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Daily Record
20-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Grangemouth community demand 'less consulting, more action' from Falkirk Council
The draft of a new masterplan for Grangemouth will now go to public consultation but the public want to see changes soon Falkirk Council chiefs say they have heard 'loud and clear' that people in Grangemouth want them to 'stop consulting and start doing'. Members of Falkirk Council's executive agreed this week to launch a consultation on a new 'spatial vision and masterplan' that they hope will guide the transformation of the town over the next 20 years. Officers say the plan has been developed to tackle some of the key challenges currently affecting local residents, such as the closure of shops and businesses and a lack of high quality, family housing. But councillors made clear that Grangemouth cannot wait for change and that they want to see 'shovels in the ground' as soon as possible. Falkirk Council's head of growth, Michael McGuinness, told the meeting that he recognised that there have been a number of consultation exercises with the community in the last few years. "In engaging with our community, the feedback we've had is 'stop consulting, start doing'," he said. "They want to see changes happening in Grangemouth - that's a real concern." But Mr McGuinness said he believes that the draft plan they are now consulting on "will give us a really strong blueprint for allowing that change to happen". The main aims are: Make the town centre easier to walk and cycle around by improving paths and connections. Develop new housing in and around the town centre to bring more people into the area. Attract new businesses by offering better spaces and supporting mixed-use developments. Improve public spaces with more green areas, seating, and landscaping. As the industry in Grangemouth begins to transition away from fossil fuel-led businesses, the hope is that local people will start to see some of the benefits from an array of investment programmes, strategies and policies that have been introduced. Officers say that a masterplan is vital to pull together and oversee all of the changes that will inevitably affect the town over the next few years. But councillors questioned officers on the value of another consultation - which will cost £70,000. Director of Place Services, Malcolm Bennie, said the document would be crucial to attract funding for the ambitious plans that are being laid and make sure that everything happens "in a considered, planned way". Conservative councillor James Bundy asked how long it would take to see "shovels in the ground", once the final version of the document is ready. Mr McGuinness said that some projects are already ready to get underway as part of the Greener Grangemouth programme, which has funding from UK and Scottish Governments through the area's Growth Deal. "This masterplan leads directly to that so we'd expect to see some shovels in the ground next year but what scale is still to be determined." But Mr McGuinness did admit that masterplans were essentially a longterm commitment that can take "decades" to come to fruition and that funding will be a significant factor. "Our objective is to accelerate that as much as possible and bring forward as much investment into the town centre as we possibly can," he said. "This gives us a tremendous blueprint to do that." Councillors agreed that officers should progress with engagement on the draft masterplan. Once complete, the executive will be asked to approve the final version of the masterplan.
Daily Record
10-06-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Falkirk Council has three times as many complaints as national average
By far the biggest cause for complaint was 'ongoing or incomplete repair times' Falkirk Council has three times the number of complaints compared to the Scottish average, members of its Scrutiny committee heard today (Tuesday). The largest number related to 'ongoing or incomplete repairs' (1030), but in the top ten reasons were also complaints about waste collection (364), staff conduct (206) and housing repairs (188). Stage 1 complaints in Falkirk also included council tenant advice & support (144) and 131 for household waste assisted collections. But the report was keen to highlight that while the council receives a higher number of complaints, "it is quicker to respond and more successful at early resolution". In 2023/24, Falkirk Council received 34 complaints per 1000 of population, compared with the national average of 11.5. The average time it took to respond was six working days, three days quicker than the national average. For stage two complaints, it took on average 20 days, compared with the Scottish average of 22. Of the stage one complaints, in Falkirk ten per cent were fully upheld - compared with the Scottish average of 32 per cent. At the first stage, 30 per cent of complaints were resolved quickly, compared to the Scottish average of 14 per cent. Stage 2 outcomes saw eight per cent of Falkirk's complaints being fully upheld, compared to the Scottish average of 26 per cent. Of the 47 complaints that have gone to the Scottish Public Ombudsman Service, just one was upheld. Members were also cautioned that not all councils provide the same services so making direct comparisons is not always possible. Some local authorities do not have housing or building maintenance departments, while these are by far the most common areas for complaints to Falkirk Council. Last year, 1030 stage one complaints concerned 'ongoing or incomplete repairs'. Members heard that "a lot of activity" is ongoing to improve the repairs procedure, which has already led to a fall in complaints, from 1347 last year. Members were told that ongoing training to give the workforce "bolt-on skills" is expected to have a big impact on improving customer satisfaction, as will a recently introduced booking system for appointments. The Director of Place Services, Malcolm Bennie, added that it was important to see the figures in context. "Every year we carry out around 40.000 repairs so the 1300 complaints you see before is actually 2-3 per cent. "I'm not saying those complaints are not important. We will drive service improvement wherever we can but it's important when you see a large number like that you have to understand the context that tens of thousands of repairs are happening. "We do tenant satisfaction checks with tenants about how happy they are with the repairs that are carried out and typically the scores are very high. "The BMD service is actually working well, on an improvement journey, and we are looking forward to coming back to Scrutiny later this year with a full suite of information." With just one year's figures to compare, Councillor Gordon Forrest was concerned at the lack of data from previous years, which would allow them to "see the bigger picture". He was told it had not been retained due to data protection rules but anonymised data that has been collated will be kept from now on to make future comparison. Councillor Alf Kelly also wanted to fully understand why complaints were dropping, saying: "If we don't know why complaints are dropping, we don't know where we are succeeding." Councillor Lorna Binnie said she was particularly concerned to see 206 complaints about staff conduct and wanted to understand more about the reasons for these, and how many had been upheld. Director of communities, Karen Algie, assured members that all complaints about staff conduct are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated. The figures are reported to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) which says councils must have processes in place to learn from complaints and use this learning to improve service delivery.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction of new community center in Snellville to start in May
The City of Snellville announced construction on a new community center at Briscoe Park is expected to start in early May. The $11.3 million Community Center will be in T.W. Briscoe Park and is supposed to begin construction on May 5. City officials said the site will be about 34,000 square feet and have two basketball courts, an indoor walking track, outdoor pavilion, two multi-purpose activity rooms and one aerobics room. The project will be near the current Snellville Parks and Recreation office, according to the city. 'This is a project that has been in the conceptual discussion phase for over 20 years,' Mayor Barbara Bender said. 'It's very exciting to get to this point. We look forward to the Community Center at T.W. Briscoe Park becoming a place where people can exercise, stay fit and healthy, relax, and gather together for decades to come.' Goodwin Mills Cawood is the designer for the new facility, with construction handled by Place Services, Inc. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The city said the buildout should be done by summer 2026. 'Briscoe Park offers our visitors over 95 acres of natural, passive areas and active recreation space for programming, all in one beautiful setting,' Lisa A. Platt, Director of Parks and Recreation, said. 'With the addition of the T.W. Briscoe Community Center, Snellville Parks and Recreation will be able to elevate our service and programming for the community and continue working toward our vision for innovative programming, to provide recreational opportunities that ensure quality of life for all in mind, body and spirit.' TRENDING STORIES: Real check, fake story: Georgia man accused of stealing $32 million in tax refunds 'You're up next:' Uber opens waitlist for autonomous rides with Waymo in Atlanta Woman shot, killed at DeKalb County motel Most of the funding for the project is sourced from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, approved by voters in 2023 for recreation projects, officials said. Another portion of funding is from a separate SPLOST approved in 2017 as well as a $900,000 grant from Gwinnett County through a federal Community Development Block Grant program. According to Snellville, visitors going to Briscoe Park should get ready for the following limited impacts: East Park Drive will be closed in its entirety from Lenora Church Road to the four-way stop at Sawyer Parkway inside Briscoe Park Outdoor basketball courts will be closed beginning May 5. The courts will be removed in order for the new Community Center to be built. Indoor courts will be available for play once the center is completed and new outdoor basketball courts are planned for future implementation of the Park Master Plan. Parking for Staley Field will be in front of the Parks and Recreation Office or at the lots near the softball fields. The fitness trail behind the park office will remain open initially, but will be re-routed at various times to accommodate multiple phases of the construction process. The city will host a May 1 groundbreaking for the new community center on May 1 at 4:30 p.m. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Free evening and overnight parking axed by council
A council has voted to introduce a charge for evening and overnight parking. Currently, car parking is free after 18:00 in nearly all of Dorset Council's car parks. The authority's cabinet approved a flat £2.50 charge from the summer, as well as plans for a new annual overnight permit. Councillor Jon Andrews, in charge of Place Services, said the extra income was necessary to pay for other services. The Liberal Democrat said: "Nobody wants to see parking charges increase but, with demands on Dorset Council's services increasing while government funding continues to dwindle, we need to deliver a balanced budget that protects the vital services we provide." Melcombe Regis councillor Jon Orrell told the cabinet meeting: "Night-time charges will hit evening business in my area and they're already struggling as it is." The Green Party member said many car parks would also see 5% fee increases from April. Labour councillor Kate Wheller, representing Rodwell and Wyke, told the meeting she was concerned people might not be able to afford permits. The new £2.50 charge would apply between 18:00 and 08:00. The overnight permit, allowing parking between 17:00 and 09:00, would cost about £50 a year, it was proposed. The council also urged residents to consider buying short-stay or flexi-stay permits, which would include overnight parking. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Council proposes new evening car parking charges Car park charges cut in busy tourist hotspots Dorset Council
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Dorset Council ends free evening and overnight parking
A council has voted to introduce a charge for evening and overnight car parking is free after 18:00 in nearly all of Dorset Council's car authority's cabinet approved a flat £2.50 charge from the summer, as well as plans for a new annual overnight Jon Andrews, in charge of Place Services, said the extra income was necessary to pay for other services. The Liberal Democrat said: "Nobody wants to see parking charges increase but, with demands on Dorset Council's services increasing while government funding continues to dwindle, we need to deliver a balanced budget that protects the vital services we provide."Melcombe Regis councillor Jon Orrell told the cabinet meeting: "Night-time charges will hit evening business in my area and they're already struggling as it is."The Green Party member said many car parks would also see 5% fee increases from councillor Kate Wheller, representing Rodwell and Wyke, told the meeting she was concerned people might not be able to afford new £2.50 charge would apply between 18:00 and 08: overnight permit, allowing parking between 17:00 and 09:00, would cost about £50 a year, it was council also urged residents to consider buying short-stay or flexi-stay permits, which would include overnight parking. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, external, X, external, or Instagram, external.
