East Ayrshire Council have set out an ambitious five-year plan on how they can improve the area.

Working until 2027, the new strategic plan will aim to bring people to the centre of decision making in their communities – something some Cumnock area residents have long felt is lacking in an authority based in Kilmarnock.

The plan is built around six priority themes: building a fairer economy; tackling poverty and inequality; improving community wellbeing; supporting children and young people; delivering a clean, green East Ayrshire; financial sustainability and ensuring resilience.

Coming off the back of the pandemic, council leader, Douglas Reid, says he expects tough times ahead, but claims the council will do everything it can to support those who need it.

He said: “We know that there are difficult times ahead and many people are already experiencing real hardship.

“It shocks me that the healthy life expectancy of a boy born in East Ayrshire today is just 57.2 years, while for a girl it is only slightly higher at 59.1.

“We have a strong commitment to increasing community power and community led regeneration, which will help us reduce inequalities and make life better.

“We know that people want to be more involved in their communities.”

One Cumnock resident told the Chronicle: “You see a lot of decisions get made without too much too much public consultation, or certainly not too much emphasis on it anyway.

“You get people sitting in Kilmarnock, 15 miles down the road, making decisions for people in Cumnock, New Cumnock, Auchinleck, these types of place, that will never ever affect the big bosses.

“We’re the ones it will impact and we get very little say.”

The full 40-page plan can be views by going to the East Ayrshire Council website.