I was speaking to my constituents while attending my latest surgery in Bowmore today.

The poor condition of Islay High School has been raised by many local residents both on the door step and over the phone. These are concerns that I share and while some recent repair work is a step in the correct direction much more needs to be done. I have been in regular contact our Policy Lead for Education Cllr Yvonne McNeilly who has been working hard to improve Islay High School's aging building.

Due to the recent heavy rainfall many roads on Islay have spent prolonged periods of time being flooded. This has lead to many of the recent pot hole repairs to be lifted out by a combination of heavy rain and heavy traffic. Argyll and Bute council has recently agreed to invest an additional 2 million pounds into infrastructure. This is yet one more reason why essential and much overdue roads spending on Islay must now go ahead.

Local residents in Bowmore and across Islay have been contacting myself to raise concerns about our aging Cal Mac ferry fleet. Our economy depends on a reliable and fit for purpose ferry service and that means a greater number of new vessels and more sailings in the winter and the summer.

I will continue to have surgeries across my council ward and to fight hard for my constituents year in and year out.

Cllr Alastair Redman