A Council boss has written to town residents urging them to stop moaning and cheer up.

Provost Tracey Little told people in Dumfries their ‘complaining’ and the ‘constant thread’ of negativity was stifling ‘pride, ambition and hope’.

Ms Little, who became deputy leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council this year, said the townsfolk must stop believing its ‘best days are behind it’.

Dumfries have been given a £20million injection of government funding over 10 years, as one of the UK’s more ‘overlooked’ towns, with money being used to revamp its centre.

The Provost penned an open letter on Facebook begging residents to get involved with efforts to make improvements and stop bringing it down.

Dumfries Provost Tracey Little has called for townsfolk to show more belief and be less negative

She said the bad vibes play out in ‘conversations, online, in passing remarks’ and are destroying ‘pride, ambition, hope’.

Addressing her post to the ‘people of this town’, she highlighted that Dumfries had ‘something special’ going with its rich history, community spirit and the natural beauty surrounding it.

SNP councillor Little wrote: ‘There is potential here, far more than we give ourselves credit for.

‘And yet, for all of this, there is something missing. Belief.

‘Not in the town itself, but in what it could become.

‘Too often, we speak of Dumfries as if its best days are behind it.

‘Too often, we compare rather than create, doubt rather than dare, settle rather than strive.

‘There is a quiet acceptance that “this is just how things are” and that is the most limiting story we could ever tell ourselves.

‘And alongside that, there is a constant thread of negativity, casual, repeated, almost habitual.

‘It shows up in conversations, online, in passing remarks. It chips away, slowly but surely, at pride, at ambition, at hope.

Yvonne Wylie thinks the town is rundown with uneven pavements and potholed roads

‘That kind of negativity is not harmless. It is destructive. It shapes how we see ourselves, how others see us, and ultimately what we believe is possible.’

She said the attitude was also ‘deeply demoralising’ for those who tried to make improvements and build something better.

Pointing out constant stream of criticism and dismissal was draining energy ‘from the very people we most need to encourage’, she continued: ‘To those who continually focus on what we don’t have, there is another way. Join forces with those who appreciate what we do have.

‘Stand alongside those who are working to build on it. Be part of the solution rather than a chorus of frustration.

‘Because complaining and constantly looking backwards does not move us forwards.

‘It does not create jobs, it does not inspire ideas, and it does not build a future.

‘Action does. Belief does. Collaboration does.’

Ms Little said it took people with a positive outlook to make places like Dumfries thrive because instead of decline they see possibility and are willing to act on that.

She signed her letter with words: ‘Your sincerely, someone who believes in Dumfries.’

It sparked a limited response on Facebook with just two comments – both congratulating her on her message.