Message from Argyll First Councillor Donald Kelly

[Kintyre Forum News]

Argyll First Councillor Donald Kelly said

"It is important to recognise the excellent work carried out by Council staff at all levels, the Emergency services and the many volunteers during this difficult time. The resilience and camaraderie throughout our community has been second to none with many people going far and beyond the call of duty. However, Argyll and Bute Council must and will, as a matter of priority, revisit their emergency plan and make it more robust, concentrating on simplicity and developing better communication links with the public. The Scottish Government will also require to step up to the plate and honour their commitment as per the Argyll First Group’s petition to trunk the A83. While the NHS need to revisit their ill advised plan to reduce bed numbers at Campbeltown Hospital.

Many questions have been raised during this emergency situation and it is vitally important that all are answered. "

[WTC]

A & B Council had a plan!

[MurkyLitFelon]

Surely, with grid supplies yet to be restored to Kintyre, now is not the time for political back slapping and campaigning?

One of the very first acts by A&B was to set up a facebook page - I don't know where this was on the "plan", but there was obviously plenty of time for PR. Between this and Twitter there was a laundry list of congratulating going on, yet the point of social media is to have a conversation, not to just sit there and tell everyone how good things are a la Robert Mugabe.

Had the bad weather continued for another couple of days, had the conditions kept the ferries in port, had the BT exchanges collapsed, had the only petrol station run out of fuel, then we could all have been looking at a rapidly deteriorating situation. Most of us were unprepared, and most of us got away with it. This time.

As someone else has already stated on this forum, communities need support to build their own action plans and contingencies appropriate to their own environment and population. The council must support that process and help these groups coordinate and share the best ideas.

A 'camel' voted for by committee after committee meeting that keeps everyone in Campbeltown warm and well fed at Victoria Hall in times of crisis is not a solution for those outwith the toon.

[muppetanimal]

Argyll First Councillor Donald Kelly said

" .... concentrating on simplicity and developing better communication links with the public. "

So a council vehicle equiped with a "tannoy" system going round and keeping the population up to date with the correct "non-rumour" information might be on the cards then !

Thank goodness for 21st century thinking. Whatever did we do before mobile phones and Facebook ?

[Bonnie Lass]

those that were able to get onto facebook and use mobiles may have been able to seek information, but others who had no broadband and no mobile signal were left "in the dark" - thankfully BT exchange held up and a good old fashioned push button phone enabled me to phone SSE and get updates.

[paranoid android]

Another attempt at grandstanding and political point scoring from one of our councillors after a major event. Whilst slating the NHS for "cuts" he should perhaps remember that it was NHS staff (management included) who took control of the major incident and helped to prevent anything more serious happening. The level of misinformation from our elected representatives about what is happening as regards to beds being " cut" at campbeltown hospital is staggering. And its all so that they can use it to portray themselves as standing up for thier constituents to garner more votes. Ahh the joys of a constitutional democracy, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.