October 2011

Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route

It seems that, at last, we might finally be reaching the end of the AWPR saga. Last week's announcement that Road Sense's latest appeal would be heard before the end of the year - and not, as was feared, in 2013 - can only be good news. It's amazing to think that work on the design of the project started back in 2003, and yet eight years later we still haven't started building it.

Of course it is right that all local people are able to have their say on a project as important as this, but I do genuinely believe that the feeling is that there is a limit to how long it can be dragged through the courts. Perhaps the difficulties that have been encountered in getting the project underway will lead Parliament to review planning procedures for major infrastructure projects - looking at ways to better balance the need for local input with the economic importance of getting the project completed.

There is no doubt that, when finished, the AWPR is going to be a major boost for the North East. But we also can't forget the other vital works that have been delayed because of the legal wrangling on the AWPR. Not least of those is the dualling of the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty. The fact that the Government chose to roll that project up into the AWPR work makes these delays all the more frustrating for those of us who use the A90 north of Aberdeen regularly.

Sectarianism

Some of you might have seen that, as part of the Justice Committee's work on the Sectarianism Bill at Holyrood, I made my first ever visit to an Old Firm game at the weekend. It was quite an experience, I can tell you!

We didn't actually see a lot of the game, as we spent the day shadowing the match day police - from their morning briefings, behind the scenes at the ground, to monitoring the fans arrivals and then the policing of the game itself. It was a fascinating insight into the effort that goes into football matches, and I was really impressed about the calm, professional way that Strathclyde Police manage things.

I took away a lot of thoughts from the match, but the main one was a reinforcement of my opinion that the Bill we are considering at Parliament really isn't needed. I don't think that creating new offences just for football fans will make any appreciable difference. What we actually need is to learn from, and build upon the example that the police are already setting - proactive, constructive work with fans and football clubs. We need to prevent problems arising in the first place, rather than create new ways of dealing with them after they do.

Spending Review

The Scottish Government has announced their budget for the next financial year, and it made for some interesting reading. Of course, whichever party is setting the budget, the opposition parties are unlikely to agree with everything in it - but there are a couple of things in this year's spending review that I think should be of genuine concern to everyone.

Not least of these is the appearance that the Government are looking to have local council's make more serious cuts than they are doing themselves. Of course any cuts in council budgets are going to have an impact on local services - it's disappointing that the Government are shying away from making the hard choices, and leaving councils to take the hit.

Bus Services

One decision that the Government did make in the budget is likely to have a significant impact across much of rural Scotland. The Government is reducing their support for bus services - specifically through the Bus Service Operator's Grant - by £7million in 2012. This is money that goes directly towards supporting the less profitable rural services that much of the North East relies upon.

The Government are moving this money to support the concessionary fares scheme. Giving free bus travel to the elderly is a fantastic initiative, but in its current form it is simply unsustainable. I would like to see an immediate review of how it is working, otherwise we risk further budget moves like this. That might one day mean that while every 60-year-old in Edinburgh can ride the bus for free, in certain rural parts of Scotland we could be left with no buses at all.

Christmas Appeal

I see that Ellon Parish Church has launched its Christmas appeal. This year's worthy cause is providing backpacks, socks and footwear for children in a home in Uganda. I wish them every success.

That's the true spirit of Christmas.

On the other hand, the commercial side of Christmas is already here as well. A constituent complained to me this week about two national retailers who are stocking Christmas lines.

It's still September! Or is it really true that the older you get the quicker time passes? It will be Christmas in no time.