Successful summer tour draws to a close in Ayrshire

First Minister Alex Salmond and other Scottish Government Ministers willvisit Kilmarnock next week ahead of the final cabinet meeting of the summer.

This is the fourth Cabinet meeting and round of associated events being held outside Edinburgh over the summer. Parliament returns from recess next week.

The Rt. Hon. Alex Salmond

Next week’s engagements follow Cabinet visits to Dornoch, Stirling and Bute this summer. The Kilmarnock leg is expected to take the total number of people who have attended the associated events to over 1000. The visits aim to give local communities a greater opportunity to speak directly to Ministers about important issues of local and national concern.

Other summer Cabinet programmes have been held in the previous two years – involving hundreds of people in Dundee, Melrose, Stornoway, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dumfries, Inverness, Pitlochry and Skye.

On Monday evening, the First Minister will host a reception at the Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock for local producers and businesses to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink. The event will recognise the contribution of individuals and organisations in promoting quality Scottish produce.

On Tuesday the First Minister will chair a formal meeting of the Scottish Cabinet at East Ayrshire Council Chambers. A public discussion event with Ministers on the Government’s ‘Vision for Scotland’, hosted by the First Minister, will then take place at the Park Hotel. Members of the public and representatives from local civic organisations are attending that meeting.

Speaking ahead of the Cabinet visit, First Minister Alex Salmond said:

“I am delighted to be bringing the Cabinet to Kilmarnock for the first time and look forward to listening to the views of the local community and answering their questions. The public discussion element of the programme has generated a lot of local interest and promises to be one of the most well-attended since we decided to take the Cabinet on the road.

“It’s clear that we are entering a crucial phase in Scotland’s future and face a huge challenge in dealing with the massive cuts in Scotland’s budget from Westminster. As we look to bring forward a budget in November that protects the services we value most and sustains economic recovery, we want to hear what the people of Kilmarnock have to say about the issues that matter to them.“

URsTV will be attending all events so watch our for later articles with video at all the venues the Cabinet Members will be attending!