Pippa’s been enjoying a well-deserved break and, while she was back at work yesterday, she was at a conference, so I’ll be covering this week’s CEX update.
Well, I have had another “blink and suddenly it’s Friday” kind of week. It kicked off with a first for me – I woke up, rubbed my eyes, and there I was, casually staring back at myself from the front page of the Herald. No big deal, just me and some light reading about public toilet charges heading to the Environment Development and Infrastructure Committee… as you do. Naturally, Monday turned into a flood of messages, all basically saying the same thing: “Wow, you look so young!” One very close friend even said, “Well, at least you look 20 years younger – that’s a positive!” Now, I’m still trying to process that, because the photo was only taken about 10 years ago… which raises a deeply concerning question: have I somehow aged 20 years in a decade? If so, I’d like a refund.
I had the pleasure of spending Monday afternoon in Tarbert, where Karen and Sam McAlpine officially unveiled a new plaque naming the John McAlpine playpark. The playpark, which was upgraded in 2025, has been named in memory of a former local councillor who played a hugely important role in campaigning for the funding to bring it to life. It’s a fitting tribute – and a reminder that sometimes persistence really does pay off. Travelling around Argyll and Bute, you can’t help but notice the many positive projects the Council has helped deliver. It’s moments like these that make me genuinely proud to be part of team Argyll and Bute.
I recognise that there will have been understandable frustration on Wednesday morning when our ICT systems were unavailable for a period of time. However, I was reassured to learn that the cause of the outage was a technical issue with BT, rather than a cyber-attack. Our ICT team continues to do an excellent job in maintaining the security and resilience of our systems. That said, safeguarding our digital environment is a shared responsibility, and it is important that we all remain vigilant. I would encourage everyone to keep up to date with the security awareness videos. While they may be somewhat light-hearted in tone, they are an effective way of highlighting key issues that we all need to understand and take seriously.
I attended the Environment Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting remotely from Glasgow on Thursday and then had to rush across the city to attend the Directors of Finance Scotland Section meeting in the afternoon in the City Chambers in Glasgow. Lots of good reports and discussion at both these meetings.
And here we are at Friday again. I mentioned last week that I was going to Aberdeen last weekend as my daughter Eilidh had an audition at Aberdeen University as part of her journey to become a music teacher. She had to demonstrate her musical abilities by performing both piano and tenor horn, alongside completing an interview and I’m pleased to update that she was offered a place! The focus now shifts to another audition scheduled this Tuesday at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. This involves a varied programme, including a piano performance, a vocal piece, and participation in a collaborative keyboard harmony session. With the possibility of two good offers on the table, a significant decision may lie ahead. The prospect of choosing the right path is already bringing a degree of pressure, highlighting a challenge familiar to many young people as they consider their future careers.
Talking of careers, I managed to catch up this week with Malcolm Bannatyne, who is about to hang up his calculator after an incredible 47 years with the Council. Yes, 47 years—that’s not a career, that’s practically a historical era. Medals should be involved. Maybe even a statue. A huge thank you to Malcolm for his dedication over nearly half a century—honestly, he has without a doubt seen more invoices than most of us have had hot dinners. I then reflected that I have clocked up 31 years at the Council this year. Thirty-one! I’m not entirely sure how that happened – I assume there’s been some kind of administrative error. Time really does fly when you’re having fun (or at least when you’ve stopped counting).
Joking aside, it does show something important – the Council really does offer a huge range of career opportunities across all sorts of professions. So much so, we should probably start adding “may accidentally stay for three decades” to the job description.
I’m sure by now you’ve had quite enough of my update, so I’ll make a swift escape. I’ve got the Mid Argyll Music Festival to attend this weekend – very cultural, very refined – and, equally importantly, a crucial mission to stock up on moisturiser and make-up in a bold (and possibly delusional) attempt to reverse the ageing process.
If all goes well, I’ll return on Monday looking at least five years younger. If not… we simply won’t mention it.
Have a great weekend.
Kirsty
Kirsty Flanagan
Executive Director
