Councillor Update, January 2023

The new year has started super busy with ward case work. I’ve been helping people deal with fly tipping issues, which is a crime and costs a lot for the council (or volunteer time) to clean up. So please deal with rubbish responsibly to free up more money for essential front line services. I’ve also been dealing with quite a few queries around condensation / damp in buildings. Just contact me if I can help you with anything.

Local Business (East Kilbride East)

After the Long Calderwood parent council AGM, we submitted the lottery funding application for equipment for pitch – fingers crossed for that!

I visited the Wingate Friendship Club (open to people outwith Wingate too – contact the project here) and hooked them up with Long Calderwood Primary for an intergenerational Burns-ish poetry session.

Calderglen Volunteers and I were out again tackling the invasive snowberry plant to make way for more bluebells – find out more about volunteering here

I visited EK Sports Club in Calderglen about a flooding issue, went along to Smart Sustainable EK to find out more about their projects and discussed social prescribing in Calderwood with staff from Vaslan

After the tree vandalism and dumped waste at our lovely Glen Esk park, I liaised with the council who are actioning the issue with the contractor who currently maintains the site.

South Lanarkshire Wide Business:

South Lanarkshire Greens, myself, Gillian MacKay MSP and I had a brilliant tour round Built Environment – Smarter Transformation innovation factory in Hamilton. We learned about how we can all do more together, faster & smarter on procurement, skills & financing to help the built environment transition to zero carbon. They do monthly free tours for the public or contact them if you want to organise your own bespoke visit. They’ve just launched a fully funded programme for schools, colleges, youth workers etc. helping train up the next generation with low carbon skills for the future. Connect up with them and see how they can help you.

I’ve been preparing for February’s South Lanarkshire Council Climate Committee with papers coming up on progress to reduce pesticide / glyphosate usage and the climate strategy action plan 2023-27.

I have been working through the different officer proposals for the South Lanarkshire Council budget, giving feedback where I can. I also have some new ideas on how to save money by changing the way some services are run and successfully sought to be included in the budget negotiations so I can present these ideas for discussion.

I’ve attended briefings on the EK rail enhancement project, raised issues at the EK area committee, attended climate training and learned more about South Lanarkshire Leisure’s work to help more young people benefit from their activities.

Finally, I met with the council’s new Head of Housing to take forward the actions the council has signed up to following my successful motion to cut energy use and raise building standards.

Helping you:

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates. I don’t have regular surgeries to leave more time for community action on the ground but if you ever need to get me, I can meet when it is convenient for you – face to face, walking meeting, coffee shop or in a community hall, telephone or online. Contact me or for more information visit the South Lanarkshire Council Councillor’s webpage.

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telephone or online. Contact me or for more information visit the South Lanarkshire Council

Councillor’s webpage.