THIS week's Councillor Column is written by Gary Mulvaney, Conservative chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond area committee and councillor for Helensburgh Central.

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Hermitage Academy: At last week’s Area Committee, we heard from Head Teacher, Geoff Urie, of the good progress that the school is making in terms of examination achievement. Especially in Highers, with both the largest number of student presentations and the highest pass rate in the last five years, better than the Scottish average. Well done to pupils, parents, Geoff and his senior management team for a great team effort.

James Street Community Garden: Delighted to support this initiative with the Area Committee formally approving a minute of agreement between the council and the James Street Park association. This group of volunteers have got some exciting plans for this underused park and I hope that this formal agreement allows them to unlock the various lottery and grant applications they need to deliver the improvements.

Road Crossings: Welcome news that Sinclair Street will have new traffic lights and pedestrian crossing at the junction of West Montrose Street. This will not only improve access to the Victoria Halls and the soon to be revitalised Hermitage Park, but provide a safe crossing area for children and adults alike. Also, good news that thanks to some assiduous campaigning by Barbara Morgan and local residents who generated over 200 signatures in a petition, Rosneath will finally get its new Pelican crossing at the Co-op.

Budget: Undoubtedly some tough choices and decisions for councillors in the forthcoming council budget in February with last week’s announcement that local government has had its funding cut by £327 million in Derek MacKay’s debut budget for the SNP government. As a local councillor I will do my best to preserve local jobs and services and ensure we get the best deal for Helensburgh.

Christmas Presents: Janet has done most of the Christmas shopping in our house, but there are a couple of wee presents that I would give to others. For our esteemed Great Leader, Nippy Sweety, a map of Scotland for whenever she decides to lecture us in between foreign trips; for Finance minister, Derek MacKay, a copy of the Laffer Curve that shows tax revenue decreases as you tax people more; for Humza Yousaf, a train set of course, plus gocompare as a stocking filler; and for ex-Education Minister and Curriculum for Excellence guru, Mike Russell MSP, a one-way trip to Estonia to see how their education system is now better than ours. Finally, for those of a PC disposition who are easily offended, a sense of humour!

Festive Wishes: Finally, may I wish all readers a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year.