Action plan for 'talking shop'

Peter Swindon • Published 24 Jun 2009 16:42 0 Comments

Cowdenbeath Area Committee"s nine councillors have set out their priorities for the first time.

Members meet monthly to rubber stamp reports and run the rule over planning applications.

But some have complained that the committee is simply a 'talking shop' with little influence on council policy.

A draft "Workplan" has now been drawn up by councillors from three wards - Cowdenbeath, The Lochs, and Lochgelly and Cardenden - two years after the committee first convened.

Improvements to education, housing and social work services are prioritised, along with pledges to reopen Cowdenbeath"s public toilets, secure a future for Brunton House and demolish derelict buildings which blight towns and villages across the area.

'It has been a talking shop,' admitted Councillor Willie Clarke, who chairs the committee, 'but I think we"ll now see it developing.

'There"s a limit to what can be done - we saw that when we were overruled by a strategic committee and Cowdenbeath"s public toilets were closed - but I think we can become a pressure group.

'By setting out issues that need to be tackled, not only can we examine progress, we can let the public know what we"re doing. I think that"s crucial - that we"re clear and open.

'By doing this, I hope more people will come to the committee meetings and table questions or seek support for an issue.'

Relevant council departments will be expected to prepare plans which set out how each priority is to be tackled and produce quarterly progress reports.

Lead officer for the area committee, Derek Muir, said, 'It is anticipated that as the relationship between local partnerships and the committee grow, so too will the opportunities for the committee to influence the actions of local, and ultimately, strategic partnerships.'

Councillor Clarke added, 'Cowdenbeath Area Committee can and will exert pressure.'

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