Absolutely Delighted that Dundee through to next round of UK City of Culture Bid - Now for the Hard Work

 

I am delighted that Dundee has made it through to the final 4 cities in the running to be UK City of Culture in 2017.  This is great news.  Well done to everyone involved in bringing the bid together.  This is, however, not the time to rest on our laurels we must now work hard to ensure that Dundee is successful in winning the bid.

I have been a strong supporter of this bid and first suggested that Dundee bid for this accolade back in 2009.

Dundee has an exceptionally strong case to be UK City of Culture as it stands right now, with the Rep, the DCA, McManus Galleries, Discovery Point, Verdant Works, the Caird Hall, the Mills Observatory, two universities and a college as well as schools which promote culture along with much much more.  This is even before the jewel in the crown which V & A Dundee will be.

Last week in the West End there was WestFest a great community festival, and similar events happen right across the city.  It is important that the bid is not just for the West End or the Ferry it must be a bid for all the city.  We must also look to define culture as broadly as possible, for example I am determined that at the very least we should have an international football match in Dundee in 2017, only 81 years since the last one.

There is still a lot to do and the Labour Group on the council will work with anyone to promote our city. We will offer whatever support and assistance is needed to deliver on this for our city.  Dundee should be UK City of Culture in 2017 and I am determined to do all that I can to make this a reality.

I am happy to place a photograph on this blog which features the Lord Provost, Bob Duncan from the SNP, (and many, many others) supporting the bid because I am determined that we work together to deliver this well-deserved accolade to Dundee and that petty party politics should not get in the way of this.  Everyone with Dundee's best interests at heart must unite to back the bid.

If Campaign

On Friday  I was delighted to attend the Annual General Meeting of the One World Centre, prior to the AGM business my colleague Sarah Boyack MSP gave a talk on 'Enough Food for Everyone: a Scottish Perspective on Global Hunger.'  Sarah spoke about the If campaign.

Sarah highlighted that the campaign against global hunger is a moral one.  Sarah pointed out that tax avoidance is a big issue and needs to be dealt with.  Sarah also talked about the global impact of land grabs which contribute to global hunger and suggested some comparisons with issues such as the Highland Clearances.

I am a strong supporter of the IF campaign and I hope that the G8 summit this week makes progress towards ending global hunger.  I was pleased recently to receive a briefing from SCIAF on this
important issue.

The main point of this important campaign is that there is enough food for everyone IF:

the Government keeps its promise to spend 0.7% of national income on aid

world leaders agree a new treaty to stop tax dodging by big companies

the World Bank and financial institutions change policies that force poor farmers off their land.

Please support the campaign.

West End Community Council

On Tuesday evening I attended the June meeting of the West End Community Council.  As ever it was good to hear about the concerns of local people in the West End.  The community council does a great job representing local people and gives local councillors such as myself a good indication of what local people as thinking. 

Visit to Kingsway East Fire Station

Firefighters training at Kingsway East Fire Station

This afternoon along with my Labour colleagues Councillor Georgia Cruikshank, Councillor Kevin Keenan and Councillor Norma McGovern I visited Kingsway East Fire Station.  This was part of an effort by the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in Dundee to give councillors a better understanding of the response and training activity of the service.

This was a good opportunity to discuss issues with the fire and rescue service.  It was also a chance to hear about the work that goes on at Kingsway East.  It was really interesting to see the many different training activities which go on at Kingsway East such as working at heights, rescues on ships, and in confined spaces. 

It was good to have a discussion about issues such as waste in communal areas, fly-tipping and sprinkler systems in social housing.  These are important issues which my colleagues and I will look to raise in the future.  It is important that councillors develop knowledge of the fire and rescue service and work with the service to promote community safety and also carry out

Cllr Georgia Cruikshank, Cllr Norma McGovern, Cllr Kevin Keenan and
 myself at Kingsway East Fire Station

effective scrutiny which will deliver the best service possible for our constituents.

Domestic Waste Collection Strategy

Monday evening's Environment Committee considered a report on the city's Domestic Waste Collection Strategy.  This was in response to the Convener of Environment unilaterally announcing a move to fortnightly bin collections in January.  As I have said on a number of occasions I am not opposed to fortnightly bin collections in principle, I feel though that we need to ensure that there is buy-in by everyone involved before making such a momentous move.  This is why I broadly welcome the report which was agreed on Monday evening.  The report says that there will be wide spread consultation and I hope there will be.  I would encourage anyone with any views on this to get in touch with me.

The one area where I was disappointed  was that the issue of the recycling centres was not included in this consultation.  It beggars belief that Baldovie, Riverside and the now closed Marchbanks Recycling centres are not integral to the domestic waste collection strategy of the city.  The fact that anyone who mentioned the issue was told that it was 'irrelevant' by the Convener does not bode well for the consultation.  I wonder whether the people of Dundee believe that it is irrelevant.  On this topic it was interesting to see an article in this morning Courier where Bailie Ian Borthwick was raising concerns about fly-tipping in the city.

Moving back to the report which was before us on Monday evening  Here is some of what I said, 'As I have said before the Labour Group will support any measure which will improve the environment of the city and the environmental impact of the city.  The city has in the past been at the forefront of recycling and we should be trying to get back to that position.

We need to recognise as the report does that flatted and tenemental areas are difficult to deal with in terms of recycling.  In terms of the current grey bin collections we do not have this correct in many flatted areas of the city.  We need to be looking to best practice elsewhere and to some innovative thinking to find solutions which make recycling easy for residents in the city who live in flats or tenements.

I am glad about the stress put on consulting with the people of Dundee in the report.  I hope that this will be as wide ranging a consultation as possible.  We would struggle to get the people of Dundee to take part in any scheme which they did not support.

 I want finally to turn attention to the one omission from this report before us.  Can anyone explain to me why the future and operation of the recycling centres at Riverside, Baldovie and Marchbanks doesn’t form part of our Domestic Waste Collection Strategy? 

Convener, in the consultation which is proposed this evening will members of the public be allowed to make their views clear on the operation of the recycling centres?  Will this consultation cover every aspect of the Domestic Waste Collection Strategy or not?

I accept that, whilst I did not vote for the Administration’s budget, nobody brought forward any alternatives to the closure of Marchbanks, but people are complaining in the city about this and it is impacting on the carbon footprint of the city.  Surely if we are a listening council we will be prepared to listen to the views of Dundonians on this important issue.'

WestFest - Big Sunday



The picture shows the crowd at Magdalen Green enjoying Big Sunday

 On Sunday I had the pleasure along with many many others of attending WestFest opening event the Big Sunday on Magdalen Green.  Once again this was a really excellent event and it was good to see so many people enjoying themselves.  I remember attending the first meetings to plan the first WestFest over four years ago and to see what it has become in such a short space of time is remarkable.

There was something for all the family and a great atmosphere at the event.  There are events continuing all week and it is worth having a look at the programme.

I would like to say a very big well-done to everyone involved in putting together this great event, they have contributed greatly to the community in the West End and it is events like this that make Dundee an excellent candidate to be UK City of Culture 2017.



I was delighted to see my colleague Jenny Marra MSP at WestFest



Graffiti Clean Up

The picture shows the group who took part in the graffiti clean up

On Saturday I was pleased to join with people from across the West End and volunteers from Tesco taking part in a graffiti clean up as part of the Dundee Festival of Volunteering.  There should be no tolerance for graffiti and I was pleased to take part in the event. 

Graffiti has a terrible impact on communities and we must act against it.  The Community Spirit Action Group were active in the clean up on Saturday.  It was also good to the local community police officer taking an

active part in the event.

It was a very good event and I hope that we have made a difference to the local community.  I would urge anyone who has information about anyone who is perpetrating graffiti should contact the police.

I was really pleased to support the festival of volunteering in the city.  As I have said  before we must celebrate the work of volunteers in the city as they put so much back into the community.

Litter Pick for Dundee Festival of Volunteering

This morning along with my ward colleague Councillor Fraser Macpherson I took part in a Litter Pick which started on Dundee University campus then went along the Perth Road and finally down Seabraes and along to the Marketgait.  This litter pick was in association with the Bonnie Dundee group who are mostly volunteers who work hard every year to help Dundee enter the Bonnie Scotland events.  It was good to see a company like Scottish and Southern Energy 'volunteer' a couple of workers to help as well.  The event was also part of Dundee's Festival of Volunteering.  It is important to pay tribute to the work of volunteers, they really do make a difference to our society.  They save the public purse a fortune and sometimes I feel this is not acknowledged enough.  Politicians should be looking for ways to make it easy for people to volunteer and we should be supporting the work of the many many organisations across the city which rely on volunteers.

In terms of the litter pick it was a lovely day to be out in the West End but it really did beg the questions -why don't smokers put their cigarette butts in the bin?

Community Spirit Action Group Meeting

Tonight I attended the June meeting of the Community Spirit Action Group.  There was a very interesting presentation from two students from the Dundee University Law Clinic.  This clinic can offer help with legal issues, the work is carried out free by law students for the university, under supervision from  a qualified lawyer.  This is a great initiative which offers help to people who might not otherwise be able to get legal redress.

I raised the future of domestic waste collections in the city and highlighted this as an area that Community Spirit will want to have an input into.  In much of the area covered by Community Spirit the dominant housing type is flats.  If the council is going to move towards fortnightly bin collections then it must come up with a plan to improve recycling in flatted areas.  I was pleased to see how interested in this topic the members of Community Spirit were.  I hope that Community Spirit will take part in the consultation which will happen soon.  I hope that people right across the city will also take part in this important consultation which must be open, transparent and robust.

Leisure & Culture Dundee Board Meeting

Today I attended a board meeting of Leisure & Culture Dundee.  One of the first things that we did was to congratulate the library service for winning the UK Library of the Year award. It was good to get the chance to listen to the exciting plans for the new Olympia.  It was also good to hear that Lochee Swimming Pool has re-opened after works which were going on there.  I asked a number of questions about the refurbishment of Blackness Library which is on-going at the moment.

Dundee Economic Summit

This morning I attended the second Dundee Economic Summit.  I was pleased to be there because it is important that everyone with the best interests of the city at heart work together to promote the economy of the city, especially jobs.

The event today was well attended and it was good to meet a number of people who are working together to promote the economy of the city.  There was an excellent contribution from Herman Twickler, the Managing Director of PressureFab Group which is based within my ward.  He made a very strong case for more modern apprenticeships and especially made the case for manufacturing.  Mr Twickler also commented upon the uncertainty in the run-up to the independence referendum.  My view is that it is important that we get to the point where we are talking about what is important to people, on issues like jobs rather than on constitutional discussion.

Professor Pete Downes, the Principal of the University of Dundee, gave a very interesting talk on the role of higher education and of the University of Dundee in particular in promoting the economy of the city.  He pointed out that the university had a role to work both locally and internationally, and he pointed to the quote from Professor Patrick Geddes, one of the university's early professors, who coined the phrase, 'Think globally - act locally.'

I was pleased to see the launch of the Discover Opportunities Employer Pledge today.  This is about maximising the life chances of our young people and adults, supporting business growth and developing Dundee's economy.

The City Council's Director of City Development Mike Galloway gave an update on the exciting plans for Dundee's Waterfront.  Professor Beatriz Plaza from the University of the Basque Country gave an excellent presentation on the experience of Bilbao after the coming of the Guggenheim Museum.  This was very interesting and offered a lot of food for thought for the city once the V & A comes to Dundee.  There was also an  interesting presentation on the cultural regeneration of Gateshead and Newcastle and its economic impact.

I thought that the summit was very interesting and it was good to hear about a lot of the work which is going on.  It clearly makes the point that we all have to work together to promote the city and its economy.  Jobs have been and remain my number one priority and it is important that we work together to bring jobs to our city.  I am looking for action on this now.

Votes for women

Today saw a couple of anniversaries commented upon.  The Queen celebrated the 60th anniversary of her Coronation and it is fair to comment on her commitment to service.  There is another anniversary which was marked today, one hundred years ago today Emily Wilding Davison was fatally injured as she tried to pin the suffragettes colours to the King's horse at the Derby.

Davison's place in history is not without controversy, did her actions speed up or hinder the cause of votes for women?  What is remarkable though is to consider that one hundred years ago from today no women had the vote in this country.  Women only received the vote, on a different franchise, in 1918 and only received the vote on the same basis as men in 1928.  It just seems ridiculous that people ever tried to suggest that women should not have the vote.

In Dundee there was a very strong suffragette movement.  The fact that Winston Churchill stood in the 1908 by-election and subsequently represented Dundee until 1922 attracted a lot of suffragette attention.  Indeed as the cartoon here suggests there was a belief that the suffragettes had helped to unseat Churchill in Manchester and that they might do it again in Dundee.

There is an excellent resource on the suffragettes in Dundee from Leisure and Culture Dundee from their previous exhibition on this issue.  The equally excellent Dundee Women's Trail commemorates a number of suffragettes and is well worth looking at.

I was pleased last year when after the election to the City Council Labour increased women's representation in our group to 40%.  It is important that such efforts to promote equality are continued.  I read today that since 1918 there have only been 369 female MPs and in the current House of Commons there are 503 male MPs which is a remarkable statistic. 

This anniversary shows how much we have moved on in the last 100 years but also that there is much more to do.  Equality in all its forms is important, especially economic equality, and is in my view this is what is important and changing flags will contribute little or nothing to that battle for equality.

Visit to Macalpine Road Fire Station

Along with  a number of colleagues from the City Council I visited Macalpine Road Fire Station today to receive a briefing on the work of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in Dundee.  It was good to meet officers and firefighters who are working hard to protect our safety.

It was good to have a chance to discuss the fire and rescue service and how we will provide local scrutiny for the service.  Since we now have a national fire and rescue service it is incredibly important that we ensure that local accountability is still developed.  This service cannot be allowed to become remote from the needs of local people.

I will continue to work to ensure that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is aware of the views of local elected representatives.  I will also try and ensure that I am aware of the views of local people on the fire service.  It was a good opportunity  to learn more about the fire and rescue service.

Blackness Library -Temporary Move

I was pleased to visit the new temporary home of Blackness Library at Logie  & St John's (Cross) Church on Blackness Road.  Blackness Library is currently being upgraded and will be closed for around  six or eight weeks.  I hope that the improved access at Blackness Library will make it more accessible to the public and make it even more of a hub of activity for people in the West End.

For the next few weeks there will be a limited service provided at Logie & St John's (Cross) Church.  It is good that a service is being provided, I would like to thank those who have helped this to happen.  It is worth pointing out that library members can use services at all Dundee libraries.

I hope that this disruption will be worth it when Blackness Library re-opens later in the summer.

Salary and Expenses

Over the weekend Dundee City Council published the salary and expenses returns for all elected members you can look at them here.  As you will see in the past year I have claimed the nationally agreed salary for councillors £16,233.96.  I have also used a mobile phone provided by the council which cost £154.66 in the past year.  This bill was paid by the council.  I am happy to answer any questions from constituents on my expenses.  As part of the agreement which came in prior to my election in 2007 the council is also called upon to publish details of the training which councillors undertake, the information is here, I have attended most of these training sessions.

Walking the Breadline - The Scandal of Food Poverty in 21st Century Britain

I welcome the publication of a report by Oxfam and Church Action on Poverty on foodbanks entitled Walking the Breadline.  The report states that food poverty is out of control in the UK and that half a million people are dependent on emergency food aid.  The single biggest cause of hunger is the benefit system.  The report recommends that the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee conduct an urgent inquiry into the relationship between benefit delay, error or sanctions, welfare reform changes and the growth of food poverty.  

I have visited the Dundee Foodbank and I know that the staff and volunteers at the Dundee Foodbank do an excellent job.  They have my full support in their work at this time.  I have supported my colleague Councillor Kevin Keenan who was successful in getting funding for the Common Good Fund for the Foodbank.  The Foodbank is used by people from across the city including in my ward and I cannot praise the work of the staff and volunteers enough, however it is a disgrace that in 2013 a Foodbank is required in Dundee.

I welcome the report from Church Action on Poverty and Oxfam and I support their call for action.  I think that the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee should  carry out an inquiry into the link between the way the benefits system works and the use of Foodbanks.  I also think that Dundee City Council should be recording when it refers people to the Foodbank and look at the reasons for that referral. I will be asking the council to collect this information. 

I also agree with the final recommendation of the report that the UK Government must do all it can to tackle tax dodging as this would return more money to the government and allow the government to offer better support for people.

Please email your MP to asking them to support the recommendations made in the report.

I support the work of Foodbanks and especially the Dundee Foodbank but we must surely be working for a day when such aid is not required.

West End Christmas Fortnight

On Wednesday I attended the first meeting of the year to help with the planning of the West End Christmas Fortnight.  It is never too early to plan for Christmas!  The West End Christmas festivities are a great community event involving the local schools, the local community and many others.

I look forward to working with others to help celebrate Christmas in the West End this year.

Dundee Picture Book Award 2013

On Wednesday I was delighted to attend the Dundee Picture Book Award Ceremony for 2013.  This is a great award which is decided by a combination of Primary Six and Primary One pupils in the city.  It is important to promote reading in the city.  The ceremony on Wednesday was hosted by Hillside Primary School and they did a great job hosting the ceremony.

 Each of the books was read at the event and they were all excellent.  The winner was a book called Orange Juice Peas  by Lari Don, illustrated by Lizzie Wells.  It must have been a close run contest but well done to the winner.  You can see the video above of Lari Don reading her book.  The other books in the running were Christopher's Caterpillars  by Charlotte Middleton, Silly Doggy! by Adam Stower and Love Monster by Rachael Bright.

Well done to the staff of Leisure and Culture Dundee and the City Council's Education Department for their work on this award.

Dundee Rep Board Meeting

On Tuesday evening I attended a meeting of the Board of Dundee Rep.  As ever it was good to hear about the great work which is going on at the Rep.  Kora is currently on at the Rep and in June there is a National Theatre of Scotland production called Let the Right One In. 

The productions on the main stage are just a part of the Rep's work.  I was pleased to point out that I had recently attended a production in the Inspire programme.  This production by primary school pupils who work with the Rep's Creative Learning Department is a great way to interest young people in the theatre.  It was also good to hear about the work that Scottish Dance Theatre were doing.

Dundee Rep is a great resource for the city and it also does a great deal of work to promote Dundee outside of the city.

Roseangle Play Park

There is a meeting this evening set up by a group of local people who want to improve the Roseangle Play Park.  Unfortunately, I have a family commitment and cannot make the meeting this evening but I am fully supportive of their work.  The meeting this evening is in Brae's Below on the Perth Road at 7.30 pm.

On their Facebook page the group say that what they are about is this:

Our local park has an amazing location by Magdalen Green, the Tay River and famous Tay Rail Bridge…but the park is in a sorry state and needs significant improvement. We’re a community group determined to make this happen…come join us!

 

I have met with members of the group and I have told them that I am more than happy to support their work.

 

I have spoken to the City Council's Environment Department about this and I am looking for them to be as supportive as they can be.  It is important that the council works closely with local people to improve and maintain our parks right across the city.

 

If you are on Facebook you can like the Roseangle Play- Park Dundee page to be kept up to date with the campaign.  I wish them the very best of luck in their campaign.

Blackness Primary School Parent Council

On Tuesday evening along with some of my ward colleagues I was happy to attend the latest meeting of the Blackness Primary School Parent Council.  It was good to hear about the great work that goes on at the school.  There are plans for a summer fair early in June and I am sure that parents and friends will hear about the details once they are finalised.

I will be looking for more detail on works planned by the City Council at the school so that I can pass this on to parents.  As a local councillor attending parent council meetings is a really good way to keep in touch with what is going on and to hear about the concerns of local parents.  It is also good to hear about the reality of the decisions which are made at the Education Committee.

Balgay Stakeholders Meeting

On Monday of this week I was pleased to attend the regular meeting of the Balgay Stakeholders Group. Balgay Park is marvellous resource for the West End and beyond.  It was great to see the playpark at Lochee Park  packed on Monday afternoon and to see the bowling green at Lochee Park being used,  Of course this was before the thunder storm came along later in the afternoon but that is summer in Scotland for you.

It was good to hear about the work that is going on between the council and local people.  The Friends of Balgay do a great job promoting the park.  They have recently launched their own website which is well worth looking at.

Dundee City Council and Committees 20 May 2013

Monday evening witnessed the May meeting of the City Council and its committees.  The meetings opened up with the Lord Provost paying tribute to the work of the Dundee Libraries who have won UK Library of the Year, I have previously brought attention to this great achievement.

At the Education Committee I welcomed progress on the replacement of Harris Academy.  I am looking forward to work starting before too long on this important project. I note that there are still some issues to be ironed out with the Scottish Futures Trust about funding.  But I hope that this project will provide jobs for many local people.  Most importantly I hope that this will provide an excellent school for young people in the West End and beyond.

I sought and received some assurance  that organisations which currently use Harris Academy for community activities will be accommodated elsewhere.  I was pleased to hear from the Director of Education that this was being done.

I also asked about the economic impact of Harris Academy being located at Rockwell for the next three years.  I have concerns about the future of the Perth Road shopping area.  I asked the Chief Executive whether he would ensure that the City Development Department will look to support the Perth Road shops and possibly work with the Perth Road traders association which is being formed.  The Chief Executive told me that he thought that the pupils and staff at Harris will be replaced by construction staff and that this will not have a severe impact on the shops in the area.  I hope that he is correct but I will be keeping a close eye on this issue.

At the Environment Committee I welcomed the report on promoting bowling in the city.  I think that the council provides some very good facilities for bowling I do have some concerns that the council needs to improve the locker rooms that go along with council bowling greens to make them more attractive.  I also said that I felt that we should not just assume that bowling is for older people and I wondered why Leisure & Culture Dundee's Sports Development Section or the Active Schools section of the Education Department didn't promote bowling.

I was pleased to see that Dundee City Council had reacted to pressure from Labour in Dundee and was going to bring forward plans to improve tennis facilities in Dundee.  We should be doing all that we can to ensure that if the next Andy Murray is from Dundee that we are doing all we can to assist him or her to achieve their potential in sport.

At the Policy and Resources Committee I spoke on a couple of items.  Firstly on the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014 - Dundee's Pre Games, Games Delivery and Legacy Plans. I think that this is an important report and celebrating the Commonwealth Games being in Scotland is to be welcomed.

The reaction to the torch relay for last year’s Olympics demonstrated that the people of Dundee were enthusiastic about sport and these important national events.

I am sure that the Queen’s Baton Relay event will be popular in the city.  I also welcome the Support a Second Team initiative.  Dundee has strong links with South Africa with Nelson Mandela being a Freeman of the City.  I am sure that we will develop better links with South Africa and also with Belize.

It is also excellent that Dundee will be a host city, I hope that we make  a real effort to promote our city as a result of this.

On the report on the use of the Common Good Fund I was pleased to speak in support of how the money will be spent, I was also pleased to hear that the council will be looking for other ways to support the Foodbank.

I welcome the proposals here for the Common Good Fund.  The Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial is an initiative which I support and which I hope to see come to fruition before too long, the work at Verdant Works is important in maintaining the heritage of our city, the Tayforth Veterans Project is also important working with veterans and ensuring that their contribution to society is recognised and that they receive the support they deserve..

I want to highlight the work of Discovery Credit Union.  In these difficult financial times we should be supporting an ethical financial institution like the credit union.  We have previously highlighted our concerns about pay day loans and I want us to go some way to creating a level playing field for the credit union.  I am pleased that they will be promoting the Credit Union through the common good funds.

I am a long-term supporter of the work of the One World Centre and I welcome the assistance that they are getting here.  In light of the report on the Commonwealth Games there is scope for work from the One World Centre to build better links with South Africa and Belize.

 

Dundee wins Library of the Year

I welcome the news that Dundee has won the Library of the Year award, along with Devon, at the Bookseller Industry Awards.  I am a Trustee of Leisure and Culture Dundee, the organisation which operates Dundee's public libraries.

 

I am delighted that Dundee has won this award.  This is well-deserved recognition of the work of the staff in Dundee's Libraries.  We are fortunate in Dundee that we have a network of libraries across the city which serve the needs of the people of Dundee.  I am glad to see improvements taking place, such as the installation of a lift at Blackness Library in my ward.  Dundee's libraries were commended at the award ceremony for their 'impressive digital participation programme.'  Dundee's libraries have demonstrated that reports of the demise of libraries in the electronic age are overstated.  They have also shown that libraries need to be looking at the changing needs of library users.

 

 

I would just like to offer my congratulations to everyone connected with Dundee's Library Service - well done.