Helensburgh Community Council

Helensburgh Community Council HCC is a non-political organisation representing local residents on issues affecting Helensburgh.

24/06/2026

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Last chance to get your nominations emailed in before the 4pm deadline.
24/06/2026

Last chance to get your nominations emailed in before the 4pm deadline.

Nominations close on Thursday: As the ‘grass roots’ tier of statutory representation in Scotland, our community councils play a vital role in local life. We would love to encourage people to stand as community councillors and help shape how council and other public services are delivered in your area.
www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/my-council/elections/community-council-elections-20-august-2026

22/06/2026

Please join the Community Council!

Nominations close this Thursday (25th) at 4pm - for how to apply see the nomination pack at https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-06/Nomination%20Pack%2020%20August%202026.pdf. You will need your electoral roll number to apply (and your proposer & seconder will need this as well) and you can get this by calling the number in the nomination form.

In Helensburgh we are looking for at least 10 nominations. We meet monthly on the last Thursday of the month 7pm at the Civic Centre. We provide a community "voice" for the town, and represent the community to Argyll and Bute Council. One major issue where this voice is important is the current waterfront supermarket development proposal.

We are very keen to get new members - we are all volunteers and have different interests and skills, we share the work between us, meaning the time commitment can be flexible.

21/06/2026

🚒 If I were a member of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board tomorrow, these are the questions I would be asking before voting on Helensburgh.

The Board papers recommend ending 24 hour wholetime crewing at Helensburgh Fire Station and replacing it with a Day Shift Duty System supported by on call firefighters outwith weekday daytime hours.

Before supporting that recommendation, I would want clear answers to a few straightforward questions:

❓ What evidence demonstrates that on call availability in Helensburgh can reliably replace wholetime availability overnight and at weekends?

❓ If the future model depends on additional on call capacity, why is the recommendation being made before that capacity has been secured?

❓ If concerns about Faslane, Coulport and other high risk sites have been acknowledged, what evidence demonstrates that existing mitigations are sufficient?

❓ If the proposal releases around £693,000 of annual resource capacity, how can the Board demonstrate that the decision is being driven by risk and demand rather than financial considerations?

❓ Why is Livingston repeatedly used as a comparison when Livingston retains a wholetime appliance available 24 hours a day?

❓ Why should consultation responses not be published before a final decision is taken?

These are not political questions.

They are governance questions.

Tomorrow, Board members will decide whether a community that has had 24 hour wholetime fire cover since 1975 should lose that protection.

Whatever decision is made, the public deserves to know that these questions have been properly examined and answered.

📄 Board papers: Link in Comment 1

🎥 Public access to the Board Meeting : Link in Comment 2

🚒 Every vote carries responsibility.
⏳ Every vote carries accountability.




19/06/2026

🚒🔥 LIVINGSTON IS NOT HELENSBURGH 🔥🚒

Following Jackie Baillie’s question in the Scottish Parliament this week, proposed changes to Helensburgh Fire Station have been compared to the Day Shift Duty System and Fire Cover system operating in Livingston.

Let’s look at that comparison.

📍 Livingston
✅ Two pumping appliances
✅ A wholetime appliance remains available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
✅ The Day Shift Duty System applies to a second appliance
✅ Wholetime firefighters remain available overnight and at weekends

📍 Helensburgh Proposal
❌ No wholetime cover overnight
❌ No wholetime cover at weekends
❌ Reliance on on call firefighters outside weekday daytime hours
❌ Removal of the current 24 hour wholetime response model that has protected our community for around 50 years

These are not the same.

The Cabinet Secretary also stated that the majority of incidents occur during the day.

🚒 But emergencies do not work office hours.

🔥 House Fires
⛴️ Faslane
🚘 Road incidents
🕰️ Rural response times
🏝️ Coastal and marine incidents
😠 On call availability concerns
⚠️ Historic turnout data

These occur throughout the day and night.

Every firefighter knows that fires at 2am carry a greater life risk because people are asleep, detection is delayed and escape times are reduced.

❓If the Livingston model is being used to justify these proposals, why is Helensburgh not retaining a 24 hour wholetime appliance as Livingston does?

❓And why is the SFRS Board being asked to make a final decision before the consultation responses and supporting analysis have been published for public scrutiny?

📅 The SFRS Board meets on 22 June.

The decision now rests with them.

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Helensburgh
G848TU

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