It was great to catch up with my constituents in the villages of Portnahaven and Port Wemyss today as I was checking up on local road conditions. Like so many areas across the Kintyre and Islands ward, local residents are justifiably demanding instant action from both local and central government.

With so much tax revenue leaving our island's shores every week it only makes sense that we on Islay are at least given some recompense in appropriate public spending. It's high time the government, no matter what it's political stripe, got on with it's day job and looked to serving the commonwealth of our country, our rural constituency and our island communities.

Sooner or later a program of works must be rolled out across Islay, and other islands, to fix our crumbling roads network. Roads and ferries are the vital arteries that keep our island's economy alive and well.

I will always press relentlessly for better infrastructure across my council ward.

Cllr Alastair Redman