Cllr Kirsten Robb Annual Report August 2024

This annual report is organised around the issues the public asked me to work on: Working Hard for You, Making our Streets Safer and Cleaner, Improving Local Lives and Facilities, Delivering for Our Community.

Working hard for you: It’s now over two years since many of you placed your trust in me to be your councillor, South Lanarkshire’s first Green councillor. Thank you so much for doing so and for contacting me for help since then. I’m still loving the job and have worked hard to take on your issues, get answers to your questions and find solutions. Read on for some highlights of the year.

I deal with an average of 3 individual case issues per week which makes approximately 150 a year. These range on everything from maintenance, fly tipping, neighbour disputes, energy bills, housing situations, ev charging, parking and lots more! To stay connected, I also attend Parent Councils of all local primary schools and high schools as well as the local community council.

I keep people in touch with my activities on an almost daily basis via my facebook and twitter accounts, a monthly report on www.southlanarkshiregreens.scot as well as two rounds of newsletters to every household in the ward every year. Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped prepare and get these newsletters out.

Being able to help individuals with their situations are a pleasure but here are my other top 10 highlights of action in the ward and South Lanarkshire wide.  Thank you to the community who have suggested and supported many of these actions.

Making our paths and streets safer and cleaner:

• Path and road safety improvements: Path improvements on Maxwelton Road, Mauchline, Pembroke, Alison Lea, Expressway and St Leonards Roads. Brancumhall Pitch car park resurfaced and disabled bays put in. Bridge repairs at Skye.
• Campaigned for 20mph on Morrishall Road.
• Secured street improvements off the back of walk-abouts with residents at Raeburn Avenue and Ivanhoe.
• Supported community and school clean ups at Lammermoor, Calderside Grove, Hazelhead and Glen Esk Parks and John Struthers Nature Reserve.

Improving Local Lives and Facilities:

• Worked to get maintenance improvements to Benbecula, John Struthers and Glen Esk Parks.
• Completed the pitch equipment project at Long Calderwood Primary with Parent Council.
• Calderglen Country Park: Pushed for signage and road repairs and supported work to begin a masterplan to secure more investment and sustainable travel improvements.
• Continued to volunteer in Calderglen Country Park & surrounding greenspaces.
• Visited and promoted the activities of local organisations, including bike checks, mental health and community integration.

Delivering for Our Community:

• I will keep continue to focus on helping people, getting more change on the ground and improving policies to create a healthier, happier, more sustainable South Lanarkshire.
• As well as local issues, I’ve been working to improve how South Lanarkshire operates to improve more lives now and into the future. I led successful motions and action on a) supporting third sector and community groups; b) declaring a nature emergency; c) checking budgets for their impacts on sustainability and d) securing investment in energy saving projects at the council.