COUNCILLORS are expected to discuss how to spend £650,000 left over from the CHORD regeneration works this month.

Proposals for how to use the underspend are on the agenda at next meeting of the Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee meeting on December 13.

Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) submitted a ‘wish list’ to the area committee which contained ideas for spending some or all of the surplus cash.

Ideas suggested include increasing the number of artworks in the outdoor museum, maintaining elements of the CHORD works such as the flower beds, benches and bins and resurfacing pavements in town.

Speaking at HCC’s meeting last week, convener, Norman Muir, again raised his disappointment at the lack of dialogue with local Argyll and Bute councillors over how to spend the £650,000 left over, having raised it previously.

He said: “The main issue is that HCC agreed that the underspend should be spent but the lack of discussion with us, the Chamber of Commerce and the community is a pity.”

Member Nigel Millar added: “Why is HCC now being excluded from this process when it has been involved all along in the CHORD project? It is better to involve than to exclude people.”

Councillors Gary Mulvaney, Aileen Morton and Ellen Morton attended the meeting and fielded questions from community council.

Cllr Mulvaney said: “Ideas came from various sources, including HCC, in how it should be spent.

“The area committee met in October and the outcome of the meeting will come back to the area committee meeting in December.

“HCC put in a very comprehensive paper. The area committee is not cutting HCC out.”

Cllr Ellen Morton, who first made HCC aware of the underspend, added: “HCC was the first to be informed by myself on this so that it could be included and now it would seem HCC is accusing the area committee of excluding HCC.”

Members of HCC explained that they felt that after the money was announced they were dropped from any discussion.

Norman Burton said: “We have been involved all along in the CHORD project but now excluded from talks on the underspend.”

Cllr Mulvaney said officers were looking into the proposals put forward and that the financial costs of any proposal needed to be assessed and verified

He said: “On December 13 a paper will be presented to the area committee and members will decide on which ones meet the CHORD criteria and which do not.”

Members of HCC agreed to hold an additional community council meeting once the agenda for the area committee meeting was released.

The additional meeting is set for 7pm on December 8 at the Victoria Halls.