It’s the New Year and already it is set to be a great year for Renfrewshire. With youth employment levels soaring, local people giving their views on their town centres and support growing for Paisley 2021, the bid for UK City of Culture, there is definitely a lot to be positive about.

Exciting year for Renfrewshire

I am really looking forward to seeing some exciting projects taking shape here in Renfrewshire.

Being born and bred in Paisley I am excited about Paisley 2021, the town’s bid for UK City of Culture. A successful bid brings just more than a year-long celebration of national and international events; it also brings significant social and economic benefits across Renfrewshire.

Paisley is a town steeped in culture and history. It is home to the Paisley Pattern. Much of our buildings reflect the town’s status as one-time centre of the world’s textile industry. By celebrating Paisley’s past we hope to put the town back on the international map, attracting tourism and investment, creating jobs and bringing footfall to not only Paisley but all our town centres.

Over the next 12 months, the bid team will be working with a wide range of people from the local community to ensure the bid represents everything and everybody the town has to offer.

It’s also set to be another great year for Renfrewshire’s young people getting a head step on their chosen career paths. Youth employment levels have soared in Renfrewshire thanks to a multi-million pound support by the council’s Invest in Renfrewshire programme and hundreds of participating local businesses and organisations. At the end of 2015 Renfrewshire’s youth unemployment rate dropped to just 1.9%, compared to 10.9% in 2012, and I believe this figure will continue to reduce during 2016.

Building on our previous work tackling poverty in Renfrewshire, this year will see three core teams set up in Gallowhill, Johnstone and Foxbar. Providing tailored help and support for families, this local approach has already proved to be successful for families in Ferguslie and Linwood, and I am pleased the Families First programme is being rolled out further.

These projects, and many more including InCube and City Deal, are all helping to build a more prosperous future and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy, healthy and successful year ahead.

Erskine voices ideas for town

It is great to see Erskine pupils giving their views on the future of their community. The Park Mains pupils took part in a unique classroom discussion to gather ideas on their town ahead of an intensive five day series of public workshops – known as a charette.

Erskine residents will be able to drop in to seminars and discussions held in the afternoons from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 February at Erskine Community Sports Centre. It is a great opportunity to tell us what you think.

The final session from 1-4pm on Saturday will showcase the ideas generated by the community. Those ideas will then inform proposals developed by the council to improve Erskine town centre.

Ahead of the public workshops, the consultation team will be out and about in Erskine visiting residents, community groups and businesses.

You can find out more at www.facebook.com/ErskineCharrette.

Paisley to Monte Carlo

Tonight, the Monte Carlo Classic Car Rally returns to Paisley and it promises to be a great family event. Hosting the only UK start leg of this world famous event is great for our town, matching the town’s heritage with the fascinating history of this remarkable rally.

Families and classic car fanatics alike will be able to get up close to more than 70 magnificent machines on display. From 4pm, there will be lots of family entertainment on Abbey Close and Bridge Street, plus fun for kids inside Paisley Town Hall.

This year some very special cars have been selected to start at John O’Groats on Wednesday morning, which is one of the original starting points for the UK, before joining the rest of the cars heading off to Monte Carlo in Paisley at 6pm.

Monte Carlo is a great event but it’s not the only one in Renfrewshire. Veterans’ charity Erskine, who will celebrate their centenary this year, hold a classic car fundraising event in July. As we move forward with Paisley 2021, the town’s UK City of Culture bid, I hope to see more events of this calibre come to Paisley and Renfrewshire.

Check out the Leader’s Latest at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/councilleader or follow #Leaderlatest on Twitter.