More road closures

Owing to BT ducting and excavation work, it will be necessary to close the C25K country road from RUM House to Hillhead at Cookney for three days from Tuesday 16 May.

Aberdeenshire Council officers add that this closure will be completed the day before the commencement of the 14 week closure on the C13K. Therefore there will be no conflicts arising with the diversion routes.

Motions dominate council meeting

A long meeting of the full Aberdeenshire Council today, dominated by three notices of motion – these are issues that individual councillors put forward for debate and where appropriate for some specific action.

I was pleased to support the first motion calling on the UK Government to reconsider the transitional state pension arrangements for women born on/after 6 April 1950. No councillor expressed any opposition to the equalisation of state pensions for men and women. The concerns centre around the late notification to those affected, long after they could make alternative arrangements, which results in unforeseen hardship. The motion was supported by 48 votes to 12. The chief executive will now write to the government.

The second motion – which was unanimously passed – calls on the chief executive to write to the Royal Bank expressing our concerns about the closures of the branches in Stonehaven, Banchory and Westhill. Will adequate alternative arrangements be put in place for customers?

The third motion stirred up passions around the chamber over the new “rape clause” affecting mothers seeking to claim child tax credits for more than two children when a child was the result of a coercive relationship or rape. After a lengthy and robust debate the motion was supported by 49 votes for 13 (all Conservative) with two “no votes”. The council will now write to the UK Government expressing grave concern and urging a reversal of the policy.

In other business, councillors agreed defer consideration of a Review of the Scheme for Establishment of Community Councils. Officers have been instructed to re-establish a short-term working group to facilitate a further six week period of consultation with community councils prior to bringing forward a report to the council to consider the outcome of the consultation.

A planning application for a regional food hall, retail, and leisure, and industrial uses at Blackdog, north of Aberdeen, was approved. This development should provide a showcase for local producers and the fishing industry.

The development of a commercial/industrial development at Balmacassie north of Ellon was also approved.

This was the final council meeting before the local government elections on Thursday 4 May.

Spotlight on Portlethen

Portlethen Community Council heard tonight from Aberdeenshire Council’s Kincardine and Mearns area manager Willie Munro about plans to draw up a town plan, “to capture everything we know about Portlethen.” One of its uses will be to prepare for the next local development plan. The community council, the local authority and Architecture and Design Scotland (http://www.ads.org.uk) will work together on the project, which will eventually be rolled out to all 26 communities across Kincardine and Mearns.

There was also a discussion on developer contributions, with Mr Munro promising to provide a report on dates and contributions for the next meeting (23 May). More than £662,000 is earmarked for a park and ride north of Hillside, however the Scottish Government has stated it is not willing to contribute to the £10m plus cost at this stage, which places the project in doubt. Unspent contributions are returned to developers.

It was agreed to give a £250 grant to Skip Hop towards the cost of sessions at the Jubilee Hall.

The Moss Preservation Group was praised for being named as the community champion at the North East Scotland Biodiversity Awards 2017.

The community council meetings in the academy are open to the public. They start at 7pm. One member of the public was present, along with an Evening Express reporter, councillors (me, Carl Nelson and Alison Evison), and one council candidate (Colin Pike). A representative of Aberdeenshire Council’s waste service is to attend the meeting on 27 June.

Fewer teachers being trained

The number of primary school teachers being trained in Scotland is to be cut, according to the Herald newspaper. Training places are expected to be reduced from 1186 in 2017/18 to 450 in 2018 /19. That is a huge reduction.
There is already a shortage of trained teachers in Aberdeenshire and recruitment is a challenge. Are we going to see even larger class sizes?
My Liberal Democrat colleague Councillor Isobel Davidson – who is our council education spokeswoman – is taking this up with the Scottish Government.

Planning blueprint now in force

Aberdeenshire Council has now formally adopted the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan. It is effectively a blueprint for future development.
The plan sets out the policies that will be used for assessing planning applications and identifies development opportunities across Aberdeenshire.
Further information on the plan can be viewed on the council’s website: https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/apps/news/release.aspx?newsid=4685

Burst pipe floods Portlethen streets

The scene today (Saturday) on Cookston Road

Scottish Water has posted that water supplies have now been restored to those customers affected at Portlethen. A major pipe burst near McIntosh Donald earlier this evening, flooding local roads and cutting off water to hundreds of houses.  The force of the water pushed up and burst the surface of the pavement so it will uneven until fixed.

Scottish Water says that as “supplies fully restore customers may experience some discolouration to their water, in order to clear this you should run just your cold kitchen tap at half pressure until the water stream runs clear. For any further assistance call us on 08000 778 778 and one of our experienced Customer Service Advisors will deal with your call as quickly as possible. Alternatively you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter.”

Update on schools check

In light of the public interest in the condition of schools following the problems in Edinburgh where a gable fell down, Aberdeenshire Council has published reports on the corporate website that detail the result of recent intrusive surveys undertaken at the following schools:

• Portlethen Academy
• Hill of Banchory Primary School
• Kintore Primary School
• Longside Primary School
• Oldmeldrum Academy

The identified works represent no immediate safety risk to structural safety or building integrity.

Reports are available at: http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/…/bui…/condition-assessment/

Problems with Newtonhill school buses

Given the problems with school buses between Newtonhill and Portlethen Academy, this morning I went round to the pick up point at the Village Store to see for myself.

Two double deckers were there. The A bus was taking on pupils, including some who did not have passes (waiting for a pass to arrive). Another pupil for the G bus told the driver he had left his pass at home.

The B bus arrived in time, but without the B designation – the display board had been updated at the depot overnight but unfortunately the B option had been missed out. Again that bus was carrying pupils who did not have their passes. Drivers have been told not to leave pupils behind.

The allotted time came for the A and the B double deckers to leave – but the G coach had not arrived, so they waited in case there had been a problem. A phone call to Stagecoach established it had been having door problems and was running late. It was at Cammachmore and would be there shortly. The rain came on!

When the G coach arrived the children piled on as the A and B buses left to pick up more pupils on Newtonhill Road.

The G coach had a large laminated sign at the front saying G – but a “B” on the side display!

I phoned the academy who said that Stagecoach had been in touch to say the buses would not arrive by 8.45.

I’ll be contacting council officers – again – to see what can be done to get the system running smoothly.

ATM robbers jailed

Prison sentences totalling 92 years for robberies, including the ATM in Newtonhill, have been handed down at Liverpool Crown Court.

According to Police Scotland’s North East Scotland Facebook page, seven men were sentenced today for a total of 92 years imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court, for a series of thefts/attempt thefts from cash machines throughout the UK and a number of burglaries. This included the ATM attacks in 2015 and 2016 in Kingswells, Newtonhill, Carnoustie, and Perth.

The following statement has been issued by Police Scotland on today’s sentencing:

Detective Superintendent Alex Dowall said: “Today’s sentences emphasises the seriousness of crimes of this type and recognises the impact serious and organised crime has on our communities.

“The communities that were targeted by this group are safe places to live and not exposed to crimes of such a serious, dangerous and crude nature. The impact they had on the people who live within them cannot be underestimated and I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the public and the communities of the North East for their assistance, support and patience throughout.”

The CCTV footage above is from the ATM incident at Kingswells in Aberdeen. The footage shows the failed explosion and the group’s subsequent efforts to extract the ATM using cutting equipment.

Further details on the sentences can be found at the following link-http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/…/seven-men-sentenced-blowin…

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