As another summer comes to an end its a time to look back at our achievements and to look forward to the challenges and opportunities of the future.

The end of summer is a new beginning for some especially our young folk when our schools and early years centres are boosted with new starts eager to begin their learning journey.

It’s been a new start at the council as well and the new administration first 100 days have come and gone and brought little change. No monthly meetings, no area committees and no new ideas. Of course, the new SNP councillors have turned up for photo-calls for Labours new offices, new care home and new leisure centre but they haven’t announced any of their own initiatives yet.

The council has much to be proud of over the past five years with the improvements in educational attainment; the expansion of apprenticeships for our young people; and hundreds of new homes but we all know that the focus needs to be on the future, not the past.

That is why Labour set out a ten-year capital plan and has lined up millions of pounds of investments into housing, care homes and day care services, and schools like OLSP which is getting prepared for its opening and the new Balloch Campus which is progressing really well and will open next year.

As well as the big projects, we made a point of setting aside funding for new sports and leisure facilities and to refurbish our parks and open spaces.Again, these are progressing really well.

I was really pleased to see that the Inler Park Project final design proposals have now been agreed and that the final design will be turned into detailed specifications that will go out to tender during November and allow for work to start in February and be completed around May 2018.

The park is a fantastic amenity for the whole community and within the allocated budget, we will be able to ensure that we meet our aims to provide a wide a range of activities as well as addressing some of the drainage and environmental issues within the park. A key part of this is improving accessibility for all together with sports and recreational activities focusing on children and teenagers.

Finally, I was really pleased to see so many local people taking their campaign to save services at the Vale of Leven Hospital to the steps of the Scottish Parliament. The campaigners demonstrated to parliamentarians and the wider population just how much our hospital means to local residents.