Leader Report
North Ayrshire Council · 17 December 2025
Back to North Ayrshire Council — 17 December 2025 and its agenda
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Official Information Official Information LEADER’S REPORT For the period covering: 27 October – 7 December 2025 The attached report gives a summary and brief details to Council, of meetings and events attended by the Leader of North Ayrshire Council, Councillor Marie Burns.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 1 Official Information Official Information LEADER’S REPORT For the period covering: 27 October – 7 December 2025 VISIT BY SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MINISTER, IVAN McKEE, 29 October On 29 October, I welcomed the Scottish Government Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee to Lochshore Hub. The Minister, who has Community Wealth Building (CWB) as part of his remit, was interested to hear about our CWB journey from the outset and the work that has been done since. Lochshore Community Hub is a key CWB project which was delivered in collaboration with community partners. It opened in 2022, regenerating a major long-term strategic site and bringing 64.73 hectares of vacant and derelict land back into productive use. A site of a former steelworks, it was purchased by the Council from Scottish Enterprise in 2021 and is now an excellent example of a productive asset for the community with a café, accessible public toilets and meeting space. My thanks again to our CWB officers for facilitating the visit and for the work they have done to date. COSLA LEADERS’, 31 October On 31 October, I attended a meeting of COSLA Leaders’. It was another packed agenda which included the following items for discussion: • Population Balance White Paper • Housing Emergency Action Plan and Housing (Scotland) Bill • Local Government Financial Viability Update • Health and Social Care Finance Update • Integration Authority Voting Rights • Update from SJC Working Group - Roadmap to £15 per hour • SNCT Pay Update • Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT) • Review of Digital Activity and Proposed Changes in the Role of the Digital Partnership Board • Historic Child Abuse – Redress Scheme • Chief Executives’ Pay Review
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 2 Official Information Official Information 1 NHS AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN HEALTHCARE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, 3 November On 3 November, I attended an NHS Ayrshire and Arran Healthcare Governance Committee where attendees received reports on patient safety and patient experiences. Several assurance reports were also discussed covering the following subjects: • Breast screening annual report • Pregnancy and Newborn screening annual report • Winter vaccination programme annual report • Mental Health assurance report including CAMHS mitigation Plan update The Committee also received annual assurance reports for East, North and South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCP). The Board will meet again on 12 January 2026. JOINT YOUTH CABINET, 4 November On 4 November, I was delighted to take part in the Joint Youth Cabinet held at Saltcoats Town Hall. Together with Cabinet members and senior officers from North Ayrshire Council, we were able to engage with young people from various localities in North Ayrshire, including the Youth Council Executive and Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament. Joint Cabinet is a vital part of the Council’s Youth Participation Strategy, it allows young people to learn more about how their local authority operates while, at the same time, share their views on a range of subjects. Discussions focused on: • Alcohol and Drugs • Risk Taking Behaviour • Child Poverty • Positive Relationships and Wellbeing • Employability Pathways Thank you to all the young people who took part from a range of schools throughout North Ayrshire and for your invaluable contribution to the important aforementioned subjects.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 3 Official Information Official Information OLDER PEOPLE’S EXECUTIVE MEETING, 6 November On 6 November, in my capacity as Older People’s Champion for North Ayrshire, I chaired a meeting of the Older People’s Executive held at Cumbrae Gardens Sheltered Housing Unit in Largs. The meeting was well attended by various representatives from our senior and elderly community groups throughout North Ayrshire. Discussion focused mainly on the following items: • Communication – Identify improved ways of promoting events and opportunities for older people. • Transport - Community transport to enable older people to access places, spaces, activities, and groups to reduce social isolation and loneliness. • Community Safety - Accessibility challenges on pavements and with local buildings. • Access to healthcare - Difficulty to access health care with automated systems, long waits, and lack of appointments available in the Three Towns. • Public realm - Lack of seating and bins in public places in the Three Towns. Locality officers also highlighted some positive stories including the variety of activities on offer in Irvine and Kilwinning. It also included the discovery group members working on a “What’s on Guide” to cover the Garnock Valley and the great work being done by the Dementia Friendly Largs Group in Largs town. My thanks to NAC officers who attended the meeting and were able to answer questions and of course, to the representatives from the various elderly forums who also attended. AYRSHIRE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP BOARD MEETING, 7 November On 7 November, I attended a meeting of the Ayrshire Economic Partnership Board held at the i3 Digital Process Manufacturing Centre (DPMC) at Riverside Way in Irvine. Attendees were updated on the Ayrshire Growth Deal (AGD) Regional Economic Strategy followed by an update on the development of a pan-Ayrshire bid to the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund. This will be submitted toUK Research and Innovation by 12 February 2026. Attendees were also provided with an update on the AGD Programme Risk Register and an update on AGD Governance. IRVINE REMEMBRANCE SERVICE & PARADE, 9 November
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 4 Official Information Official Information On 9 November, I took part in Remembrance Sunday held in Irvine and laid a wreath on behalf of North Ayrshire Council. I then attended a poignant Service held at the War Memorial in Irvine High Street, followed by a parade attended by various other dignitaries. EMPLOYABILITY AWARDS, 11 November On 11 November, together with North Ayrshire Council’s Provost, Anthea Dickson, I attended North Ayrshire Council’s Employability Awards held at Saltcoats Town Hall. This is the third year that these Awards have been held to celebrate the success of the participants of the Council’s employability programmes such as “We Work for Families.” North Ayrshire Council’s “Your Next Move Working North Ayrshire” Employability service work with various delivery partners, to help boost confidence and support people looking to get their first job or returning to work after a period of absence. The work carried out by partners and the Employability team is firstclass and I have seen first- hand the positive impact this work is having on the lives of so many individuals and their families. Congratulations to all the finalists, winners and to the team and partners for their continued great work. GREENWOOD ACADEMY SCHOOL SHOW - SHREK, 11 November On 11 November, I was delighted to be invited along to Greenwood Academy’s school musical production of “Shrek”. Another amazing production by pupils and staff and I found myself smiling and laughing all the way through. Thank you for another fantastic, entertaining evening and well done to all those who took part. COSLA CONFERENCE AND CONVENTION, 13, 14 November On 13 and 14 November, I attended COSLA Conference and Convention held at the Fairmont Hotel in St Andrews. At Convention, COSLA Leaders held useful discussions on a range of subjects including the following: • Community Cohesion • Consultation on Future of Council Tax in Scotland • Verity House Agreement • COSLA Financial Sustainability Strategy
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 5 Official Information Official Information • COSLA Audited Financial Statement • Review of COSLA Convention Business • Appointment of Interim Spokesperson • Appointments to Outside Bodies • Address from Secretary of State for Scotland The Conference had a good range of speakers including Paul Johnston, Chief Executive of Public Health Scotland who gave a useful presentation on the Collaboration for Health Equity work, working with three Local Authorities one of which is North Ayrshire Council. There was also an address by the Scottish Government First Minister, John Swinney prior to the COSLA Excellence Awards held in the evening. IRVINE LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP MEETING, 1 December On 1 December, I attended an Irvine Locality Partnership meeting held at Redburn Community Centre. The Partnership discussed the street naming report for a residential site in Montgomerie Park in Irvine. There was also a useful child poverty presentation and discussion on how the four locality priorities link to child poverty. The meeting finished with Partner updates from Police Scotland, Scottish Fire & Rescue, Active Schools and KA Leisure. RECLAIM THE NIGHT WALK, 2 December On 2 December, I was pleased to take part in the “Reclaim the Night Walk” which is an annual event held as part of the end Violence Against Women Campaign. The campaign is supported by the North Ayrshire Violence Against Women Partnership (VAWP) who work to prevent violence against women and girls in North Ayrshire through strategic, multi-agency working. This collaborative approach tackles gender inequality and Gender-Based violence across all its forms. INTRODUCTORY MEETING WITH INTERIM CHAIR OF AYRSHIRE COLLEGE BOARD, 3 December Also on 3 December, I had an introductory meeting with the recently appointed Interim Chair of Ayrshire College Board, Sharon Morrow. Sharon has been a non-executive Board member of the College for the past four years and has held the roles of Chair of Audit and Risk Committee
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 6 Official Information Official Information plus Vice Chair of the Learning, Teaching and Quality Committee. Sharon is dedicated to supporting Ayrshire College’s mission and believes in the transformative power of education and professional development. Sharon will remain as interim Chair of the Board of Management until the public appointment recruitment process for a Chair of the Board of Management is completed in 2026. COMMUNITY PLANNING PARTNERSHIP BOARD MEETING, 4 December On 4 December, I chaired a meeting of the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Board held in Fullarton Connexions. CPP partners received a presentation on the Population Health Framework by Lynne McNiven, Director of Public Health, NHS Ayrshire & Arran. There were also two useful workshop sessions held on the Work of the Climate Change Steering Group and the Child Poverty Fairer Futures Team. Once again, my thanks to all our community partners for their support and joint collaborative working throughout the past year. I look forward to working with you all again next year to develop and implement these strategies further. AYRSHIRE SHARED SERVICES COMMITTEE, 5 December On 5 December, I attended an Ayrshire Shared Services Committee meeting where attendees received a report on progression of the current Ayrshire Civil Contingencies Plan. Meeting dates for 2026 were also agreed by attendees. FINALLY On behalf of all the Elected Members, I would like to thank all the staff in North Ayrshire Council for their invaluable work during the year and for their continued support in helping to deliver on a range of Council priorities. I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that everyone can enjoy time with family, loved ones and friends.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 7 Official Information Official Information Councillor Marie Burns Leader of North Ayrshire Council