his week's Advertiser letters page includes views on Argyll and Bute Council granting planning permission for four new homes in Redgauntlet Road and a thank you to volunteers at The Tower for screening Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding.

To have your say on any local topic, just email your views to editorial@helensburghadvertiser.co.uk with 'Letter' in the subject line of your message.

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Argyll and Bute Council has now decided to grant planning permission to Taylor Wimpey to build four new homes in Redgauntlet Road in Helensburgh: is this our council’s definition of local democracy in action?

I would have thought that we may have got some sympathy for our concerns from Taylor Wimpey but they have totally ignored us as well.

Therefore, as members of the local community, we will fully endeavour to ensure that this lack of interest from Taylor Wimpey is widely broadcast in the local area as I’m certain that potential buyers of their properties will be interested in the non existent standard of customer care they provide.

And as for the “Sympathy” word, this is absent from any dictionary that Argyll and Bute Council uses.

How can building four houses, that will house approximately eight residents, overrule 20 objections by existing residents – unless this was all a ‘done deal’ in advance and the meeting of the council’s planning committee was merely a formality?

All our elected ‘representatives’ have chosen, en masse, to ignore us. I do hope they continue to ignore us come election time, as I can tell them now that they will certainly not be welcome at my door and I believe I can speak for numerous others who were following our campaign.

I would, though, just as a matter of interest (and to see if it can actually be realised), like to invite any of our alleged representatives – in particular those who have probably never visited our street but were determined to pass this application, for whatever reasons, personal or otherwise, and at any cost – to come and visit our street and to explain, or even perhaps calm, the anger felt by those who are now going to be severely affected by their decisions.

Come on, let’s see if any of our alleged elected representatives can actually find their way here. If you’re not sure of directions then just call me. Our street is too small to actually show the street name, so just email or phone me.

Well, it’s worth a try, but I’m not a gambling person, so I won’t place a bet on it.

I would, on behalf of the residents of the street, also like to extend an invite to the minister for local government and housing, Kevin Stewart MSP, to come along and see for himself how this development will severely affect us and how Argyll and Bute Council treats its residents.

Who knows, if some of our alleged locally elected representatives come along with him they may learn some lessons from him on democracy and accountability to their constituents.

John Scullion

Redgauntlet Road Residents’ Association

It’s nice to know the dance club on West King Street likes to blare their music for the entire street to hear, whether you’re walking or in your home with the windows closed and the TV on, you can hear it word for word, loud booming dance music.

It’s especially nice to know that their website tells the parents and students to use on street parking when they already have their own car park – which leaves little to no spaces for the local residents who already have to share spaces with the library and the mechanic.

With the never-ending list of classes there, spanning most of the day, finding a space close to home is becoming increasingly difficult and time-consuming, leading to residents having to park a few streets away.

A little bit of consideration and respect for local residents would be appreciated.

Catriona Phillips

Via email

The group of senior citizens who attended the royal wedding screening at The Tower in Helensburgh on Saturday would like to thank the management, Claire and Brian, for screening it.

They did well on arranging the live show. Good luck to the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton.

Jean Holland

Helensburgh

Councillor Mulvaney is living in his own little fantasy island (‘Waterfront consultation well attended’, May 17). The three consultations were well attended by the public, paid consultants and council staff. Notable by their absence were Helensburgh and Lomond area councillors. Surely those we pay to make important decisions could have been on hand to defend their actions?

Councillor Mulvaney was the council lead on the Helensburgh CHORD project. This was delayed by two years as a result of council incompetence, a lack of blueprints for local services and bad communications between council and contractor.

It was common knowledge that Colquhoun Square was a former quarry. It came as a surprise when McLays hit rock digging holes for the new trees in the square.

We are told by our elected representatives that Helensburgh CHORD is a great success, welcomed by visitors and locals alike – despite being two years over time.

Meanwhile, there is no money to weed the flower beds in Colquhoun Square. The Community Council accepted responsibility for this and delegated the task to a charity.

It appears that people are not flocking to the town to admire our new square and pavements. Alarm bells should be ringing in the East Clyde Street HQ.

The plans for a Helensburgh Business Improvement District (BID) are an attempt to impose a stealth tax on businesses who survived the CHORD years, to do the work the council should be doing itself – making Helensburgh an attractive place to visit and shop.

John Black

Woodhollow House, Helensburgh

The restriction of subject choice in secondary schools is a scandal, and pupils in our poorest areas are hardest hit.

This SNP Government is curtailing the ability of our young people to pursue the same broad-based education that generations before benefited from including the First Minister.

Fifty-seven per cent of schools provide only six courses in S4. Only 32 per cent allowed the children to sit seven subjects and just 11 per cent offered eight. This has resulted in a collapse in the number of youngsters studying modern languages and restricts their subsequent choice of Highers and Advanced Highers

Pupils in deprived areas are less likely to have access to Advanced Highers. Of all the schools in the most affluent areas of Scotland, 70 per cent offer the choice of 12 or more Advanced Highers to study. Whereas, just two schools in the most deprived areas offer the same opportunities

This news of the dwindling number of subjects school pupils can choose from should trigger a parliamentary inquiry.

Cllr Alastair Redman

Conservative, Kintyre and the Islands

The Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on family law in Scotland, particularly as it affects the arrangements for the parenting of children after separation or divorce.

Families Not Fathers Scotland has been pressing for some years for such a review to address the spectrum of issues that arise at our monthly local group meetings or are raised by individuals who get in contact.

We are asked for help not only by separated fathers but by mothers, grandparents, new partners and aunts and uncles who have discovered how blunt, slow and expensive the current system can be often at the expense of the relationship of both parents with their children.

The civil servants who are conducting the consultation will be coming to several FNF group meetings in the next few weeks to get insight into the personal, financial and relationship costs of the current system.

We will also have a separate evening meeting in Glasgow on June 27 to discuss the consultation.

We believe a rebuttable presumption of shared parenting after separation will help the individuals involved draw up arrangements that genuinely put the interests of their children first.

There are too many incentives in the ‘winner takes all’ approach of the current system that promote character attacks on each parent by the other which damage relationships long after their court case is over and the sheriff has gone home.

However, it is vital that your readers who may have experience of the current system should take part in the online consultation. This is a once in a generation event. The Scottish Government link is consult.gov.scot/family-law/children-scotland-act

There is also a series of child friendly questions which are available at surveymonkey.co.uk/r/reviewofchildrenscotlandact1995

For further information on our proposals contact us at 0131 557 2440 or www.fnfscotland.org.uk.

Ian Maxwell

Families Not Fathers Scotland

In the run up to National Volunteering Week June 1-7), Cats Protection would like to extend our thanks to the many thousands of volunteers throughout the country who offer their time and expertise to help cats and kittens across the UK.

Anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer can go to cats.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering to find out more.

Julie Meredith

Head of volunteering, Cats Protection