You got our votes - where are our boats?
Exactly one year after a packed public meeting in Dunoon’s Queen’s Hall, the issue of Dunoon’s ferry service has still not been satisfactorily addressed – despite the pre-election threat of “no boats, no votes”.
At last week’s Bute and Cowal Area Committee meeting, committee chair Councillor Bruce Marshall called for urgent action on arranging a discussion with Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson. Members of Dunoon Community Council were also in attendance, and following its own regular meeting on Monday, the community council proposes to hold another high profile public event in the New Year.
“Despite being advised that there is work going on behind the scenes, the people of Dunoon have had no feedback from councillors and MPs about what is happening with the town centre ferry service,” said chair Anne Gabriel. “We need to have issues such as the fact that the Coruisk is not being put to good use, and the empty linkspan, addressed urgently.”
Community councillor Cameron Smith said: “Time is not on our side – the streakers are getting older, as is the pier. This is an extremely urgent situation.
“We have lots of support, but no ships and no action. The public has the right to demand answers, and a public meeting is a way of focusing the attention of our elected representatives towards their duty to resolve this matter.
“We want to invite these politicians back and remind them forcefully of the promises they made us. We need to say to them: You got the votes – where are our boats?”
Mrs Gabriel concluded: “At the recent meeting about the waterfront regeneration, much was made of Dunoon’s status as the marine gateway to the National Park.
“We were told of the various options to develop the pier. However, we still don’t have a satisfactory solution with regards to the ferries. Twelve months later, and six months into the new administration, we want to know – what’s going on? We need answers.”
Meanwhile, prominent local ferry campaigner, Professor Neil Kay, has accused Argyll and Bute Council Leader Dick Walsh of talking “complete and utter rubbish” in defending the council over the series of ‘Users Charter’ meetings which took place in 2004. In correspondence between the two, forwarded to this newspaper by Professor Kay, Councillor Walsh states in a letter to Professor Kay, that: “Tripartite discussions were held as a result of a proposal put to the Scottish Executive by Western Ferries, but the proposal had no status other than that – a proposal.
“Council officers are often required to engage in exploratory discussion such as this and I am satisfied that the council’s position has not been compromised.
“Members and officers alike have consistently expressed the view that nothing would be done to prejudice the council’s intention to have a combined passenger and vehicle service operating between Dunoon and Gourock piers.”
Professor Kay, in a reply sent earlier this week to Cllr Walsh, wrote: “First, the ‘Users Charter’ is shorthand for ‘Western as sole operator of vehicle ferries’, as Western made abundantly clear in these same meetings.
Second, the council were not just responding to Western’s ‘Users Charter’ proposal, they were actively helping Western prepare it, and advising them on how to improve it.
Later, he writes: “The work and the advice of the council in these meetings would result in the new Dunoon linkspan remaining unused, plus a totally unnecessary and massive public subsidy for an obsolete, inappropriate and degraded town centre to town centre public service, and also substantial profits to the Hunters Quay - McInroy’s Point private operator. Which, funnily enough, is the solution we have at the moment, only the council’s advice and work here is going to help it become much worse.”
Dunoon Community Council hopes to hold an open meeting on the ferry issue in mid-January 2008, inviting MSPs, Alan Reid MP, local councillors and representatives from ferry user groups.
It also plans to approach national press as well as BBC and ITV.


Council Leader’s Christmas message
Christmas is always an exciting time of year with festivities in full swing and catching up with friends and family who we might not have seen for some time.
However, it is important for us to take a moment to reflect on those families who will not be complete this festive time. Those who have sons or daughters serving in our armed services fighting to bring peace and freedom to the people in some foreign land far from the shores of Argyll and Bute. And while we celebrate we must not lose sight of the turbulence in other parts of the world. In Afghanistan and Iraq or anywhere where there is fear and suffering, let us hope that those who are most vulnerable stay safe from injury or harm.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your continued support. Your council is here to support you. I look forward to meeting more of you as I continue with my leadership of Argyll and Bute Council in 2008. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Councillor Dick Walsh


Vale report critical but downgrading continues
Alan Reid, Liberal Democrat MP for Argyll and Bute, has called on Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board to keep the Community Maternity Units at the Vale of Leven and Inverclyde Royal Hospitals.
Mr Reid was speaking after the publication of the Independent Scrutiny Panel’s Report which criticised the health board for not publicising the benefits of the community maternity units to expectant mothers.
The Independent Scrutiny Panel formed to examine NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s proposals for changes to future health service provision in the Clyde area has raised concerns about the proposals and highlighted further work to be done by the health board.
The Panel, led by Professor Angus Mackay, has expressed concern about the lack of a robust approach by the board in identifying its preferred options for service change, which would impact on patients in the Vale of Leven, Inverclyde, Paisley and Johnstone areas.
Amongst the proposals are: the closure of birthing suites at Community Maternity Units in Greenock and Vale of Leven; relocation and reduction of the number of in-patient beds for mental health; a shift in the balance of older people’s care from Johnstone Hospital to the community; and the transfer of unscheduled medical admission services from Vale of Leven Hospital to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
The report indicates that;
• The board should give the public more than one option upon which to express their views
• The panel believes that it is important for the board to evaluate a reasonable range of choices for service change
• In developing its preferred option, the board has not followed best practice guidance in its analysis of costs and benefits
• There is more work to be done by the board before it proceeds to public consultation – if this results in a delay, it will be a price worth paying if it results in a more meaningful and informed process of engagement with local people and others with an interest
The panel was appointed by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, to scrutinise, independently, the board’s proposals for redesign and relocation of a range of local health services.
Professor Angus Mackay, Chairman of the Panel, said: “The work described in this report is the product of an entirely new process in the history of the NHS in Scotland.”
“We recognise the Board has put a huge amount of work into the reconfiguration of services for Clyde since taking over responsibility after the dissolution of NHS Argyll and Clyde. Although we have highlighted a number of concerns with their proposals, and further work that must be done, this should not be taken as an adverse reflection of the excellent standards of care currently being delivered.”
Mr Reid said, “The report correctly points out that the health board has done little to publicise the benefits of community maternity units to expectant mothers. The health board should adopt the panel’s suggestions of a positive publicity campaign on the benefits of the units and a survey of women’s attitudes. I will write to the health board urging them to develop the option, suggested in the report, of keeping the community maternity units at the Vale and Inverclyde and also providing post-natal-in-patient-care in the Units.”


GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR WESTFIELD RESIDENTS
On Wednesday evening a packed Kilmun Hall played host to a public meeting to discuss the proposed extraction of felled timber via Westfield, the small Strone street.
Every seat in the hall was taken by members of the public keen to air their views, share their concerns and hopefully convince Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) to change its decision, and decide on another exit from Kilmun Hill and the surrounding areas.
The meeting was organised and chaired by Councillor Bruce Marshall, with two members of FCS, Paul O’Farrel of Argyll and Bute’s Roads Department, Ian Arnold of the Strategic Timber Transport Fund and fellow councillor Ron Simon also sitting at the top table.
Cllr Marshall started proceedings by thanking the representatives of FCS for attending and also for the large turn out of, obviously concerned, residents of the area.
Cllr Marshall, then Gordon Donaldson of FCS, went on to outline some facts and figures behind the decision to choose Westfield before opening up the debate to the floor.
Several questions were asked, however the most notable outcome of the evening was the proposal by Strone resident John Astley to set up a steering group which would discuss the alternatives to Westfield with FCS. The proposal was seconded by Allan Fraser.
Mr Donaldson agreed to this proposal, saying he would be more than happy to discuss viable alternative routes to Westfield. He said: “Forestry Commission Scotland will be more than happy to sit round a table with a steering group with a view to discussing alternatives to Westfield.
“Any options, however will have to be workable and acceptable before I will be able to go to my bosses and look for more money.
“I have to be honest and say, though, that it will be difficult to change the outcome.”
A full report on the meeting will follow in next week’s Observer.