Who does what

Within the UK Parliament, Cumbrae is part of the North Ayrshire & Arran constituency, represented by one Member of Parliament (MP). Their responsibilities include:

Defence
Employment
Immigration and visas
International development
Trade and industry

Every area in Scotland is represented in the Scottish Parliament by 8 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). One MSP represents the local area – known as the ‘constituency MSP’ and 7 MSPs represent the region – known as ‘regional MSPs’. Cumbrae is within the Cunninghame North local constituency and the West Scotland region.

MSPs responsibilities include:

Agriculture and fisheries
Education and training
Environment
Health and social services
Housing
Justice and policing
Local government
Transport
Income tax
Land and buildings transaction tax
Landfill tax
Best start grant
Carer's allowance/carer’s allowance supplement
Funeral support payment
Young carer grant

Local government in Scotland is made up of 32 local authorities. Cumbrae is part of North Ayrshire Council. The council area is divided into a number of wards, and three or four councillors are elected for each ward. Cumbrae is in Ward 01 - North Coast, which has 5 councillors with responsibilities including:

Roads and transportation
Education, from pre-school to secondary and adult and community education
Leisure, library and cultural services
Waste management
Planning and the local environment
Regulatory and protective services
Housing
Economic development
Health and social care

In addition, North Ayrshire Council has an online reporting facility for:

Bins
Litter
Graffiti
Fly tipping
Other cleansing related issues
Road issues
Street lights
Traffic signals
Railings or bollards,
Complaints about North Ayrshire Council employees
Suggestions

And you can also report potholes using the FixMyStreet app.

The structure of North Ayrshire Council and an organisation chart are available here.

Community Councils are Scotland’s most local tier of statutory representation (ie their purpose is set out in law). Members of the Community Council are democratically elected by those who live on the island. Community Councils form an important connection between communities and the local council (as well as other public bodies) by sharing views and needs. In North Ayrshire, Community Councils also act as formal members of Locality Planning Partnerships.