A Christmas message from Council Leader Martin Dowey

With Christmas just round the corner, I hope you're all prepared for the big day. If you've still got some last-minute gifts to get hold of, remember the Scotland Loves Local South Ayrshire Gift Card. With over 200 local businesses taking part, you're sure to find something special. There's even a new digital e-card version!

At this time of year, I find myself looking back, but also looking forward to the next 12 months. One of our key ambitions for 2025 is to hold more events across South Ayrshire.

Over the course of the next year, I will be looking forward to the Pavilion festival in May, our summer events programme, Tamfest and lots more.

Our flagship event, the International Ayr Show - Festival of Flight will also be back.  Running on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September, it's one that you will not want to miss!

Increasing visitor numbers has many benefits, and we want to ensure our towns and villages are looking their best for tourists and residents alike.  

In 2025 we'll continue with the transformation of our communities. Plans include the redevelopment of Burns Statue Square in Ayr. As one of the main gateways into the town, it's important that it becomes more welcoming. We're looking at many options including the reorientation of traffic to create more pedestrian friendly spaces. We will share the draft designs when we can.

In March last year we agreed that at least £1m would be invested in each of South Ayrshire's eight wards over a period of four years.

Good progress has been made so far on a range of projects such as new gym equipment and sports pitches, improvements to green spaces and measures to protect and enhance wildlife habitats.

We're also adding £2m for promenade schemes in Girvan, Ayr, Prestwick, and Troon.

A good example of partnership working is our support of traders in Newmarket Street, Ayr. We're funding a regeneration programme and business support activities.

Working with the Newmarket Street Traders group, the objective is to build civic pride and help local traders to promote themselves as a destination for retail, business, and leisure.

We have a number of projects underway to enhance our sport and leisure facilities and these will continue in 2025.

One of the biggest is the revamp of the Citadel Leisure Centre. The roof is being replaced and other external works include replacement glazing and brickwork repairs. This is the first step towards bringing the building up to standard and delivering a standout facility for our customers.

Staying with leisure centres, works are also progressing at the Quay Zone in Girvan. The facility was closed earlier this year due to storm damage. The roof has been replaced and all the internal fixtures and fittings have been removed. Mechanical and electrical testing is now taking place on all the plant equipment such as the boilers and ventilation systems.

If you're in Prestwick, you may have noticed that the swimming pool there also has a new roof! The temporary covering is an important milestone for Prestwick Leisure Club and will allow roofing and internal works to carry on throughout the winter. The facility should be ready to open its doors in spring 2025!

We are on course to complete some major housing projects next year. Mainholm, which is currently one of the biggest affordable housing programmes in Scotland, is set to be complete in February 2025.

St Ninians housing development is on programme with the first homes to be handed over in February 2025.

These developments together with the Riverside housing project in Ayr will mean a total of 277 new social housing properties, ranging from one to six-bedroom.

We had the official opening of Maybole Community Campus recently. Over the next decade we will invest around eighty-five million pounds modernising our schools and educational facilities.

Designs are progressing for the new Girvan Primary School. Once a contractor is appointed, detailed proposals will be developed with a view to starting construction work in the summer of 2025.

Staying with education, we launched our 'Every Learner, Every Day' campaign earlier this year. This is aimed at getting children and young people to appreciate all that school has to offer.

Things have changed dramatically since I was at school. You can still study the core subjects but there are also courses on hair and beauty, childcare, bike maintenance, gardening and even CPR!

Qualifications will always be important, but there are plenty of vocational training opportunities too as we prepare young people for life beyond the classroom.

I hope you are looking forward to the holidays and the year ahead. Please spare a thought for those that continue to work throughout the festive period to keep vital services operating.

I would like to thank staff at the Council for all their hard work this year, keep up the good work.

Please also keep in contact with your neighbours over the festive period, particularly if they are vulnerable or elderly.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy new year!