BILL MCINTOSH

GREAT BRITON

After a rather hectic spell in Council land, I was lucky enough during the Council recess to get away for a week in the sun. Wifie and I flew from Prestwick over the Easter weekend, and it was good to see the airport so busy. Back home in Troon, despite the state of the economy, it's not all doom and gloom. I see that the Tower Hotel has re-opened, work has started on the burnt down shell of Lido, Mackay's Bar is under new management, and a Troon Food Bank has been launched. There's a Troon Library Day on 27th April, we'll have the Troon 10k run early in May - though sadly I am writing this after the recent explosions at the Boston Marathon - and with the Glasgow Taxi Outing on 19th June and Gala Day on 23rd June, it looks like we are finally escaping winter's grasp.

The beginning of April saw the introduction of Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue, the new national services which locally replace the Strathclyde services, but we are assured we shall receive the same level of service we received in the past.

For families across the country, we are now into a period of major stress - it's exam time, and students everywhere are caught up in the annual exams season. Good luck to all of you. On the sporting front, as I write, Marr Rugby Club will this coming weekend be at Murrayfield to compete in the National Shield Final against Livingston. Fingers crossed.

Back in Council land, it's only another couple of months until the summer recess, so I expect to be very busy for the next few weeks as we process lots of initiatives. Maybe over the next couple of months I can give you a flavour of what we've been up to in this first year of the new Administration on the Council.

I am writing this piece for Going Out on the day of the funeral of Baroness Thatcher, and I wish to take this opportunity to pay my respects in print to Margaret Thatcher - A Great Leader, A Transformational Prime Minister, and A Great Briton.

Meantime, the rain has stopped and the wind has eased, so I am off to do a bit of gardening.

Bill McIntosh

(Ward 1 - Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party)

Tel. 318145 e: bill.mcintosh@south-ayrshire.gov.uk