In her column this month, Vivien Dance thanks the volunteers and campaigners fighting the waterfront development - and challenges councillors over their position. 

As usual, it is a pleasure to begin this article with a hearty welcome to Helensburgh to all new businesses who are in the process of establishing their enterprise in our great town.

I would also like to place on record our congratulations to all the voluntary groups whose activities and successful events bring terrific diversity to Helensburgh and attract visitors from far and wide.

Helensburgh Heart is going apace with their hugely successful Civic Centre events, Grey Matters is going strong and the Community Hub is certainly living up to its name with its regular special events.

The Tower has just organised two further community gatherings, both of which were hugely professional and inspiring, good luck with the next stages of your bid to the Scottish Land Fund, there are a lot of people in Helensburgh rooting for you and hoping for a successful outcome.

All of these community-led ventures give a boost to local businesses and we are indeed lucky to have so many skills and enthusiasm in our volunteer network.

Thank you to all of you and all other active voluntary groups.

While these groups are buoyant and enjoying what they do, more unpaid volunteers who are Helensburgh Community Council members have to give up their time to lead yet another assault on our special town by Argyll and Bute councillors.

Yes, councillors not officers. Remember officers recommend, councillors decide.

These decision-making councillors are after our seafront again, the fifth time of trying.

Thankfully, Helensburgh Community Council and other campaigners are already on the move as you will have read in last week’s excellent coverage in the Advertiser as the movement to repulse this attack on our town and its current businesses was launched at a very professional community council meeting.

In the same week that this meeting proved necessary, Councillor Math Campbell-Sturgess went into print to tell us “being a listening council is not just a slogan, it is a guiding principle”.

He assured us that the new administration is determined to engage with the public because our “voices were not being heard” and he and others are determined to change that.

He then points out that councillors know best, of course, because they have all the evidence.

Flawed logic on that one councillors - 83 consultation responses from the biggest town in Argyll and Bute do not warrant a description of evidence in anybody’s book.

Over the next wee while we will assail our 10 local councillors with evidence that consensus in the town and area that you were elected to serve is “Nae Supermarket”.

And a challenge to all “listening” councillors - you are all invited to attend a public meeting in the Victoria Hall, funded by the business community, who feel threatened by your latest assault on our local amenities.

Happy to discuss a date for this listening experience at your earliest convenience.