I shall be surprised if the Conservative candidate Amanda Hampsey gets a lot of votes in the next Westminster general election after she voted for an increase of 10 per cent in the council tax.
Any pensioner who pays council tax in Argyll and Bute will find that the increase in their pension by the triple lock will be wiped out.
The Scottish Government increased the money allocated to councils to assist them to freeze the council tax. That money will not now go to Argyll and Bute Council. The sum ear marked for Argyll and Bute was £800,000.
Allan Macaskill, by email.
I have been following your articles on the situation at the Rockfield Centre.
What about part of the building being a standalone Gaelic School? This would be a first for Argyll and Bute and also provide the centre with income 12 months a year allowing it to continue activities in the evening, weekends and during school holidays.
What better year to promote this as the national MÒd returns to its birthplace here in Oban this October. If you keep doing the same you keep getting the same, so it’s time to think differently.
R Mc Cuish, Oban.
As the debate about Lochaber having a National Park and the perceived economic benefits it would bring to the area, rages on, I was interested to read a quotation from John Muir the father of National Parks who wrote: “These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar.”
Iain Thornber, Morvern.
I left Oban in 1979 and recently returned to live here. It has been pleasing to note that some great improvements have been made by the council; the (mostly) improved walkways and lighting, Stafford Street and the visitor pontoons.
Bid4Oban is doing a great job marketing the town and we have many excellent retail shops, restaurants, pubs and accommodation.
Puzzling, though, is the lack of a solution to probably the biggest bugbear locally – parking.
Having been involved in countless tourism destination projects across Asia, one of the very first items to be thought through is parking, whether for cars, buses, motorhomes, minibuses and so on, and whether they be drop-off, pick-up, short-stay or long-stay.
I realise it is difficult retrospectively to build proper infrastructure in an established environment but, it seems to me that with the right vision plus consensus and drive from all key stakeholders, the issue could be resolved.
In my view, a well-designed multi-storey car park at the Corran Halls would appear to make sense. It would be highly visible to the majority of the people entering Oban by road and would deter a number from driving deeper into an already congested centre. Put in some decent loos, good lighting and make it a pleasurable first impression of Oban.
These ideas have quite probably been raised before and should anyone wish to educate me further on this, or other suggested solutions, please don’t hesitate to contact me on watsonjohng@hotmail.com. I am happy to lend fresh eyes to anything that helps improve our tourism offering and reduces local frustration.
John Watson, Oban.
I want to thank all those who make a positive impact on the beauty of Oban through their regular litter picking. There are some parts of the town, previously blighted by litter, that are now so much cleaner. One volunteer recently collected more than 40 bags of waste from one glen!
It would be wonderful if these regular volunteers could be supported by as many folk as possible on March 22-24, when we will be holding our next Oban Spring Clean. Whether volunteering as a group or as individuals, there are opportunities for all to be involved. This year we’ll have a hub in Tesco car park from 10am on Saturday 23rd.
Alternatively, if readers would like to borrow equipment, I can be contacted on c.rizos@btinternet.com or 07891 543540.
The Oban Spring Clean is when we all come together and make a positive impact. We hope that plenty of people will join in.
Claire Rizos, Keep Oban Beautiful.
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