Local bus services : onwards and upwards..

Another PACKED meeting this evening – standing room only – this time at Ardchattan School, heard a wide variety of community views on the public bus service issue in Bonawe and the rest of the parish.

The meeting was high energy, positive thinking and directed at finding ways to make a crisis into a far better future for our Ardchattan community.

There was confirmation that there will be no changes to our current bus services for the moment. Any future changes will be put to a full Oban Lorn and the Isles Area commmittee meeting. The Councillors present, Glen-Lee, Robertson and MacKay, all assured the meeting that they would not support any such proposal for our community services. The public reaction from this parish has certainly helped to focus the Council Leaders minds on what are essential lifeline services, and what they have to do before imposing such cuts on communities like ours.

Issues of process and procedure still have to be resolved and will be followed up to ensure that the situation we found ourselves in over the last 2 weeks is not repeated.

Ardchattan Community Councillor chair Iain MacDonald led the meeting into addressing the needs of the local community which all the substantial feedback in this last week had identified as wanting.

We need more buses, we need them at better times.

We need to work together to identify our community needs, and in how to get these needs met. This will most likely be a mixture of public transport that is subsidized by the Scottish Government grant that the council administers, with some sort of community transport scheme.

The discussions were lively, positive and very constructive. The outcome of the meeting was for a brief meeting next Monday (6th February) in Ardchattan School to create a steering group for the Bonawe community bus service improvement. The community council will talk to all other parts of the parish – Barcaldine, Benderloch and North Connel – to activate similar initiatives there to consult their community, and then work together to find solutions to the ideas raised.

Argyll and Bute council might have been threatening to cut our public transport services, but the community here is looking at IMPROVING our services. We can get help from other communities who have been through the same process, we can gain control over our local services to give us access to major local events, and everyday evening events like going to the pics when the cinema re-opens.

The aspiration of the meeting was to create services that open up opportunities for working, activities, family, shopping and socialising, both in Oban and through the parish, connecting with existing services, and making them more useful for the people who live here.

February 2, 2012 Posted in: Community No Comments

SOBBS : first round – WIN

Ardchattan Community Council is delighted to share that the council, as of today’s date, has declared that there will be no further cuts in our essential bus services, without full, open deliberation at future Area Committees.
This has come from the highest level. For now the service is safe.
The threat remains, ABC need to find savings anywhere they can.
The meeting on Thursday is an opportunity for the community to talk to each other and listen to each other, to discuss the ideas and fears that have been brewing over the last week and for the community council to understand the depths of the issues of this recent situation.
The Community Council is here to listen to YOU – everyone in the community – Together we CAN make a difference.
Our community is resilient but we have to look to ourselves to make things better in our current economic climate and to work together to prevent further losses of people, services and community.
Look forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

January 31, 2012 Posted in: SOBB Save our Bonawe Bus No Comments

SOBBS : Save Our Bonawe Bus Service : community meeting

A meeting for ALL the community who have any interest in the survival of the Oban to Bonawe bus service, and the threat to the Benderloch Sunday service, will be at Ardchattan School, Bonawe, on Thursday 2nd February 2012.
This service affects everyone with connections from the Bridge to Bonawe, as well as those living and working in Benderloch

The aim of the meeting is for the Community Council to hear all the community issues and for everyone involved to help to come up with sensible practical ideas to take this campaign forward.

This works with everyone working together…

January 30, 2012 Posted in: SOBB Save our Bonawe Bus No Comments

Oban Times article on Bus Campaign

http://www.obantimes.co.uk/2012/01/30/campaign-launched-to-save-bonawe-buses/

January 30, 2012 Posted in: Community No Comments

SOBBS Save Our Bonawe Bus Service: ACT NOW!

(26th January 2012)At tonight’s Ardchattan Community Council meeting a PACKED North Connel Hall heard that the public bus service from Oban to Bonawe is being threatened with imminent cuts.

We are led to understand that the proposal is that from as soon as the 13th February the only regular services will be the school buses,

plus what has been described as an “appointment and shopping service” on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday … leaving Bonawe at 11.30 am and then coming back from Oban at 2.50 pm from Oban Station to Bonawe on some days, later on others.

There seems to be no provision to replace the school buses through the holidays at all.

If you have any interest in saving this bus service : Act Now :

This site will try and put up all relevant useful information as quickly as we can : keep checking it out to see the latest information, contacts and ideas.

The only way to save this service is for everyone in the community to lobby all we can.

Compose yourself a letter explaining why this bus is important

to you
to your family
to the community

A list of contacts is HERE …. bear with us.

( if there is anyone who would like to share the editorial role through this busy time please email editorial@ardchattan.org.uk)

January 27, 2012 Posted in: Community, SOBB Save our Bonawe Bus No Comments

Ardchattan Community Council : facebook

Ardchattan community council and the Save Our Bonawe Bus Service campaign are on Facebook

January 27, 2012 Posted in: Community No Comments

SOBBS : Save Our Bonawe Bus Service – contacts

People to write to about the threat to our buses and (VERY IMPORTANT) PLEASE send the chair of the Ardchattan Community Council a copy of your letters.
Chair of Ardchattan Community Council
Iain MacDonald : inveresregan@lineone.net
Inveresregan, Ardchattan, Argyll PA37 1RG

for all Ardchattan community councillors : http://www.community-council.org.uk/ardchattan/members.asp

PEOPLE TO LOBBY : Write to ALL of them …

inveresregan@lineone.net, dick.walsh@argyll-bute.gov.uk, duncan.macintyre@argyll-bute.gov.uk, sally.loudon@argyll-bute.gov.uk, elaine.robertson@argyll-bute.gov.uk,louise.glen-lee@argyll-bute.gov.uk, Neil.Mackay@argyll-bute.gov.uk,michael.russell.msp@scottish.parliament.uk, reida@parliament.uk,

john.finnie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk, mike.mackenzie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk,

Rhoda.Grant.msp@scottish.parliament.uk, editor@obantimes.co.uk, rita.campbell@ajl.co.uk,

moira.kerr3@btinternet.com

Press : -
Oban Times : editor@obantimes.co.uk

Press and Journal Rita Campbell : rita.campbell@ajl.co.uk : 01546 602345

Independant journalists
Moira Kerr : moira.kerr3@btinternet.com (,mistype corrected)

Lynda Henderson : For Argyll : Contact page

Scotsman newspaper : check out the details here : http://members.scotsman.com/contact.cfm#HowdoIcontactthecorrecteditorialstaff

Daily Record : http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/services-tools/contact-us/

Argyll and Bute Council
Leader of the Council
Dick Walsh
Victoria Villa, Royal Crescent, Dunoon, Argyll, PA23 7AH
dick.walsh@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Telephone: 01369 700824

Argyll and Bute Council Transport Spokesman
Ward: Oban North and Lorn
Address: Lagganbuie, Loch Feochan, Kilmore, Oban, PA34 4QR
Email: duncan.macintyre@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Telephone: 01631 770218

Chief Executive
Sally Loudon
sally.loudon@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Argyll and Bute Council, Kilmory, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA31 8RT.

Elaine Robertson
local ward councillor
Depute Spokesperson for Social Affairs
Dungrianach, Crannaig-a-Mhinister,Oban,PA34 4LU
Email: elaine.robertson@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Telephone: 01631 562840

Louise Glen-Lee
local ward councillor
Ward: Oban North and Lorn
Address: Post House, Kilninver, Oban, PA34 4UT
Email: louise.glen-lee@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Mobile: 07717 526 999

Neil MacKay
Local ward councillor
Spokesperson for Enterprise, Energy, Culture and Tourism
Address: Lucerne Ganavan Road Oban Argyll PA34 5TU
Email: Neil.Mackay@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Telephone: 01631 566 878
Mobile: 07831 88 33 66

Michael Russell MSP, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
michael.russell.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
On twitter https://twitter.com/Feorlean
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/currentmsps/Michael-Russell-MSP.aspx
Address:
Michael Russell MSP
T3.07, The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
Telephone: 0131 348 6326

Alan Reid MP
Westminster
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 8127 Fax: 020 7219 1737 reida@parliament.uk
Constituency
95 Alexandra Parade, Dunoon, PA23 8AL
Tel: 01369 704840 Fax: 01369 701212

other MSP’s for our area
John Finnie MSP john.finnie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Mike MacKenzie MSP mike.mackenzie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Rhoda Grant MSP Rhoda.Grant.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

January 27, 2012 Posted in: Community, SOBB Save our Bonawe Bus No Comments