Councillor Update May 2024
East Kilbride East action
I’m kept motivated by getting progress for you and our neighbourhood. Because you keep contacting me, the progress keeps coming! As ever, please contact me on Kirsten.robb@southlanarkshire.gov.uk to meet or chat when and where it suits you. Follow me on Facebook and X for regular updates.
Maintenance: There’s a wodge of maintenance stuff you reported to me getting done now the weather is better. New road linings on Morrishall Rd at Galloway Rd now done, as highlighted for safety in our community street survey. Footpaths between house numbers 52 to 64 and 68 to 80 Mauchline are included this year’s footway resurfacing programme, including replacement of all steps with new handrails (most likely done before end of summer). Silt and debris removed from gullies which were causing flooding at the Tesco underpass. Your requests for path improvements along Maxwelton Road, Brancumhall and Lochlea handrails / steps have been put forward for consideration in future works programmes. And finally, I helped Kinross Park residents sort out some ongoing issues with their communal bins.
Community Clean ups: I took part in the annual litter pick in and around Allers Allotments, with the local allotment association. Apart from some fly tipping, it wasn’t too bad this year! All reported and chased for uplift.
Calderwood Hall: Three groups have now expressed an interest in leasing Calderwood Hall from the council and the council wants to find out what the local community think. Find out more and have your say at the link below (type in ‘Calderwood Hall’ in the keyword box). A final decision will be made at the Housing Committee (most likely September) as to who the council will enter negotiations with. https://publicaccess.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=advanced
Long Calderwood Pitch project warms our cockles! The equipment is in, the volunteers are in place and the pitch is hoatching with young people enjoying themselves! Working with the Parent Council, I helped apply for Lottery Funding for new football goals and nets and basketball hoops at the shared school / community pitch at Long Calderwood Primary. Young people told us that it made them happy and helped them have more fun with their friends. Teachers told us it helped a class get on better by playing more football together. Parents / carers told us that young people went out more to enjoy this safe space to socialise and exercise. Security is now sorted by volunteers so please understand if they vary slightly from opening times signed on the pitch – we need more volunteers to help lock up, please get in touch if you can help once a weekend. Please also emphasise to anyone you know the need to treat the pitch and equipment with respect, cleaning up all litter from the pitch, otherwise it will need to be temporarily closed to be made safe and pleasant again.
What do you think of our community? I’ve done this survey about our local area that will inform the next local development plan. It certainly makes you think! Have a go yourself. The more who complete it, the better the plan will be and the more others will listen. More at https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/LDP3.
Glen Esk Park: Is looking lovely, the water has returned to let the remaining tadpoles mature, we now have newts and I’m chasing park maintenance so the strip next to the paths gets mown. Do keep in touch via the page and get involved with efforts to protect the park, from helping pick up litter to future conservation and community events.
Visits
I went along to St Leonards Community Council (including discussing more about Local Place Plans). I kicked off Green Health Week (that’s the health of both people and planet) helping plant up two grow beds with the residents of a high-rise block in Calderwood. And ended the week at Calderglen Country Park launching the Healthy and Active East Kilbride Nature Prescription project, including trying out a ParkBathe! Finally, I joined volunteers and Rory from Clyde Grasslands to visit some local grasslands which are undergoing a different mowing regime to boost the area for flowers for people and nature. More info on this in due course.
South Lanarkshire wide
To stand up for the third sector (community, voluntary and social enterprises), I have submitted a motion at the next full council on 12th June to support their South Lanarkshire campaign https://keepthebeatalive.org.uk/. I have attended the Executive, EK Area, Equal Opportunities and Climate committees and chaired a session on Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy.
Home insulation not road expansion: I was the only politician speaking out in council and on STV News against the recent proposal to spend £30 million dualling the Stewartfield Way. If a junction or roundabout needs put in to improve things then so be it, but I don’t agree with the dualling bit of it. The stated aim is to increase capacity, that means more vehicles and more congestion further down the line. In my view, it’s just not the best bang for our public buck for so many reasons. According to the 2011 Census, about a third of households in my ward had no access to a car and around 20% of people live in poverty. Add in that transport is the highest source of climate wrecking emissions in Scotland and you’d wonder why elected members voted to progress these plans. I will keep standing up for people and a liveable planet, even if I’m the only one in the room doing so – why not join the Scottish Greens and help stand up for a liveable planet and social justice locally and globally, for people now and future generations.
At the climate committee, I asked when there will be a targeted and financial plan produced to meet the council’s commitments to reduce carbon emissions. And if that will include adapting to the effects of the emissions already baked in. I was pleased to see some studies completed at costing up the efforts to cut emissions and also the good progress made to reduce energy demand in council buildings. More action is needed at Westminster to reduce the price of electricity more in line with gas, that will really help drive net zero action and level the playing field.
Coming up this month: Full council coming up on 12th June 10am, including the motion on Keep the Beat Alive, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv-1LMDzgFMfpWkJqcXHfaA.
