Since the election in May 2022, Lloyd has been working hard on behalf of every constituent in Monifieth and Sidlaw. Whether it has been helping with issues where they arise, meeting residents at surgeries, or speaking up for our communities in the Chamber - every day, he aims to repay the trust placed in him two and a half years ago.
After the election, the SNP formed the Administration on Angus Council, and is currently working with an independent councillor for Carnoustie, to deliver progress for people across Angus. Together with local SNP ward colleague Beth Whiteside, Lloyd has been determined to fulfil the promises made in the election - to improve Monifieth and Sidlaw for everyone.
Here's just some of what has been achieved since May 2022:
Education and young people
Record investment for Monifieth's Learning Campus
Under the SNP-led Administration, Monifieth will see the largest ever investment by both Angus Council and the Scottish Government - the £66.5 million Monifieth Learning Campus.
As a former pupil at Monifieth High, Lloyd knows how badly this new school is needed. The current building does not meet the needs of either pupils or staff. The new school will feature expanded capacity, brand-new sports facilities, solar panels, air-source heat pumps, and meet Passivhaus standard. It will be an enhanced learning and teaching space for pupils and teachers alike.
Lloyd had the opportunity to visit the site with ward colleague Beth Whiteside, Graeme Dey MSP, and the Convener of Family, Education and Justice, Lynne Devine.
The project remains on-time and on-budget, and will open in late summer 2025.
Playpark Improvement Funding
In January 2024, the Communities Committee approved over £1 million in funding to improve playparks across Angus between now and 2027. Monifieth will benefit from nearly £200,000 of this funding, which will be focused on improvements to the Blue Seaway at Marine Drive and the Brook Street play area. The Council will be engaging directly with schools and young people to shape how this funding is spent.
"The investment in the Blue Seaway will be important as the new Monifieth Activity Centre draws more people down to Monifieth waterfront. The engagement with young people is very welcome, as I believe young people must have a stake in how their community looks and feels - this is a positive step in the right direction." (Lloyd)
Protecting School Crossing Patrollers
Lloyd knows the importance of learners getting to school safely. The SNP Budget in 2024/25 fully protects School Crossing Patrollers across Angus. Other local authorities have removed these key Council workers entirely, however the SNP in Angus have made it clear that safety at our schools is a top priority.
Cutting the cost of the school day
In the 2023/24 Budget, the SNP accepted an amendment from other councillors to freeze the cost of school meals. This means that Angus' school meals continue to cost less than neighbouring council areas. Alongside this, the SNP Government in Holyrood announced a special fund to cancel school meal debt, lifting another burden on families.
The SNP has also increased the School Clothing Grant at both Primary and Secondary levels, giving low-income families an extra hand with the cost of school uniforms.
"I believe we must do much more to lower the cost of the school day for parents and carers. That is why we have taken the steps we have, and I will continue to work with colleagues to further reduce the financial burden on low-income families." (Lloyd)
Communities and Housing
New Monifieth Activity Centre
Since being elected, the SNP-led Administration has allocated an additional £420,000 to the MCRG Monifieth Activity Centre Project, and the Council granted planning permission. This took the project over the line and enabled the beginning of construction.
This new Activity Centre will provide a secure, long-term home for the library and enable residents of Monifieth to continue accessing the service, over longer hours than currently. It will also feature a cafe, flexible community space, a changing places toilet, and gym facilities.
In September 2024, Lloyd attended the official opening alongside Graeme Dey MSP, and members of the community. The delivery of this project is testament to the amazing efforts of the Monifieth Community Resource Group to achieve this facility over many years.
New Council homes in Monifieth
The Invertay House building on Monifieth High Street will be converted into sixteen new Council homes, with a further three newly built on site. These will be energy efficient, have space to store bikes, and feature electric vehicle charging points.
The £5.8 million housing project re-uses a listed building, and construction will begin on site in Spring/Summer 2025.
"This is a hugely welcome development. It’s really positive to see the reuse of this listed building to provide new affordable homes for people who need them. We absolutely need new social homes, to help those most in need and tackle the Housing Emergency.” (Lloyd)
Establishing a standalone Housing Committee
As a local Councillor, Lloyd knows that there are significant, long-running issues with Council housing in Angus. In July 2024, he seconded the Administration motion to declare a Housing Emergency in Angus, further to the declaration of a national Housing Emergency by First Minister John Swinney.
As part of the motion, the Council committed to establish a standalone Housing Committee to oversee the strategic direction of the Housing Service and monitor improvement. This was passed unanimously by Angus Council. Councillor Beth Whiteside now serves as the Council's Housing Spokesperson, and is overseeing the establishment of the committee.
Below is Lloyd's full contribution in seconding the motion.
Increasing Council Tax on long-term empty, and second homes
Lloyd welcomed the section of the SNP's 2023/24 Budget which looked at increasing Council tax on long-term empty and second homes. He voted to endorse Angus Council's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on these measures. This response encouraged the Scottish Government to implement proportionate measures which enable Angus Council to free up housing stock - and raise additional revenue for public services.
"It is vitally important that we bring long-term empty properties back into use. We are in a Housing Emergency and there are a number of measures we must take to increase the supply of homes here in Angus - including this one." (Lloyd)
Developer contributions for healthcare settings
Lloyd understands the pressure being faced by local healthcare settings, particularly where new housing developments are proposed. He has spoken about the importance of any future development making a financial contribution to the expansion of these services, and is monitoring the adoption of new guidance by Angus Council which sets this out.
Roads and Transport
Extra roads investment
Roads across Angus are in need of repair, which is why the SNP Administration invested an additional £1 million capital spend on Angus roads in the 2023/24 Budget, which was made permanent in the 2024/25 Budget. The Council then approved an additional £500,000 spend on maintaining Angus roads on top of this £1 million uplift.
Lloyd has been pro-active in reporting potholes, road defects and other issues to officers in the Council's roads department since his election.
"As a local driver, I know that we have many roads in need of repair. This is a key priority for me, and why I was delighted to back the significant funding increases in this area." (Lloyd)
Public transport improvements
The SNP Administration is investing in piloting a new, demand-led public transport solution in some of the rural communities of Sidlaw. This has replaced the 137, 138 and 139 bus services. The aim of this pilot is to provide communities with a more flexible service, which better meets their needs. Lloyd directly engaged with transport officers to ensure that communities will be well-served by this pilot; and he also attended engagement events.
He was able to visit the new service in operation with local MSP Graeme Dey, in September 2024. The pair heard directly from passengers about the importance of the service to their lives, and how much better it serves them than the previous fixed-timetable buses.
Crucially, the new service is free for all passengers.
Tory town centre car parking charges remain suspended
The SNP Administration has continued the suspension of Tory-introduced town centre car parking charges. This means residents from Monifieth and Sidlaw do not have to pay to park in town centres across Angus. The continued suspension of these charges helps high streets and small businesses, who had previously argued that these fees damaged their trade.
"We do not wish to see the re-introduction of these parking charges in the lifetime of the SNP-led Administration. We know how much damage they have done. Unlike the Tories, we will not gamble with the future of small businesses on our high streets." (Lloyd)
More rail services for Monifieth
ScotRail's new timetable, which has been re-adopted following the resolution of an industrial dispute, means Monifieth is served by more direct rail services to and from Glasgow. Lloyd has been working closely with Graeme Dey MSP on this issue, and welcomed the addition of new services.
Improving pedestrian safety
Lloyd raised the issue of speeding traffic entering Monifieth at the end of Panmure Street with both Police Scotland and the Council’s roads department. He attended speeding enforcement action with local community Police Scotland officers earlier this year, and several vehicles were stopped and spoken to about their speed.
He wrote a letter to the Director of Infrastructure in June, suggesting a new 40mph buffer zone to help reduce the speed of traffic entering Monifieth. The Communities Committee unanimously voted to approve the proposal on 1st October.
Below is Lloyd's contribution to the meeting on Tuesday 1st October.
Climate, nature and sustainability
Angus Net-Zero Fund
The SNP established the £1 million Angus Net-Zero Fund after taking Administration in May 2022. The Fund seeks to help the Council reach net-zero, as well as invest in nature and biodiversity. One of the first projects to receive funding from this Net-Zero Fund was the Monifieth Learning Campus, which is climate-focused.
"This funding will help us make key changes across Angus, to reduce carbon emissions and also to improve the biodiversity of our landscapes. I am particularly pleased that some of this funding will cover the cost of additional climate-positive features of the Monifieth Learning Campus." (Lloyd)
Electric vehicle charging expansion
Angus Council will bid for £725,000 of funding from the Scottish Futures Trust to expand the number of electric vehicle chargers on-street, at community locations, and at two new hubs, following approval by the Communities Committee in October 2024.
The proposals would see the establishment of two hubs, on the A90 and A92, as well as the rollout of around 60 additional chargers. Angus Council currently has 54 publicly available chargers on its network.
"To transition away from fossil fuels, we need to see a rapid expansion of this kind of technology. Having many more publicly available chargers will, I hope, incentivise more people to switch to electric vehicles, and help contribute to reaching net-zero." (Lloyd)
Record active travel investment
Active travel remains a key focus for Lloyd; and he was happy that Monifieth and Sidlaw's allocation for active travel totalled £229,000 in the 2022/23 financial year alone. This has enabled key projects like the Kellas - Murroes Primary School path to be delivered, with more projects in the pipeline.
The Council has also worked closely with Dundee City Council, Sustrans and other partners to deliver the new active travel improvements at Monifieth waterfront; including the new Dighty Bridge.
Lloyd attended the official opening of these new active travel improvements in August 2024.
Special nature designation
Monifieth and Sidlaw now benefits from hosting two specially accredited Local Landscape Areas. This designation seeks to protect and celebrate the special landscapes which we have here in Angus. The two areas in Monifieth and Sidlaw are:
Sidlaw - "The picturesque Lundie Crags together with the scenic Kinpurney observatory and the iron age hillforts on both Kinpurney Hill and Auchterhouse Hill."
The Angus Coast - Stretching from Monifieth to Montrose, with "...dramatic rugged cliffs with promontory forts combine majestic sweeping beaches and the magnificent Montrose Basin."
These Local Landscape Areas recognise the special value of landscapes in Angus, and also means that the Council and other authorities must take special care in their management. These will feed into the next Angus Local Development Plan, and shape guidance on future development in the area.
"Monifieth and Sidlaw boast some of Scotland's most beautiful landscape features. It is incumbent on all of us - local authority, or private citizen - to ensure we care for, celebrate and manage these landscapes so they can be enjoyed by future generations." (Lloyd)
Lots done, more to do
Since 2022, a lot has been achieved here in Monifieth and Sidlaw - in very tough financial circumstances.
Lloyd will continue to work on behalf of constituents, to improve our communities and make Monifieth and Sidlaw a better place to live, work and grow up. The next two-and-a-half years will be crucial to delivering that.
Any constituents wishing to raise issues, or pass on feedback, can contact him via CllrMelville@angus.gov.uk.
Keep up to date with Lloyd via social media:
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