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Daily Record
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Anger as Falkirk Council regeneration work leaves pavements 'unsafe'
Anger as Falkirk Council regeneration work leaves pavements 'unsafe' A Bonnybridge resident has hit out at the uneven pavements and multiple trip hazards that have yet to be fixed Bonnybridge resident Kris Procek says the pavements have multiple trip hazards (Image: LDRS ) A Bonnybridge parent says work by Falkirk Council to improve the road and pavements around the toll at the heart of the village has been left unfinished and unsafe for pedestrians. The work is part of a £460,000 improvement project that includes resurfacing the roads and pavements around the toll, as well as upgrades to Memorial Park. But resident Kris Procek says the pavements around the toll have been left uneven and full of trip hazards, with no work having been done for days. Read more: Falkirk councillors agree new training to promote 'respectful politics' Kris's 13-year-old son is a wheelchair user so he is acutely aware of how uneven surfaces can be particularly dangerous for disabled and elderly people as well as children. Having raised his concerns through the 'Bonnybridge Banter' page on Facebook, many locals have backed him up, agreeing that the work is unsatisfactory. But Kris says that although he has now reported his concerns to Falkirk Council, he has not yet had a response. The council has now said that some of the work in the area was affected by heavy rainfall and it will be redone. Kris Procek says the unfinished work not only looks unsightly but is also unsafe (Image: LDRS ) But Kris says the area should never have been left in such a condition without warning signs, barriers or coverings, and with no indication of when the work will be completed. He points out the irony that work to upgrade the pedestrian crossing - with a textured surface to warn blind and visually impaired people that there is a crossing - is now a trip hazard. "It's a trip hazard waiting to happen - particularly for elderly, disabled or partially sighted people," he said. "I know that if I brought my son here in his wheelchair there is a good chance that it would burst a tyre. "I would expect that anything like this to have temporary covers in place at least." Just yards away, safety barriers have been left piled up, leaving the area "in a complete state, with no sign of anybody coming back". Kris is most concerned at the stretch of road that leads from the toll towards Falkirk, where there are two drain covers sticking up an inch above the tarmac surface. "There is no barrier between the pavement and the road and if someone was to trip there is a high risk they could go straight onto the road. Work is unfinished at Bonnybridge Toll (Image: LDRS ) "I hate to think of the consequences." Kris says that leaving the area in such a condition is "disrespectful" to Bonnybridge residents who had welcomed the project, which is part of a bigger regeneration project. Kris said: "To be fair, the road is much, much better, which is great! "But what has completely tainted that is that the pavements have not been finished and people are just genuinely hacked off. "It is just not acceptable to leave this area unfinished, with the pavements in this condition. "We have no idea what the timescale is here - no-one knows when they will be coming back to finish the job." A spokesperson for Falkirk Council said: 'A further site inspection has taken place yesterday (Wednesday) and some minor patching will take place in more pronounced areas. "During recent pavement works, heavy rain affected the quality of the surface laid. This section will be removed and resurfaced to ensure a better final finish. "Work on this contract has to take place on a Sunday to reduce the disruption to retailers and looking at the weather forecast, it is expected that the area in front of the shops will see work completed later this month. "The resurfacing is part of a wider £460,000 investment in Bonnybridge this summer and includes road and pavement upgrades, new kerbs, and safety improvements. 'Once work at Bonnybridge Toll is complete, focus will shift to Memorial Park, where upgrades will improve access and appearance, including new paths, landscaping, and resurfaced areas. There is also a pump track planned for later in the year.' Article continues below For more Falkirk stories, sign up to our newsletter here.
Daily Record
27-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Falkirk councillors support push for young carers to get a break
Members also agreed to support the annual Young Carers Action Day and sign a covenant pledging their support Falkirk councillors unanimously agreed to give their support to young carers and push for their right to get a break when needed. At a meeting of Falkirk Council this week, a joint motion was proposed by Labour Councillor Anne Hannah who highlighted the "fantastic job" that carers do - in particular young carers. She said: "At the end of this week, we will be going into recess and many of us will be going off to have a break. Carers do not have that option and young carers are often doing a job 365 days a year or 366 in a leap year." Her motion asked the council to write to the Scottish Government asking it to support young carers' right to a break. Councillors also agreed to sign up to the UK wide Young Carers Covenant and support the annual Young Carers Action Day, which takes place in March. Cllr Hannah said: "There will no costs involved to the council but we are asking the Scottish Government to take up this issue." She praised the work that is already being done to support young carers but added: "We can always do more!" The SNP's Councillor Fiona Collie seconded the motion and said she was very aware of the excellent work that is being done in Scotland, although she agreed "there is much more to do". Cllr Collie said she herself had cared for her disabled father, adding it was an experience that: "I would and could not regret for a moment". "I value every second we had with him - but it came at a cost," she said. "Being a young carer or young adult carer brings significant challenges in all areas of a young person's life - often reduced educational opportunities and life chances, with a life much different from their peers." But, she added: "We can change this picture. It's important that we support young carers as early as we can and make a commitment to doing so across the services that we provide young people." Cllr Collie told the meeting : "I didn't know I was a carer. I had no idea that I'd been one. "It's testament to the work of Young Carers and the organisations working with them that today we are talking about young carers, Young Carers Action Day and the covenant and how we as councillors and as a council, and through the HSCP can deliver the support that they need to thrive." Councillors from all parties and Independents gave their support to the motion unanimously.
Daily Record
27-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Councillor claims Falkirk's 15.6% council tax rise could have been lower
Councillor Laura Murtagh says it feels like the main political parties are saying 'It's ma ba' and you're no playing!' A Falkirk councillor has said that the district's massive council tax rise "might not have been so high" if Independent councillors had been part of a group that helps set the council's budget. Councillor Laura Murtagh, whose budget proposing a 15.6 per cent rise in council tax to save vital services, told a meeting of Falkirk Council yesterday (Thursday) that Independent members should have been given an earlier say in discussions. She was proposing that members who are not in the main political parties be given a place on the council's Financial Strategy Group - which discusses how the council can make enough savings to allow it to set a budget - as well as an invitation to discussions when group leaders are involved. Her motion, however, was not backed by any of the three main parties which led Cllr Murtagh to comment: "What is being asked for is not in any way unreasonable. "To be a bit tongue-in-cheek, it kind of feels a bit like, 'It's ma ba', it's ma rules and yous arnae playing'." She told the meeting: "It's just maths, never mind politics, to acknowledge that no single party or Independents can pass a budget by themselves. "Excluding members who can make an important and effective contribution to that process is totally counter-productive - it's also offensive and democratically reprehensible." She pointed out that the budget that finally won enough support to pass in February was put forward by Independents. She said: "Could that budget have been better? Absolutely! But had more open discussion been available and included those who ultimately went on to develop the successful budget, we might have been able to come to a better compromise. "We might have been able to have a lower council tax! "We certainly would have cost the council less money in terms of officer time frustration, repetition and indeed saved some of our citizens the anxiety and pain of worrying that some of our services were going to be cut." The SNP administration, Labour and Conservative groups countered Cllr Murtagh's motion with an amendment which pointed out that Falkirk Council's standing orders define a main opposition group as having at least ten per cent of council membership (three councillors). The winning amendment suggests that any changes should be considered through an ongoing Collaborative Leadership review, "which includes a number of recommendations" and a phased action plan. They also say that Independent members all currently have the opportunity to meet with council officials, including the Chief Finance Officer. In the meantime, members agreed, representation should remain unchanged. Baillie James Kerr proposed the three main parties' joint motion, saying that "80 per cent of the council agreed on the amendment." "I believe that the ongoing review of the Collaborative Leadership should take its course and we should then have a debate to see if that's the way we continue forward," he said. Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn said Cllr Murtagh's "impassioned speech" demonstrated some of the reasons "why we shouldn't be making a decision on this today", as she had talked about having less restrictions and no party structures. "By going through the collaborative leadership process we can have a better understanding of how the Independents could interact constructively within the remit of the financial strategy group," she said. There are currently six councillors who are not members of mainstream political parties: two are members of the Non-Aligned Independents Group, three are Independent and one is a Reform councillor. The Labour group leader Cllr Anne Hannah said she does have some concerns that "such a large portion of councillors are not actually involved in the process", but she said she would prefer change to be implemented "in a measured manner through the Collaborative Leadership process, which is already ongoing". Councillor Brian McCabe, of the Non-Aligned Independent Group, supported Cllr Murtagh's call, saying: "Councillors find themselves repeatedly impacted by not receiving information; not having committee memberships/briefings; and therefore, not having an adequate say in the council decision-making process. " All councillors not within the Administration or a main political group (as defined under the Council's current standing orders), are regarded as Independent members, devoid of representation, unable to engage in meaningful policy discussion. "It's their ba'. And they're no for playing!"
Daily Record
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Falkirk council say action needed to tackle 'epidemic of violence' against women
Members of all parties supported the motion to tackle the issue 'head on' and highlight the support available Falkirk councillors unanimously agreed that more action needs to be taken at a local level to tackle an "epidemic of violence against women and girls". Labour councillor Siobhan Paterson was supported in her request to "tackle the issue head on" by the SNP's Stacey Devine, with the backing of Falkirk Council' s Conservative group and Independent members. In her speech, Councillor Paterson highlighted that "worldwide we've seen a sharp rise of online misogyny and abuse towards women". Falkirk has consistently high levels of domestic violence in particular, she said, while in the last ten years Police Scotland have seen a 50 per cent increase in sexual crimes across the country. She added: "We must recognise that Falkirk has above average incidents of domestic violence as well as persistently high amounts of child protection registrations as a result of domestic abuse. "So then it is right that we give our focus to tackling the issue head on through offering the right support at the right time, tackling misogyny and unhealthy relationships through schools as well as activism." Cllr Paterson said her intention was to raise awareness of the scale of the issue but also to ensure that women are aware of the support that is available to them. She stressed that the council's ability to make an impact "should not be underestimated" and added that she wanted to highlight the "amazing work" that is currently been done in the area. In the motion jointly agreed by all groups, the council pledged to intensify its work with survivors, local specialists, and 'by and for' services to keep the focus on violence against women and girls. They also want to ensure that age - and stage - appropriate education on healthy relationships is available across Falkirk schools. SNP councillor Stacey Devine spoke as a survivor of domestic abuse and she also praised the work that is already happening in the area by the council and its partners. "I am a survivor of domestic abuse, so I speak first hand about how important it is to tackle this head-on. "It's important to acknowledge the lived experience of women and girls and to understand that this experience is one that a lot of women, share regardless of their background or position in society. Councillors also agreed that the council would take part in and promote the national campaign to highlight violence against women and girls, 16 Days of Action, in November. A report on the actions that have been undertaken as a result of the motion will be made to a Falkirk Council meeting by January next year.
Daily Record
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Falkirk council strip religious representatives of education voting rights
The council agreed that the three religious representatives could still take part in debates, but that the decision making powers should rest with elected members. Falkirk Council has voted to remove the voting rights of the religious representatives on its executive when discussing education matters. At a meeting of the full council yesterday (Thursday) members agreed that the three religious representatives will still be welcome to take part in debates but will no longer be able to vote. Councillors said they wanted to ensure that major decisions - such as whether a school should be closed or not - should only be taken by democratically elected members who are fully accountable to the public. At the meeting, deputation was made on behalf of Archbishop Leo Cushley and the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. Declan McGavin read a statement from Archbishop Cushley which said the presence of a Catholic representative was the result of "a long-standing partnership between church and state that was not built on power but trust". He added: "Taking away our vote and effectively our input into matters relating to Catholic education would be a great betrayal of that trust. "To strip our representatives of their vote while retaining their right to speak sends a message to the community and says to us that your voice will be heard but it will not count." In a written submission to the council, David Seel, who represents the Evangelical group of churches also expressed concerns. He said: "Removing voting rights from religious reps—when we are often among the most experienced, engaged, and constructive members of these committees—sends a damaging message: that the only voices worth listening to are elected or secular. This is narrow, not inclusive." But members of Falkirk Council stressed that the experience of the religious representatives would still be valued. Proposing the cross-party motion, SNP councillor Iain Sinclair said: "The motion makes clear that in removing voting rights, we do not seek to diminish the voice of religious representatives. "To those impacted by these changes, I want to make it crystal clear that your guidance, insight and experience is a vital part of our decision-making process." Falkirk no longer has a separate education committee, so matters are now referred to the council's executive every second month. By law, local authorities in Scotland must appoint three religious representatives to their education committees, at least one of whom must be appointed by the Roman Catholic Church and one by the Church of Scotland. Falkirk Council also has several non-voting members who attend the education part of the executive; two teachers, a parent, two pupils and a care experienced representative. SNP councillor Fiona Collie, seconding the motion, said the change would put all non-councillor members "on the same footing". Independent councillor Laura Murtagh, who had originally asked for a report on the subject, said many councils, including Falkirk, now have minority administrations, which effectively means religious representatives "hold the balance of power". "This is about democratic accountability and reflecting the views of a modern, democratic society," she said. "This report is about ensuring that anyone charged with the responsibility of taking decisions - for example whether a school should close - does so from a legitimate, elected and accountable position." Cllr Murtagh also put forward her own motion asking the council to look at inviting members of the Scottish Youth Parliament to encourage more young people to get involved but this was not supported.
