The nice weather has come at the perfect time with the school summer holidays in full swing.

While it’s great for families to be able to spend more time together while the schools are closed, it can be extremely challenging and costly for many to keep young people entertained.

The nice weather at least allows for exploring the great outdoors for walks, picnics or to enjoy one of our many excellent play parks all for free.

There are also lots of free events and activities happening in libraries, leisure centres, community centres, iYouthZones, and at the Watt Institution as part of the council’s Summer of Fun 2024 offering.

There is a packed programme of sports, arts and crafts, and fun and games, being run by council services including libraries, active schools, community learning and development, and youth work services.

Playschemes are also being funded once again this year by the council so that they are free to attend.

The latest Discover Inverclyde digital magazine is out now and is packed with ideas for things to do and places to visit this summer. It’s worth a look to whet the appetite.

It is available on discoverinverclyde.com as well as on the Discover Inverclyde and Inverclyde Council social media channels.

That’s also where you can find out about some of the many free events and activities taking place during the summer months.

Summer of Sport

IT has been a great summer of sport so far with the Euros, Wimbledon and the Scottish Open among the highlights.

Commiserations to England who were beaten by Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday. It seems I was one of the few Scots wanting them to win.

We have much more sport to look forward to with the Open Championship taking place at Royal Troon this week and the Paris Olympics starting next Friday.

And let’s not forget the cricket test matches as well.

Enjoy!