As this is my first column of 2020 and of this new decade, I would like to wish you all the very best for the coming year ahead.

I hope it brings many opportunities to you and your loved ones.

I am very proud and extremely privileged to represent the Clydebank Waterfront ward and I promise that I will continue to be accessible to you, by holding regular advice surgeries throughout the ward.

You will have all noticed that the Waterfront ward is a hive of development, with exciting changes ahead.

We are currently in the process of demolishing the Clydebank east flats, and once the demolition is completed, this area will see new low level housing on this site. Just further along Glasgow Road, at the old St Andrew’s High School site, building of our 126 houses is now well under way.

This month, we will start the construction of our new health and care centre on the waterfront, just behind the Lucky Break.

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Our new care home on the land adjacent to Clydebank Town Hall is on schedule to be completed by May of this year, with the residents moving to the new facility in June.

In a few months, we will also see construction start on much needed social housing that is planned in partnership with the council, Clydebank Housing Association and Cube Housing.

It is important that the development of our waterfront not only honours our past, but reflects a modern and confident Clydebank.

Just an update on the council’s defibrillator campaign.

The defibrillator working group has now purchased 41 defibrillators and 39 cabinets.

These have been placed over the geographical area to make sure we have a good spread of these much needed devices in community centres, libraries, leisure centres, schools and sheltered housing. Our aim is to have these devices accessible 24 hours a day.

This continues on the good work that was started by Brian Martin, Norma Docherty, Diane Hodgkinson, Sheenah Nelson, the Scottish Ambulance Service and Heartstart Scotland.

To date, 23 lives have been saved by having access to this life saving equipment.