Glad I don't live in the Argyll And Bute council area

[jdfc]

I am furious about this 10% unnecessary increase in the council tax which voted through by the incompetent Argyll and Bute Councillors.
You may have seen Councillor Robin Currie who is the Leader of Argyll and Bute Council.
The is hopeless as a councillor and only replies to emails from his constituents when the local authority elections are coming up.
I have already sent an email to the three Argyll and Bute Councillors who represent the Kintyre and the Islands council ward which covers the island of Islay namely Councillor Robin Currie, Councillor Alastair ‘Bob’ Redman and Councillor Dougie McFadzen complaining bitterly about this ridiculous and unnecessary 10% increase in the Argyll and Bute Council tax.
It will be interesting to see if I receive a reply from any of them. I am hopeful that I might receive a reply from Councillor McFadzen (See below).
Councillor McFadzen comes from the Motherwell area and he supports Motherwell FC.
The other two Councillors are Ileachs who are frightened to put heads above the parapet let alone answer an email!!
Last Tuesday 20th February 2024 when it was first announced that the Argyll and Bute Council officials wanted a 6.1% increase in the Council tax for the 2024/25 financial year I wrote an email Councillors Currie, Redman and McFadzen advising them that there was no need to increase the council tax as they were receiving the same amount from the Scottish Government as they were proposing to increase the council tax by.
I received a reply from Councillor McFadzen but not Councillors Currie and Redman.

Why do you think they should/would reply to you, you don’t live there, you should have copied in John Nelms

[noahrab]

As long as everyone has to pay 10% more that seems progress.

Seems good to me.

They get other services like ferries etc that we in Dundee don’t get.

[islaydarkblue]

If anyone is thinking of having a driving holiday in the Argyll and Bute Council they better be prepared for the non trunk pot hole ridden roads which come under the responsibility of Argyll and Bute Council.

I have made a slight mistake in my above post.
I should have posted that if anyone is thinking of having a driving holiday in Argyll and Bute they better be prepared for driving on the non trunk pot hole riddled roads which come under the responsibility of Argyll and Bute Council.
Transport Scotland are responsible for repair and maintenance the A83 and A85 trunk roads in the Argyll and Bute Council area which includes the Rest and be Thankful section of the A83.
Sorry for the error. It was late and it had been long day thanks to these irresponsible Argyll and Bute Councillors who are not interested in their council taxpayers unless the local authority elections are coming up.

[islaydarkblue]

Seems good to me.

They get other services like ferries etc that we in Dundee don’t get.

You have the Tay Road Bridge in Dundee which no longer has any tolls and an excellent dual carriageway road network around Dundee.
There are no dual carriageway roads in the whole of the Argyll and Bute Council area.
You should try moving to live in the Argyll and Bute Council area in Islay and you will soon change your tune.
The ferries are residents of the Scottish islands ‘bridge’ to the Mainland.
Please do your homework before posting on this topic.

[islaydarkblue]

Why do you think they should/would reply to you, you don’t live there, you should have copied in John Nelms

Please get your facts right.
We live in the Argyll and Bute Council area and pay our council tax to Argyll and Bute Council getting very little in return for our council tax.

[jdfc]

Please get your facts right.
We live in the Argyll and Bute Council area and pay our council tax to Argyll and Bute Council getting very little in return for our council tax.

You posted lately that you stayed in Dundee

[Dens Park Dynamo]

Please get your facts right.

Oh the irony!!

[Returnofrros]

Please get your facts right.
We live in the Argyll and Bute Council area and pay our council tax to Argyll and Bute Council getting very little in return for our council tax.

I take it, it hasn't went Doon well with the locals?

[Deeranged]

Please get your facts right.
We live in the Argyll and Bute Council area and pay our council tax to Argyll and Bute Council getting very little in return for our council tax.

Which part of the Argyle And Bute Council area is within walking distance of Cleppy Road?

[islaydarkblue]

I enclose a list of all the Argyll and Bute Council Councillors salaries and expenses for the 2022/23 Council Tax year. https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/sites...%202022-23.pdf
The Argyll and Bute Councillors which represent the Kintyre and the Islands ward including the island of Islay are
Councillor Robin Currie
Councillor Dougie McFadzen
Councillor Alastair ‘Bob’ Redman.
Councillor Currie who was interviewed on BBC Reporting Scotland last night regarding the councillors voting in favour of raising the Council Tax by 10% is Leader of Argyll and Bute Council and he has the highest expenses which gave him a combined total of salary and expenses totalling over £53,000 during the period 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023.
Councillor Robin Currie has been an Argyll and Bute Councillor for over 25 years and he has done nothing to improve the infrastructure and services on Islay bringing them up to date.
His expenses are lower than they were pre Covid as during the Covid pandemic Argyll and Bute Council managed to hold all their council meetings by video conferencing with Councillors sitting in their home instead of them all traipsing to the Argyll and Bute Council HQ at Kilmory which is next door to Lochgilphead for Council meetings.
Yvonne O’Donnell who is the Policy Lead for Education ( also known in other local authorities as the Education Convenor) salary and expenses were over £30,000 during 2022/23.
Around 2016 I sent an email to Councillor Yvonne O’Donnell complaining about Minard PS which had only one pupil and was costing the Argyll and Bute Council taxpayers about £100,000 per year to keep it open.
I received a one paragraph reply from Councillor Yvonne O’Donnell which contained two spelling mistakes and she managed to spell both the Christian name and the Surname of the Argyll and Bute Council acting Head of Education incorrectly.
You could not make it up.
Minard PS has subsequently closed as their one pupil was spending most of its school day at Furnace PS which is about three miles along the A83 from Minard.
Councillors in every local authority throughout Scotland do not require any qualifications to be elected as long as they represent the political party which is likely to be elected in their council ward.
In my opinion every local authority councillor should stand as an independent councillor which would mean that they would have to decide what is best for the residents in their own Council ward instead of voting on party lines with the ruling group of councillors on Argyll and Bute Council voting for this 10% council tax increase.
Councillor Robin Currie and Councillor Alastair ‘Bob’ Redman are members of the ruling group of Argyll and Bute Councillors.