Last night, my weekly ward surgeries resumed at Blackness Primary School after the school summer break. You can get details of all my weekly surgeries here, including the new location (West Park Centre each Monday during school term time).
After yesterday's surgery, I attended the August meeting of the West End Local Community Planning Partnership (LCPP) that took place at the Tartan Coffee House on Perth Road. The LCPP brings together West End councillors and representatives from the council, other public sector bodies, voluntary/communitiy group representatives and the third sector - all of whom work in or live in and have an interest in the West End.
There was a presentation by Gill Bain about the possibility of a West End Timebank (see article on this immediately below), and also an update on the current consultation on Dundee's housing allocation policy). We also had a useful discussion on a number of West End issues, notably on derelict buildings in parts of the ward, an issue have I campaigned for progress on for a considerable period.
I made clear my view that the City Council must do all it can to tackle this issue and bring empty properties back into a positive use.
The LCPP also discussed how it can better promote its activities with the people of the West End. With the impending completion of the improvement works at Blackness Library that, for the first time, make the upstairs meeting facilities accessible to people with mobility difficulties, future LCPP meetings will take place there, the next quarter's one taking place on Thursday 21st November.