This week's column is written by SNP Helensburgh Central councillor Lorna Douglas - her first column since being elected in May.

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I WOULD like to thank everyone who supported and voted for me in the local elections in May. It seems a lifetime ago, yet only just under three months have passed since I became a councillor for Helensburgh Central.

As one of Argyll and Bute’s new councillors, it feels as if I have hit the ground running; meeting new people, building new relationships, learning new processes, a new language base and trying to put to memory a multitude of anachronisms that are now part of my daily life.

Through my involvement with groups, committees and individuals within the council and in the wider community, my awareness of the complexities and challenges that certain areas face and will continue to face in the foreseeable future has greatly increased.

So, too, my respect for the people in our community and council who work, many tirelessly, to make Helensburgh and Argyll and Bute a better place to live and work in.

While the council and its representatives work within the remit of local government and other agencies to deliver services and take decision on behalf of the people who live here, the council is only part of a larger process. That larger process is made up of local community groups, businesses, organisations, individuals and charities etc. who form an invaluable part of our local community.

That the council needs the engagement of local people and groups to make the best decisions and provide the best services may be stating the obvious, but is the engagement that takes place always meaningful and or equal?

So much of our engagement in conversations and dialogue today, official or personal, takes place via email. That is great - to a point. However, this method often allows a certain amount of convenient personal distance to set in, and scripted wordplay to be used, and often misunderstandings arise and are not immediately picked up on or clarified.

I would advocate face to face dialogue when possible, for although it can be more challenging, in the long term, it is often the most productive way in building relationships and communities with an ethos of respect and equality.

It is somewhat ironic that this basic form of human communication is being made more conveniently obsolete in a time when talk of community empowerment and promoting the voices of the community are key in our way forward. Let’s make sure our voices come together in meaningful dialogue!