Category: Cowdenbeath

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Surprise election in Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Kelty – the polls close on Sunday

oor bit
Voting ends on Sunday 27th November 2016 – have your say or your oor bit!

No, not another Council by-election in Fife but a novel consultation to involve locals in the deciding which projects merit Council spend.

The vote is based on individual honesty,  participants must live in the area and there are checks in place to help identify any potential fraud.

FIFE Council is calling on local residents in the Cowdenbeath area  to have their say on “Oor Bit” and vote for their favourite local projects.

£250,000 has been made available through Fife Council’s Cowdenbeath Area Committee in partnership with Community Councils and other community organisations to encourage local people of all ages to come up with ideas to improve oor bit of Fife.

In the first phase, which ran over the summer, local people generated over 150 ideas online and by completing and returning postcards. These ideas have now been reviewed by a steering group of local people and council staff resulting in a short-list of 30 projects to be put to the public vote.

Area Manager Kevin Sayer commented: “I’d encourage everyone in the local area to get involved.”

Now it is your chance to decide how that £250,000 is spent in your local area.  To do so you must be over eight years of age and live in the Cowdenbeath Committee area.

Projects to vote on range from:

  • cycle routes
  • skate parks
  • outdoor gym equipment  and
  • community clean-ups.

Voting takes place at open public events and online via www.oorbit.d21.me. 

The vote kicked off in Lumphinnans on Saturday 29th October where members of the Lumphinnans Social Group went door-to-door with the ballot papers. While Hill of Beath hosted an event in the Community Centre on Tuesday 1st November, Crossgates followed on Sunday 6th November at the royal British Legion Club.

Other voting events were held in Cardenden, Lochgelly,  Benarty Centre.  With the  Kelty event being held on Saturday  26th November,

Voting will close with an event at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre on Sunday 27th November.

Wednesday 30th November is the big day for the announcement of the successful projects.  This takes place at the Cowdenbeath Area Committee at its meeting in Hill of Beath Community Centre

Please do vote and you can do so online now!

Kevin added: “Anybody aged eight and over living or working in the Cowdenbeath area is eligible to vote. EVERY VOTE COUNTS – please attend the local events (look out locally and on local Facebook pages for more information) or vote online at www.oorbit.d21.me ”

 

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We must begin to tackle Scotland’s housing crisis – Alex Rowley MSP

Alex Rowley MSP Building new homes for couples in Cowdenbeath January 2016

ALEX ROWLEY MSP BUILDING HOMES FOR THE FUTURE

Photo shows Alex Rowley laying a final brick at a council house new build site in Cowdenbeath

New analysis from Scottish Labour has estimated that their proposal to build 60,000 homes per year over the next five years would support around 49,200 jobs a year. These estimates have been verified by the independent experts at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). Of those 60,000 homes, 45,000 would be for social rent either through councils or housing associations.

Scottish Labour will also help first time buyers save for a deposit. Under the plan, a person who currently saves through a first-time buyer ISA up to the value of £3,000 would be entitled to an additional £3,000 from a Scottish Labour Government to help toward the cost of a deposit to buy a property. Under this plan, the average couple each saving £100 a month would be able to save for a £15,000 deposit within three years.

Scottish Labour analysis suggests that by the end of the next parliament around 17,200 first-time buyer purchases a year will benefit from our plan. The number of people helped will be higher as the majority will be couples buying their first home – both will receive help under Scottish Labour’s plan.

Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Alex Rowley said:

“Everybody deserves a home and a chance, but whether you are a private renter, a social tenant or looking to buy for the first time it has been a difficult few years.

“Getting it right on housing can be the key that unlocks so much opportunity for our country; we can tackle poverty and grow the economy by building more homes. New analysis shows that our plan to build 60,000 homes over the next five years will sustain thousands of jobs

“The SNP Government in Edinburgh have turned a housing shortage into a housing crisis. Scotland has more than 150,000 people on social waiting lists, an unacceptable amount of private tenants living in poverty, whilst three quarters of non-owners feel they will never own a home.

Mary Lockhart, Jayne Baxter MSP and Alex Rowley MSP
Campaigning in Rosyth on Saturday- houses for rent

Alex Rowley MSP and colleagues campaigning in Rosyth on Satruday
Alex Rowley MSP and colleagues campaigning in Rosyth on Saturday

“That’s why Scottish Labour is promising bold and radical action in every area ofr housing. We’ll help first time buyers save towards a deposit with £3,000 of extra support for those who put a little aside every month.”

“A whole generation of young people have been left behind by austerity and Labour will give them a chance to get on in life. So many young people in Scotland are stuck in a cycle from which they can’t escape. They end up renting to save for a deposit, but the rent is so high they simply can’t put enough money away. No wonder more than half see the size of a deposit as a barrier to owning a home.”

“For those living in the private rented sector we’ll ban rip off rent rises to stop bad landlords hitting tenants with unfair rent hikes.”

“We’ll build a minimum of 60,000 affordable homes over the next five years, 45,000 of which will be council or housing association homes. That’s the figure that industry experts tell us we should be aiming for and it will begin to tackle Scotland’s housing crisis.”

“After nearly a decade in office and a majority in parliament the SNP have been managerial on housing. Labour’s bold housing plan would build a fairer nation and a stronger Scotland.”