I was delighted to be back in Bowmore recently speaking to my constituents on the doorstep and in the streets.

I have been looking into potholes that I have reported to see if they have been filled by our hardworking roads-men. It was pleasing to note that some had been filled in, but many still remain an issue.

I'm also delighted that the concerns raised by residents of the Kintyre and Islands ward and myself about future challenges facing cemetery needs is now being in some part addressed. Future cemetery needs are now under review, and planning is already underway to ensure that the council-run cemeteries can meet the needs of communities in the future.

The Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee that I attended on Thursday the 5th of December agreed that local residents should be asked about their personal choices and for their views and ideas for ways forward, during 2020, so that a new set of cemetery policies can be proposed.

According to statute, local authorities are only required to provide one cemetery per area, Argyll and Bute has 65 cemeteries available for the purchase of lairs. There are 66 closed to the sale of spaces, and this has remained fairly stable since 2005.

There are a large number of lairs that have been sold, but 70 years have lapsed without them being used. One option put forward is that in areas of most need there is potential for investigation to establish if these plots are still needed, and claim them back if not.

Community volunteers, in a small number of areas, are supporting council services by maintaining local burial grounds and similar initiatives would be welcomed elsewhere.

I'm very pleased that this delicate issue is finally being looked into.

Cllr Alastair Redman