PROPOSED OPERA HOUSE REDEVELOPMENT IS MUSIC TO OUR EARS!
On Wednesday East Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet is considering a report which has the potential to end 20 years of speculation surrounding the future of Kilmarnock’s most prominent gap site.
The former Opera House buildings at 6-14 John Finnie Street and 24-26 Strand Street were destroyed by fire in 1989 and since then only the “B” listed sandstone facade has remained in what has become the most prominent derelict site within Kilmarnock Town Centre.
The report proposes that the Council enter ..read more Read more
FIRST MEETING OF MAKE IT KILMARNOCK ADVISORY BOARD
The new strategic advisory board for Make it Kilmarnock met for the first time this week.
Chaired by Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of the Council, the Advisory Board replaces the original Local Task Force, which was established last year, and will become the driving force behind Make it Kilmarnock.
Councillor Reid said: “The first meeting of the Advisory Board has great significance as we welcomed new members into the Make it Kilmarnock initiative. We have gathered a wide field of specialists ..read more Read more
CHEF’S APPRENTICE
Young masterchef Cheryl Ann Ewing demonstrated last week that she certainly can stand the heat in the kitchen when she took up her week’s placement at popular local restaurant, Merchants.
Cheryl Ann was the recent winner of the Cook School Scotland’s Chef’s Apprentice competition – a cooking competition open to all local secondary schools which was inspired and sponsored by Craig Stevenson of Braehead Foods.
She fought off competition from eight other local youngsters to secure the star prize of a week’s ..read more Read more
WARNING OVER FIRE ALARMS AND DOORSTEP SELLING
East Ayrshire Council Trading Standards Service is warning householders to be vigilant over buying fire alarms from cold callers. An English-based company is currently operating in the area and preying on vulnerable individuals.
The company phone potential customers and arrange for a representative to call, often within the hour. Once inside the customer’s home the company fits the alarms very quickly. The customer is then persuaded to sign a maintenance contract credit agreement lasting up to eight years and ..read more Read more
APPRENTICE OPEN EVENING
East Ayrshire Council hosted an Apprentice open night for the first time recently and welcomed young people interested in embarking on an apprenticeship.
Our current apprentices attended the evening and were joined by their managers and supervisors from within Housing Asset Services and key partners from local colleges who support them throughout their apprenticeships. This gave the young people who attended an invaluable insight into life as an apprentice.
The Council also took the opportunity to recognise our apprentices for their ..read more Read more
KILMARNOCK TRADER FINED FOR SELLING FAKES
A Kilmarnock trader has been fined at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit clothing after an investigation by East Ayrshire Council’s Trading Standards Service.
On Friday 2 July 2010, Robert Chisholm was fined a total of £3500 after admitting offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994. Chisholm, a tattoo artist, was selling clothes from the ground floor of his tattoo studio, ‘Living Art’ in the town’s Foregate before Trading Standards Officers swooped to seize more than 400 counterfeit ..read more Read more
WHEN IS A BARGAIN NOT A BARGAIN?
East Ayrshire Trading Standards Service is urging consumers to be wary when shopping for bargains this summer.
There are many genuine bargains to be found at this time of year as stores offer massive sales with wall to wall advertising, but shoppers should be aware that they might not always be getting the great deal they think they are.
Councillor Jim Todd, Spokesperson for Improving Community Safety said: “Pricing guidance for retailers suggests that sale items need only have been on ..read more Read more
FINDING THE PERFECT MATCH… FOR WORK
There are people who need jobs… and employers who need people.
This is where East Ayrshire Council’s Job Brokerage Service (JBS) can help. The JBS is there to bridge the gap and help match local employers with the right local people for job vacancies. It’s a tailor-made approach, customised to suit the needs of individual employers looking for specific workers.
Not only that – the JBS will offer a wage subsidy of up to 50% of the national minimum wage to ..read more Read more
STRATEGIC APPROACH PAYING OFF FOR TOURISM BUSINESSES
In the midst of the worst recession in memory, tourism in East Ayrshire has continued to grow for the second successive year, following the development of the area’s Tourism Strategy.
Independent research shows that from the baseline of £55.75 million in 2007, tourism revenue in the area has grown to around £60.57m in 2008, and initial reports suggest that this is likely to be followed by a further 1% growth once full year figures for 2009 are published in a ..read more Read more
PEOPLE POWER HELPS EAST AYRSHIRE CRACK DOWN ON SCAMS
Next month a nationwide ‘scamnesty’ campaign is coming to East Ayrshire. Run by Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) the campaign aims to help end the scourge of mass marketed scam mailings in the UK.
Nearly half of the UK adult population has been targeted by a scam. Every year, 3.2 million adults – one in 15 people – across the country fall victim to a scam involving deceptive unsolicited mailings, phone calls, or emails, which are designed ..read more Read more
