I WAS appalled by Councillor George Freeman’s comments in his column in the Helensburgh Advertiser last week on the ‘participatory budgeting’ vote.

In case you missed it, this about the outcome of the participatory budgeting vote, which allowed local people to decide which of 21 local projects should be allocated council funds of £28,000 which had previously been decided by area councillors under what used to be known as the ‘third sector grants’ fund.

previously third sector grants decided by the Area Committee Councillors. He advised that he had asked residents in rural areas not to vote for Helensburgh projects but only for village ones. In all the years when the area committee allocated grants I have never heard any councillor say that grants should be refused to a community group based on where they lived.

Councillor Freeman had repeatedly said that the rural areas would lose out to Helensburgh in this new process, but in fact it was Helensburgh projects that were rejected. His Councillor Freeman’s approach deprived children of benefits just because they lived in Helensburgh. I find that unacceptable.

This was a trial approach this year, a pilot funded by the Scottish Government, and if the grants are made available next year using the same system is used next year, perhaps Helensburgh residents might take the approach advocated by Councillor Freeman to vote only for your own community. If they do, it will be the rural areas which lose out., so His decision this year may bring about next year the very result he feared.

My first vote was given to Route 81 based in Garelochhead – in Councillor Freeman’s ward – on the basis that I admire the work they do to help young people. nd I selected every project on merit, not location, and I believe that is the correct approach.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the voting. A report and analysis of the scheme will be made public later this year, before the council decides whether or not to continue with this format, although the Scottish Government insists that some form of voter decisions on budget allocations must be introduced.

Thank also to everyone who attended one of the 3 days of drop-in sessions at the Victoria Halls organised to let people see the draft proposals for the much needed new swimming pool/leisure facility on the waterfront and also to those who submitted comments or suggestions.

The area committee will hold a special meeting in June to sign off on the final proposal prior to the submission of the planning application. It is important that we keep making progress on this as the current pool will not keep going forever and we want the new pool in place before closing the old one. The town must not be left without a swimming pool.