THE END OF SUMMER

I checked my Chambers Dictionary the other day to see what summer actually is. Chambers advises me that it is "the warmest season of the year." Maybe so, but in our part of the world it also rained, it was windy, there was even a bit of flooding in places. While people in other parts of the UK still consider that we are in holiday mode, the reality hereabouts is that the leaves on the trees are autumnal, the nights are drawing in, and we will soon be looking out our warmer clothing for the months ahead. As I write this, I am off soon to a wedding in Aberdeenshire this weekend, but due to the weather forecasts we are all being advised to take along our umbrellas. Still, it's not all bad: the school exam results have been published, and the South Ayrshire results were at record levels, so well done to all of the pupils, teachers and parents who worked so hard to achieve this excellent performance. In the Council we have won an international award for our newly introduced e-books service in our libraries, and this is proving popular with members of the public. Check it out at Troon library or visit: www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/ereads

Earlier this month I was invited to be a panel member when BBC Scotland's radio programme Brian Taylor's Big Debate visited Troon's Walker Hall. The debate was a lively one, and everyone who came along to listen or to join in the debate seemed to enjoy themselves as we considered a range of topics from the audience, such as budget deficits, tall hedges, the release of Al-Megrahi and Scottish compassion, meat from cloned cows and, of course, potholes. On the potholes issue, we are making progress, though the scale of the problem nationally is significant. Even Graeme Obree, the cyclist and a fellow panel member on the day, told us that in his experience of cycling around, the pothole situation is improving. A recent report from Audit Scotland stated "Scotland's economy is in recession. The public sector is under the greatest financial pressure since devolution." So, whatever we are looking ahead to will be challenging. In Council land we are working away at how we might balance the books locally, and we are all well aware that difficult choices will be required. I am not yet in a position to give details of what lies ahead - indeed, further clarification from London and Edinburgh will be needed before we know the full scale of what lies before us, but rest assured that we are committed to building on the good work already done.

I read in a recent Going Out, that one of my fellow Troon Councillors is bemoaning a past Council budget decision on grass cutting. Interestingly, I understand that the Ombudsman has adjudged that grass cutting is not a statutory duty for the Council, and that Councils are not obliged to cut even grass on their own land. In view of the economic situation, all Councils will require to make savings, and some of the decisions to achieve these savings will be unpalatable, but this is the reality that we face in these difficult times.

Bill McIntosh