Scotland's share of the banking debt

The Deputy First Minister wrongly claimed today that the Scottish Government’s annual accounts already include Scotland’s share of the £66billion given to bail out RBS and Lloyds. At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson challenged Nicola Sturgeon to reveal how much of the bank debt a separate Scotland would take on.

Based on Treasury figures, an independent Scotland would be liable for a bill of almost £6billion to take into account its share of the banking bail-out. However, the Deputy First Minister instead claimed this money was already included in the latest Government Expenditure & Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures. But Nicola Sturgeon referred to taxpayers’ money given to the banks after the initial bail-out in 2008 – of which Scotland’s share currently stands at £1billion.

In the last week, Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed a separate Scotland would take on a share of the banking debt, but refused to say how much. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson MSP said:

“The first rule about responding to questions about your economic competence is not to get your figures spectacularly wrong.

“This is yet another embarrassing economic gaffe from Nicola Sturgeon, and more evidence of this being a back-of-a-fag-packet Scottish Government.

“Instead of facing up to the debt responsibilities a separate Scotland would have to shoulder, she attempted to dupe the people of Scotland into thinking everything will be alright.

“The reality is, we will be liable for taking on billions of pounds of debt from the bailout of RBS and Lloyds.

“It is simply staggering that the SNP has failed to take this into account when adding up its sums for the cost of separation.

“It’s another example of a tough question being asked, and because the Scottish Government doesn’t like the answer, it fudges a flawed response.”

When is a road repair not a repair

This photograph shows the junction of Hill Road at Hill Street after temporary repairs were carried out. The residents who contacted me about the deteriorating condition of the carriageway are of the view that it is actually worse than before, and I wouldn't disagree with them. This is just another example of why the council needs to allocate additional funding to its roads maintenance budget.

I have been advised by the council that the Road Maintenance Partnership will continue to organise  temporary repairs of any actionable defects at this location to maintain it in a safe condition until it can be included in a future patching scheme.

SNP admits separate Scotland would share bank debts

The SNP has admitted a separate Scotland would have to take its share of the debts from the banks bailed out by the UK Government. The liabilities of both RBS and Lloyds – who are part-owned by the taxpayer - amount to more than £3trillion.

Finance Secretary John Swinney conceded at an event held by the Institute of Chartered Accountants that Scotland would have to take responsibility for part of these debts if separated from the UK.

The admission is yet another U-turn by the SNP after Alex Salmond insisted in January an independent Scotland would not have to take its share of the bank liabilities.

Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Gavin Brown MSP said: “I welcome the fact the Scottish Government has accepted this. They should now amend their figures and publish what affect this would have on the budget of a separate Scotland. It is yet another issue on which the people of Scotland will need clear answers before taking the most important decision in more than 300 years.”

Monifieth Road

I was asked by bus users who live south of Monifieth Road if there was anything that could be done to help in negotiating this busy road when alighting from the bus at the Panmure Street stop. There is a traffic order currently going through the statutory processes with the intention of making Monifieth Road 30mph along its entirety, which will help a bit. I asked the City Development Department if anything further could be done. I have copied below, for interest, the response I received:

 'I do sympathise with your constituents difficulty in crossing Monifieth Road but considering Monifieth Road as a whole, similar conditions are to be seen at other junctions adjoining this road, such as Norrie Street and Boyd Place.

There are two types of intervention that would be considered at this location, namely,  central islands or a build out. Central islands have a large disadvantage in that substantial lengths of double yellow lines are required, around and adjacent to the islands so that general traffic can safely negotiate them. The double yellow lines can take up to nine months to procure and this removes on-street parking opportunities, upsetting adjacent householders. The locations of the bus bays on either side of this junction makes the sighting of central islands extremely problematic and the bus shelter and bus stop may have to be moved.

The problems associated with a build out are not as onerous as central islands but again the location of the adjacent bus bays would be required to be moved to accommodate the turning manoeuvres of vehicles exiting Panmure Street onto Monifieth Road.

The accident history at this location shows no pedestrian injury accidents for a three year period up to and including May 2012.

With these considerations in mind, I do not intend to carry out measures at this time but I will ask my Traffic and Transport team to continue monitoring this area as to its road safety.'

Trains stopping at Broughty Ferry

TACTRAN has recently informed me off changes to the number of trains that stop at Broughty Ferry station. There will be a net increase of 2 additional stops from December 2012. Four additional stops have been added (2 northbound and 2 southbound) and 2 stops removed (1 southbound and 1 northbound).  The changes are as follows:


Northbound

16:29 Edinburgh to Inverurie - no longer stops at Broughty Ferry at 17:47

16:10 Glasgow to Dundee - will be extended to Arbroath and include a new stop at Broughty Ferry at 17:52

18:41 Glasgow to Aberdeen - new stop at Broughty Ferry at 20:12

Southbound

15:26 Inverurie to Edinburgh- no longer stops at Broughty Ferry at 17:11

15:33 Aberdeen to Glasgow  - new stop at Broughty Ferry at 16:36

18:42 Dundee to Edinburgh service - will start back at Arbroath and will stop at Broughty Ferry at 18:33

There is an additional mid-evening northbound stop at 21:12. All other stops at Broughty Ferry remain as December 2011 timetable.
 

Camphill Road

Local residents have highlighted concern about traffic movements on Camphill Road and have suggested possible measures to address it, including the possibility of making part of it one way. I raised these with the council's head of transportation and I have copied his response to me below:

’A traffic survey was undertaken last year on Camphill Road (near Dick St) which is quite recent and it recorded average speeds of approximately 21mph.  This indicates that there is very little evidence of speeding in this area.  

I have also recently investigated injury accidents on Camphill Road and in the last 3 years there has been no injury accidents and therefore this suggests that Camphill Road does not represent a high road safety concern.  As far as making the road one-way we looked at the traffic levels from the survey and it indicates that there are only 1300 - 1400 vehicles a day on this road which is not high considering it serves a significant amount of residential properties.  The introduction of a one way system may increase speeds on Camphill road as the two way traffic flows help keep speeds low (21 mph). The impacts of a one-way road could easily be detrimental as it could shift traffic on to other roads and therefore I cannot support its introduction.

Taking on board the above I can advise that there is currently no intention to make any traffic management changes to Camphill Road.'

Panmurefield path cleared of foliage

I had been contacted by local residents about the appearance of the path that runs between Wyvis Road and Panmurefield. It is the council's responsibility to keep the path lines clear and obviously from the before photograph, where the foliage has extended well beyond the lamppost, this hadn't been happening.

It needed a couple of reminders to be sent but I was pleased to see, when I inspected the location today, that the work had been done. I am aware that there are some other paths and open spaces in the new developments to the north of Broughty Ferry where there isn't clarity about who has responsibility for maintaining them. This is certainly something that needs to be addressed.



Before

After

Additional dog signs for Broughty beach

Broughty's blue flag beach at the start of the bathing season

Additional signs are to be located at Broughty beach to reinforce the message that between May and September the designated bathing beach is a dog free zone.

Concern has been raised during the bathing season about the number of dogs spotted on the beach and the associated fouling that occurs.The issue was also discussed at the last meeting of Broughty Ferry community Council.

I approached Dundee City Council's environment department about it and I have now been advised that additional signage will be put in place over the next few weeks. One of the problems highlighted was that those who start their walk along the beach from the Monifieth end  won't necessarily be aware that they have reached the animal exclusion zone. To address this a sign is to be fixed to the groyne at its easterly limit.

Another new sign is be installed near to the castle  and self adhesive signs will be attached to the dog waste bins along the north edge of the beach. There are currently six signs at entrances to the beach which feature prominent information about the animal exclusion zone. After this work there will be eleven signs.

Albert Gardens- action required

I have called on Dundee City Council to deal with a parking issue in Albert Gardens.The double yellow lines have all but worn away and this is causing access problems.

When the relocation of Eastern Primary School was first mooted I highlighted the existing parking problems in the area and how much worse it was likely to become having two schools with large pupil numbers in the same location. Both schools have insufficient parking spaces to accommodate all the teachers, staff and visitors.

Since the opening of Eastern Primary School I have regularly received complaints about inconsiderate parking from residents of Albert Gardens, Albert Road, Harley Street, Camperdown Street, Church Street and Seafield Road.

Albert Gardens is a cul-de-sac and access is often restricted by vehicles parking on both sides of its junction with Albert Road. It doesn't help that the double yellow lines at this location are nearly completely worn away. I have asked for these to be renewed as soon as possible and I have also asked if there are other measures that can be taken to prevent the parking problem from occurring.

Local residents will have little confidence that the council is responding to their concerns if something as simple as painting yellow lines is not  dealt with in a timely manner.

Variation of waiting restrictions

A note is posted below of a proposed variation of waiting restrictions. Those relevant to Broughty Ferry are:

Camperdown Street - there is no physical change at this location. The parking area in front of Eastern Primary School has been given to the Education Department to manage. This is a legal paper exercise to remove restrictions from the traffic order, but no paint will be altered on the ground.

Esplanade - Removal of unused taxi rank.

Whinny Brae - Removal of school keep clear restrictions. These have already been burnt off in order to free up space for residents parking as the school is no longer operating at this location.

 

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL (VARIATION OF WAITING RESTRICTIONS) ORDER 2012

Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of varying the provisions of several Waiting Restriction Orders affecting the City.  The effect of the Order is set out in the Schedule below.

Full details of the proposals are contained in the draft Order, which together with a Statement of the Council’s reasons for proposing to make the Order may be examined during normal office hours and without payment of fee at (1) Dundee City Council offices, Reception, Floor 4, 21 City Square, Dundee and (2) Broughty Ferry Neighbourhood Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee by any person, during a period of 21 days from 14 September 2012.  A copy of the proposed plans can also be viewed by searching for "Traffic Regulation Orders (In Progress)" in the A to Z section of our website.

Any person may within 21 days from 14 September 2012 object to the proposed Order by notice in writing to the Head of Democratic and Legal Services, Dundee City Council, 21 City Square, Dundee.  Objections should state the name and address of objector, the matters to which they relate and the grounds on which they are made.

ROGER MENNIE

Head of Democratic and Legal Services

Dundee City Council

SCHEDULE

1.       To protect accesses and/or improve sightlines in Brown Constable Street/Long Wynd/Fort Street/Baker Road/Ainslie Street/Ivory Place/Arthurstone Terrace/City Road/Pitfour Street/Cleghorn Street/Baxter Street/Benvie Road/Ure Street/Baird Avenue/Rutherford Road/Mariner Drive/Blackness Road/Larch Street/Scott Court/Fairmuir Street/Marryat Street.

2.       To relieve congestion in Logie Street/Muirton Road/High Street/Garnet Terrace/Stewart Street/Lorne Street/Eden Bank/Crichton Street/Wilkie’s Lane.

3.       To relax unnecessarily severe restrictions in Milton Street/Urquhart Street/Camperdown Street/Roseangle.

4.       To create a turnover and relieve congestion in Perth Road/Craigowan Road.

5.       To reduce a length of waiting restriction to allow for a bus build out in Perth Road.

6.       To remove markings due to changes in local needs in Whinny Brae/The Esplanade.

7.       To provide better parking facilities for residents in Gourlay Yard.

Proposed development in Churchill Place

At tonight's meeting of the Development Management Committee I successfully moved refusal of a planning application for 15 flats in Churchill Place. It had been recommended for approval by the Director of City Development.

The  convenor of the committee moved approval of the application and my proposal to refuse the application was carried by 13 votes to 10. I have copied below the reasons that were contained in my formal motion for refusal.

 

1. The application site is not identified in a site planning brief, site specific circumstances do not demand a flatted solution and the conversion of an existing building is not proposed where houses are impractical.  The provision of flats on the application site is therefore contrary to the provisions of Appendix 1 of Policy 4 (Design of New Houses) of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005.  There are no material considerations that would justify laying aside the provisions of Policy 4 to grant planning permission.

2. Blocks A and B of the proposed development will have south facing windows serving habitable rooms that are within 18m of north facing windows serving habitable rooms of neighbouring properties.  In addition the south facing windows of Blocks A and B that serve habitable rooms will significantly overlook the communal garden grounds of neighbouring flats and the private gardens of neighbouring houses to the south of the application site.  The proposals will therefore adversely affect the level of residential amenity afforded to neighbouring properties.  The proposed development is contrary to the requirements of Appendix 1 and Policy 4 (Design of New Housing) of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005.  There are no material considerations that would justify laying aside the provisions of Policy 4 to grant planning permission.

3. The proposed buildings by virtue of scale, massing, design, finishing materials and position on the application site shall appear over dominant in relation to neighbouring buildings to the south of the application site and shall adversely affect the appearance of the Churchill Place and East Links Place streetscapes.  The proposals are therefore contrary to the requirements of Policy 55 (Urban Design) of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005.  There are no material considerations that would justify laying aside the provisions of the Development Plan to grant planning permission.

4. The proposed development by virtue of scale, massing, design and proximity to neighbouring properties on East Links Place and Churchill Place will have an overbearing impact on neighbouring houses to the detriment of residential amenity.  In this instance the proposals fail to satisfy the requirements of the Dundee Urban Design Guide and as a consequence the proposals are also contrary to the requirements of Policy 4 (Design of New Housing) of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005.  There are no material considerations that would justify laying aside the provisions of Policy 4 to grant planning permission.

5. The proposed development will be adversely affected by instances of significant noise disturbance to the detriment of residential amenity due to the proximity of the application site to the scaffolding yard to the east of the application site. 

The Scottish Conservatives have produced a series of arguments from leading EU figures indicating there would be no automatic entry into Europe for a separate Scotland. The row was reignited this week when European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said any new state, if it wants to join the EU, would have to apply like anyone else.

Despite this, First Minister Alex Salmond again refused to reveal whether or not the Scottish Government had sought legal advice on the issue and today the Scottish Conservatives have produced more evidence from a range of experts which supports Mr Barroso’s position. These include remarks by Dr Jo Murkens, an expert in European and Constitutional Law at the London School of Economics, stating in 2001: “Continued cover by the EU treaty of the Scottish territory would only be possible with the approval of all member states.”

Evidence has also been uncovered from former EC president Romano Prodi, who said in 2004: “When a part of a territory of a member state ceases to be part of the state – eg because that territory becomes and independent state – the treaties will no longer apply to that territory.” In 2007, European Commissioner Joe Borg added: “Scotland, as a newly independent state, would have to apply for membership.” 

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson MSP said: “A succession of experts going back over ten years have come to the same conclusion that a newly independent Scotland would not have an automatic place in the European Union, yet Alex Salmond continues to claim the opposite without producing a shred of evidence to back up his case.

Instead he spends thousands of taxpayers’ pounds to avoid even admitting he has sought legal advice on this key issue. His promise of a white paper in November next year is nothing but a delaying tactic to escape from admitting what European constitutional experts already know; if Scotland leaves the United Kingdom it will then have to apply to join, a process which could take years and as a new country it will have no choice but to leave the pound and join the Euro.

New countries also have to abide by the fiscal compact - meaning an independent Scotland would have little sovereignty over banking or taxation and almost certainly have higher corporation tax than the rest of the UK putting it at a competitive disadvantage." 

 The SNP need to be honest about what independence would actually mean for Scotland and the consequences of such a vote.

New bins please

I have been asked by local residents if it would be possible to provide a couple of litter bins at the grassed area between Torridon Road and Marlee Road. There are plenty of dog bins, which are well used, but no litter bins.

I have contacted the council's Environment Department to request that two bins be supplied and located on the paths at either end of the green space.

Another pavement needing repaired

I have been approached by residents of the sheltered housing complex in Wimberley Court about the uneven condition of the pavement at the top of Victoria Road and along Strathern Road. This is the route they have to take to get to their nearest bus stop and they are concerned about the possibility of tripping.

While this is by no means the worst pavement in Broughty Ferry I have posted it here as an example of how the under funding of our roads and pavements is impacting on people's lives. When Dundee City Council met to set its budget and capital plan for 2012/16 the Conservative Group moved that an additional £3.6 million should be allocated to road reconstructions and a further £1.6 million should be allocated to pavements. Unfortunately it was rejected by the council's SNP administration.I have made the road maintenance partnership aware of the concern about this particular pavement.

BERA

At tonight's meeting of the council's Policy and Resources Committee, it was agreed to approve a recommended grant of £2850 to Broughty Ferry's voluntary adult education association- BERA. This organisation, based at Grove Academy, provides a wide range of evening classes for the residents of Broughty Ferry and Dundee.  

In 2011/2012 over 1,500 places were taken up on a wide variety of subjects including languages, fitness, IT and crafts.  This is almost a 100% increase on numbers, which is evidence of the valuable service it provides.

I have previously worked with BERA in helping resolve some difficulty it had in securing sufficient space during the construction of the new Grove Academy building. I was really pleased to learn that it is doing so well.

Douglas Terrace walkway



The new drainage scheme

 Back in April I asked for action to be taken to resolve a flooding issue on the walkway that runs along the Tay from Douglas Terrace to Stannergate.

On the path to the west of the yacht clubs, at Grassy Beach, there was a constant run of water emanating from the wall adjacent to the railway line and there was a build up of very unsightly and smelly algae. After I raised  it with the council the area was cleaned up and a small scheme was prepared to improve the drainage. This work has now been carried out  and hopefully the problem has been eradicated. 

 Funding success

The council recently attracted £495K of funding to upgrade the last section of the walkway from Grassy Beach to Douglas Terrace. Works are programmed to commence in October and are due to be completed in March 2013. It will be finished to the same standard as the other upgraded sections.

I first raised the condition of this popular route back in 1996 when part of the old concrete walkway fell into the river! I'm pleased to have been involved in getting it progressed to this stage.

The provision of the walkway dates back to the Dundee Boundaries Act of 1913 when Broughty Ferry was annexed to Dundee. It's apt that it looks as if it will be refurbished along its entire length in time for the centenary next year.

New safety barriers at Sandy Park

I visited Sandy Park on Saturday and I was pleased to see that action has been taken to address a safety issue that I had raised with the council's City Development Department. 

Pedestrians leaving the park at the north west exit emerge at the very busy roundabout on the A92 at East Balgillo Road. I was approached by concerned parents who wanted  a safety barrier installed at this location. Tayside Contracts carried out the necessary work last week.

It's about time our roads and pavements were repaired

Fairfield Road before it was resurfaced.

It has a sunken utility track  running along its entire length.

I have frequently called on Dundee City Council to take action to deal with its multi million pound backlog of roads maintenance and I have often highlighted locations that are in need of attention.

The 2012/13 carriageway resurfacing programme includes: Panmure Terrace, between Abercromby Street and Guthrie Terrace; Camphill Road, from Campfield Road to Castleroy Road; Fairfield Road, from Strathern Road to Arbroath Road; Torridon Road; Albany Place and Churchill Place. 

I have driven along the newly resurfaced Torridon Road, Fairfield Road and Panmure Terrace; what a difference!

I'm pleased that these roads have been or are soon to be resurfaced but many other locations in the area are in desperate need of repair. The state of our roads and pavements is the number one issue raised with me by constituents and it was just about the only thing people wanted to speak to me about as I made my way round the doors during the recent council election campaign.

I have always been of the view that local authorities should concentrate on getting basic services right and you can’t get more basic than providing level road surfaces and trip hazard free pavements. Broughty Ferry householders pay a large amount in council tax and it’s about time the roads and pavements were repaired.

Thousands pledge their support for keeping Britain together

Almost 50,000 people from across Scotland have pledged their support for the Scottish Conservative Party's campaign to fight to keep Britain together.

The Conservative Friends of the Union (CFU) has been inundated with offers of support from those who share the party’s goal of remaining in the United Kingdom. The Scottish Conservative’s head office has been overwhelmed with the response and is dealing with two postbags a day from people filling in CFU forms and posting them to Edinburgh.

Since the organisation was launched in March, thousands have come forward resulting in donations amounting to almost £150,000, which will be used to fund the CFU campaign.

 Most of the money given has come from ordinary Scots with the average donation ranging from £5 to £10.  Others have offered to knock on doors, deliver leaflets and set up stalls to become involved in the campaign to prevent Alex Salmond and the SNP from breaking up Britain.  I'm heartened that so many people agree that Scotland is stronger as part of a wider Union including England, Wales and Northern Ireland.