IT is now abundantly clear from his latest diatribe (14 June) that Robert Buirds is deliberately trying to sabotage the efforts of the Council and our partners to bring investment and jobs to Inchgreen.

His obsession with removing Peel Ports from the Clyde and his hatred of the Council for not supporting his campaign is there for all to see.

As the Leader of the Council, I receive the brunt of his venomous attacks. He can be assured, however, that these attacks only serve to strengthen my resolve.

The decision of the Council to part-fund the acquisition of the former AP Jess factory site was not taken by me and Councillor Curley alone. It was taken by the entire Environment and Regeneration Committee at our meeting on 31 August 2023.

Those Councillors present were Brooks, Cassidy, Clocherty, Crowther, Curley, Daisley, Jackson, McCabe, McCormick, Quinn, and Robertson. The Committee’s decision was unanimous.

The former AP Jess site may be in the legal ownership of Clydeport but it has been leased to the joint venture company, in which the Council has a 50% beneficial interest. Any income derived from the use of the site will flow equally to the Council and Peel Ports.

Inchgreen Marine Park is not a vanity project as Mr Buirds claims. Does he seriously believe the Council convinced the UK and Scottish Governments to invest £10m in a vanity project?

The Marine Park has the potential to deliver hundreds of new jobs for Inverclyde. Unfortunately, the actions of Mr Buirds are affecting our ability to convince companies to invest at Inchgreen. He is doing a real disservice to our community.

Mr Buirds claim that Inchgreen Marine Park is a block to the re-instatement of the dry dock is also false. In fact, we are seeking to attract companies to Inchgreen who would use the dry dock. We are also actively bidding for further investment to upgrade the dry dock.

While Mr Buirds continues to angrily carp from the sidelines, spreading smears and false allegations, we will get on with the job we were elected to do.

Councillor Stephen McCabe

Leader of the Council

Elected Member

Inverclyde East (Ward 1)

Municipal Buildings

GREENOCK PA15 1NB