Stephen
McNamara
Candidate for
Kilmarnock North
20th February 2025
Policies
Community:
Local Community Councils should have
more responsibilities for their communities.
They should be given the responsibilities of
local roads, street furniture, gardens and open
spaces to oversee on a daily basis.
One of my immediate goals is to get the North West community council up and running which covers most of ward 2 and overlaps part of Ward 3 around the Hillhead area.
Other key things I'd like to see done is the proper maintenance of the road markings, and the tidying up of otherwise abandoned open spaces that are an unsightly welcome to the area.
One specific area I would like to see improved would include the grass areas around Western Road. It is a key route for many people and can easily be a showcase opportunity to show the world what we are capable of. With sponsoring, these plots could easily be improved at little or even zero cost to us taxpayers. Any costs incurred could be offset with less ongoing maintenance currently required for grass cutting.
Additional parking spaces could easily be introduced to make the road more accessible to all, safer with better visibility and access for buses at bus stops.
Opportunities:
Local planning laws should be far more relaxed allowing easier opportunities for employment and reuse of wasted properties.
Licenses should be easier to apply for with fewer restrictions in how many licenses are issued. It should never be the council's job to decide who gets to work and who doesn't. That's the public's job to decide who they want to trade with or not.
Non Domestic Rates and council tax must not rise again. The public cannot afford any more rises. The council needs to trim it's belt and start to prioritise what the public wants - even if it is at odds with central government demands. At budget time, I will certainly vote against any budget that involves an overall increase in unnecessary spending.