News

What is Christmas all about? It’s a time for reflection and looking forward to the year ahead and what’s yet to come.

Last week’s Council meeting agreed to set up a recovery taskforce to address the projected overspend of £10.280m for Council-commissioned health and care services within the Direction from East Ayrshire Integration Joint Board on Financial Recovery report.

As we approach the festive season, it’s important to take a moment to think about those in our communities who give so much of themselves to care for others.

Four young people from Kilmarnock Academy - Robbie, Nathan, Matthew and Lucas - have won £10,000 for their school at the UK finals of the RTX Quadcopter Challenge in London.

Provost Claire Leitch and Councillor Barry Douglas visited Hugh and Margaret Black recently to congratulate them on 65 years of marriage.

Construction of the Ayrshire Innovation Park (AIP), at Moorfield in Kilmarnock, is officially underway and officials gathered in Kilmarnock to celebrate the start of this £48.8m Ayrshire Growth Deal project.

Muirkirk Primary held a special celebration recently, to mark earning a Silver: Rights Respecting Award from UNICEF, a leading organisation supporting children and their rights across the world.

Three secondary schools in East Ayrshire are participating in the Powering Future Schools Challenge and taking on sustainability challenges currently facing Scottish businesses.

 On 26 June 2025 East Ayrshire Council officers reported to a Council meeting on a cross-cutting review of employability provision delivered by Council services.

As a result of the review, it was decided to bring together teams to work under one Directorate: Education and Skills, thus pooling experience and knowledge of teams delivering employability support to all-age clients and parents.

Proposals for the new synthetic grass pitch at Merlin Park, Auchinleck, took a step closer to becoming a reality this week when Cabinet approved an increased budget of £0.900m for the project, bringing the revised budget for this project to approximately £2.200m.

A major funding award of £3.2m from Transport Scotland will act as a catalyst for the creation of an ambitious masterplan for Kilmarnock town centre. The funding will accelerate the transformation of the former multi-storey car park site, marking a significant milestone in the town’s regeneration plans.

“A dog is for life, not just for Christmas” is a familiar slogan often bandied around at this time of year, reminding us all about the responsibilities which come with dog breeding and ownership