Leaders Report
North Ayrshire Council · 11 February 2026
Back to North Ayrshire Council — 11 February 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Official Information Official Information LEADER’S REPORT For the period covering: 8 December 2025 – 1 February 2026 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: 8 December 2025 – 1 February 2026 NHS BOARD MEETING, 8 December On 8 December, I attended an NHS Ayrshire and Arran Board meeting where financial issues and budgets for the new financial year were the main topics for discussion. This follows on from a letter received from the Scottish Government on finance and expectations for the year ahead. The Board were also asked to endorse outcomes from the Board Workshop held on 1 December about transformation of services and sub-national planning. LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN COMMITTEE, 9 December On 9 December, I attended a Local Development Plan Committee meeting held at the Council Chambers in Cunninghame House. PAN AYRSHIRE MINISTERIAL MEETING, 9 December Later on 9 December, I attended a meeting at East Ayrshire Council Offices in Kilmarnock to discuss progress on the Ayrshire Growth Deal. The meeting was attended by Scottish and UK Government officials including Richard Lochhead MSP (Minister for Business and Employment) and Kirsty McNeill MP (UK Government Minister). The meeting was also attended by Council Leaders from East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire Councils, Councillor Douglas Reid and Councillor Brian Connolly, together with senior Council officers and representatives from local businesses. Unfortunately, due to bad weather we were unable to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at Moorfield Industrial Estate in Kilmarnock, however, useful discussions were held by attendees identifying key areas of work which should be prioritised. AYRSHIRE ECONOMIC JOINT COMMITTEE, SUB COMMITTEE OF THE AYRSHIRE SKILLS INVESTMENT FUND (ASIF), 10 December On 10 December, I attended a meeting of the Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund (ASIF), a sub committee of the Ayrshire Economic Joint Committee (AEJC). The sub committee discussed and approved several grant funding requests. ASIF launched in October 2023 with £3.5
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 2 Official Information Official Information million provided to address skills gaps, aiming to upskill 1,000 residents by 2028 in engineering, digital, visitor economy and clean growth. It focuses on priority groups; females, young people, people in low-paid employment, people with long-term disabilities and health conditions. There was also an update on progress so far with the EKOS Skills Research Recommendations. ELECTED MEMBER DEVELOPMENT SESSION, “CONSIDERING STATUTORY IMPACT DUTIES”, 10 December On 10 December, I attended an elected member development session in Cunninghame House, for a session entitled “Considering Statutory Impact Duties” delivered by the Council’s Legal Team. NHS AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN HEALTHCARE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, 12 January On 12 January, I attended an NHS Ayrshire and Arran Healthcare Governance Committee (HGC) where attendees received reports on patient safety and patient experiences. Several Quality Improvement and assurance reports were discussed including the following: • Quality and Safety Walkrounds • Care Home Governance • COVID 19 Inquiry • Pressure Ulcers The Committee also noted and approved the minutes from various other Committees from the last quarter period and agreed HGC meeting dates for 2026-27. MODERN APPRENTICE MEET AND GREET, 12 January Also on 12 January, together with North Ayrshire Council’s Chief Executive, Craig Hatton, I met with some of our Modern Apprentices to hear about their journey into the workplace. North Ayrshire Council's Modern Apprentice programme is aimed at 16 to 19 year-olds living in North Ayrshire and it is designed to give young people the opportunity to learn key skills through work and training to kick-start their career and progress in meaningful jobs and positive pathways. This is part of the council’s wider Working North Ayrshire programme and the council offers opportunities across a range of services including Early Year, Business
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 3 Official Information Official Information Administration, Civil Engineering, Horticulture, Housing, Health and Social Care and Youth Work. Thanks to our Employability team for the help and support provided to our Modern Apprentices and for helping them to gain invaluable experience. I wish all our Modern Apprentices the best for the future and in securing full-time employment at the end of their time here at North Ayrshire Council. NHS AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN ENDOWMENT TRUSTEES MEETING, 13 January On 13 January, I attended a meeting of the NHS Ayrshire and Arran Endowment Trustees. The Committee received an investment update from the company Evelyn & Partners. Trustees also received various reports on expenditure on certain funds including the General Fund and the Restricted Fund Plan. SPECIAL COSLA LEADERS’, 15 January On 15 January, I attended a Special COSLA Leaders meeting to discuss the Scottish Budget and Local Government Settlement. MEETING WITH MPs, 16 January On 16 January, together with other Ayrshire council leaders and senior council officers, I attended a meeting with several Members of Parliament (MP) representing Ayrshire, including Alan Gemmell MP, Irene Campbell MP and Lilian Jones MP. The meeting was to discuss the Ayrshire Growth Deal (AGD) and progress to date on several projects. This follows on for a meeting held in December with UK and Scottish Ministers and Ayrshire council leaders to discuss the AGD. THE PROMISE CONFERENCE, 20 January On 20 January, I attended “The Promise” conference held at Saltcoats Town Hall. The event began with an update on the strategic priorities for The Promise Scotland and detailed leadership accountability. This was followed by a powerful session where attendees heard directly from young people and their experiences.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 4 Official Information Official Information The event finished with an update on how North Ayrshire Council is performing and highlighted some of its key initiatives. It was a useful and thought-provoking event and I would like to thank the young people for sharing their stories with us. NHS BOARD FINANCIAL PLANNING WORKSHOP, 22 January On 22 January, I attended an NHS Ayrshire and Arran Board financial planning workshop. Attendees discussed the 2026/27 budget settlement, cost pressures and efficiency improvements. NHS AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE, 22 January Later on 22 January, I attended an NHS Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) meeting where attendees discussed various Internal and External Audit papers. The Committee also received a Counter Fraud Update report. The Committee also reviewed and agreed the ARC Terms of Reference before submission to the Board for final approval. VISIT TO MILLPORT, 28 January On 28 January, together with North Ayrshire Council’s Chief Executive, Craig Hatton and North Ayrshire Council Head of Service, Louise Kirk, I visited Millport to attend a meeting with Juli Dempsey from the Isle of Cumbrae Distillers to discuss the operation of the proposed Ayrshire Growth Deal (AGD) step-ashore facilities in Millport. The AGD Marine Tourism Programme is a 10-year Scottish Government-funded regeneration initiative designed to grow the marine tourism economy in North Ayrshire and looks to deliver new marine infrastructure on the islands of Cumbrae and Arran to attract more visitors and increase boat visits to the islands. Step-ashore facilities enable boats to land and berth safely, enabling passengers to embark/disembark directly onto land by foot. These typically include floating pontoons secured by moorings, anchors, or steel piles, connected to shore via a gated linkspan bridge, steps, or ladders. This ensures dry-foot access in varying tidal conditions. COSLA LEADERS’, 31 January On 31 January, I joined a meeting of COSLA Leaders to discuss a packed agenda including the following items:
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 5 Official Information Official Information • Scottish Budget and Local Government Finance Update • Council Tax – Consultation Response • Historical Child Abuse Redress (Non-financial) • Coming Home Action Plan • Free School Meals Expansion • Reducing Class Contact Time • IJB Voting Rights and NCS Advisory Board • Culture Partnership Agreement – Statement of Intent • Regional Economies • Flood Risk Management Affordability FINALLY Since this is my last report as Leader of the Council, I just wanted to say a few words of thanks. It has been an absolute privilege to be the leader of North Ayrshire Council, following on from a term as Cabinet member for Economic Development and a second term as Leader of the Opposition. I am proud of what this council has achieved in very difficult times. That's about setting the right policy direction but couldn't be achieved without the hard work of our officers working alongside us. We have some outstanding officers in this council, too many to name but hopefully I've made clear my respect and gratitude for your support along the way. I also want to thank our community planning partners and particularly colleagues in the third sector for the journey we've shared. Lastly, I want to thank our local communities for their support, passion and commitment in making North Ayrshire a better place for all of us. I will of course remain an elected member for Irvine East and will offer support in any way I can to our new leadership team as they take the council forward.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 6 Official Information Official Information Councillor Marie Burns Leader of North Ayrshire Council