A 1975 Lanark dispute rumbles on

Since the old Lanark Town Council was disbanded in 1975. stewardship of the Fund has been in the hands of its successor authorities, first Clydesdale District Council and now South Lanarkshire Council.

For decades now Royal Burgh of Lanark Community Council members have been asking for a greater - or even some- say in how the Fund is spent.

The old issue was re-opened at the community council’s latest meeting when it was learned that South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) had spent Common Good money on repairing the footpath around Lanark Loch, a Common Good property.

Some community council members claimed that Lanark was actually being “penalised” for having a Common Good Fund, without which the Hamilton-based SLC would have to pay for works from its own budget.

Members discussed the possibility of taking some of the pressure off the Fund by applying to outside bodies for grant aid with maintenance and repair of Common Good properties. At the very least, the community council members called for greater consultation from SLC when deciding on how cash from the Fund should be spent.