Councillor's Column - Dougie Philand, January 3 2025

On December 20 a special meeting of the full council was held. The main business of the meeting was a proposal to consult on a visitor levy for overnight accommodation.

This is a contentious issue and I make mention of this as consultation will commence early this month for 12 weeks.

It is important the council hears all views, either positive or negative, to enable a decision to be taken later in the year.

I must stress it is a consultation at this stage and hope we get as much engagement as possible on this important issue. More information can be found at  Visitor Levy Guidance I VisitScotland.org

Provost Duties

I was present at the annual Argyll and Dunbartonshire police awards ceremony in Helensburgh. This was an eye-opening event as local police were being presented awards for incidents above and beyond their duties some of those were life saving events.

I was so impressed by the dedication of our police service and was privileged to be present at such a humbling experience.

It was with much regret that we heard of the passing of a former councillor Robert MacIntyre, who faithfully served his community of Bute for over 22 years. Robert was depute leader of the council and area committee chairman - both positions he held with high esteem. It was a privilege to be in attendance, representing the council in recognition of all his service to residents in Argyll and Bute and Bute in particular.

I will now sign off for this year and thank everyone for their support and wish all the readers and constituents a very happy and prosperous New Year and look forward to catching up in 2025.