Investing in our city

I was pleased to see today that Aberdeen City Council thanks to the Liberal Democrats as part of the Administration have made an extra £1 Million available to fix many of the potholes around Aberdeen City which have a huge impact our roads and more importantly our cars.

I look forward to seeing over the forthcoming month the general improvement of our roads across the city.

You can help highlight the potholes in your area by reporting them to the Council with a quick and easy online report here: https://forms.aberdeencity.gov.uk/default.aspx/RenderForm/?F.Name=fdYjGnotSjm&HideToolbar=2

You can also contact the Council by:

Tel: 0845 608 0919

Letter:

Road Surface Maintenance

Marischal College
Broad Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1AB

First Bus is letting Aberdeen down

As of tomorrow 29th January, First Bus Aberdeen will yet again increase its bus fares.

If you haven’t seen the new fares then follow the link – First Bus revised fares from Sunday 29 January (PDF – 850.18 KB).

As someone who uses First Bus on a daily basis, not only to get to and from work but also around Aberdeen City, I know how hard this is going to hit so many peoples’ pockets. For years First Bus Aberdeen has been one of the most expensive bus services per mile in Scotland. Despite this increase in costs, First Bus’ service never seems to match it. The buses are often infrequent, strange timings (my bus from the AECC leaves at 4:56pm, I finish work, along with so many others at 5pm), and as the saying goes you wait for one bus and three come along at once couldn’t be more accurate in Aberdeen. This isn’t the first time First and I have crossed paths; back in April 2011, I highlighted First Bus Aberdeen’s disregard for the NHS staff and patients at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (First Bus Isolates NHS Patients).

I am disappointed in First Bus Aberdeen, with it’s lack of consultation or regard for regular bus users in Aberdeen.

Thankfully Aberdeen Student Forum is pushing the issue with their campaign Forget the fare hike. Get on your bike. Whilst I do not own a bike and therefore not able to boycott the buses completely, I will certainly be using them less frequently. Please support Aberdeen Student Forum in their action and make sure you voice your concern by  emailing First Bus Aberdeen here: Contact First Bus

SNP breaks their election pledge on college funding

As a Scottish Liberal Democrat I am proud of our record on Eduction in Scotland. We are the party who scrapped tuition fees in Scottish, the Scottish Liberal Democrats are also the party who helps scrap the graduation endowment, and again in the final budget of the Parliament in 2011 thanks to the pressure from the Scottish Liberal Democrats we helped prevent a £1.7m cut and secured an extra £15m for Further Education (FE) bursaries.

It therefore saddens me that in just a few short months after substantial funding was secured for FE,  £40 Million is being cut out of the FE budget. To worsen the matter further Education Secretary Michael Russell appears to have ‘throw in the towel’ in the fight to reverse the deep cuts to Scottish college budgets.

At Education Questions in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Mr Russell confirmed to Mr McArthur that he felt the current £40m cut represented a ‘full, fair and final settlement’ for the colleges.

Speaking after the exchange, Mr McArthur said:

“Since the Scottish Government published its draft budget last September, the amount it has to spend has increased by around £750m, according to figures produced by the Scottish Parliament’s Financial Scrutiny Unit. During yesterday’s debate on the Budget Bill, however, the Finance Secretary, John Swinney refused to reveal how those funds would be spent.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats believe some of these additional resources should be used to reverse the deep and damaging cuts the SNP are making to the budgets of Scotland’s colleges. It was not unreasonable to expect the Education Secretary to be equally keen on making such a case to Mr Swinney.

“Astonishingly, he appears to have thrown in the towel and believes the £40m cut is a ‘full, fair and final settlement’, despite the fact that the Budget Bill will not be finally agreed for another month.

“Mr Russell appears more keen to attack anyone who disagrees with him than defend Scotland’s colleges and students. This will not have gone unnoticed on campuses across the country”.

I have no doubt Lani Baird, President of Aberdeen Colleges Student Association, along with her NUS Scotland colleagues will be very disappointed by the position the Education Secretary has taken.

I for one will continuing to support and stand up for Scotland’s colleges, and back the Our Future Our Fight campaign.

Scottish Liberal Democrats will not just roll over…

So the Scottish Elections didn’t exactly go exactly as we planned, however we didn’t just roll over and give up. No. We have jumped straight back up again and with the election of the new leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Willie Rennie MSP. Within his first few weeks Willie has shown despite a small parliamentary team we can still pack a punch and make a impact on Scottish Government policy to re-start the climb of the mountain at a steady jogging pace, in a true Willie style.

Alison Mcinnes MSP our justice spokesperson today proved just that, questioning the ferocity of the pace at which the SNP Government appear to be pushing bills through the parliament. Today it is Alex Salmond’s anti-sectarianism bill, which the SNP Government wants to become law by the time the football season starts at the end of July. Just to point out, parliamentary recess takes place from the beginning of July until the beginning of September. You do the maths.

Alison addressed this in her speech this afternoon, saying:

….we want to see action on sectarianism. Let us be very clear.  Sectarianism has no place in our society.  Every single one of us in this chamber agrees that any discrimination based on religion is unacceptable; any threatening behaviour based on religion is wrong; and any acts inciting violence because of religion must not be tolerated. However, I think that the Government are naïve if they believe they can solve a centuries old problem by rushing through new legislation in the next fortnight. Just this weekend, the Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business wrote of how he would like to see more pre-legislative scrutiny in Parliament.  Can I say now, that, for once, I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Crawford.  The Government are talking about introducing two entirely new offences onto the statute books.  Surely it is right that Parliament – that the people of Scotland – are allowed the time to study the proposals, take evidence, and try to ensure that there are no unintended consequences, no collateral infringements on law-abiding citizens’ liberties?  Oh, and to ensure that the new law actually does what it is intended to. There are many questions that any Government should have to answer before they can introduce a new law.  And any responsible Parliament cannot – or at least, should not – pass a law until all such questions are answered. This proposed new law is no different.  And the first – and most fundamental – question asks whether a new law is actually needed? The Cabinet Secretary tried to answer this very question on Newsnight a couple of weeks ago.  He said there are gaps in current Breach of the Peace definitions, meaning that “in some instances” there could be difficulties in prosecutions.  He might be right, but I say to him – we need to see the evidence.
Are there gaps?  Well, just under a month ago, the then Solicitor General Frank Mulholland issued a press release welcoming “the high prosecution rate for crimes of religious prejudice.”
If there are gaps would the new law close them?  Well, I await sight of the Bill with interest, but I can guarantee we won’t be able to adequately answer that question in two weeks with no chance to take expert evidence. I would also say this.  In England and Wales in the three years to 2010 since the Racial and Religious Hatred Act was enacted, there were 36,763 completed prosecutions of offences that were racially or religiously aggravated.  In that time, exactly one person was charged with an offence that had been introduced by the new Act.  He was acquitted.
The Racial and Religious Hatred Act is a solid law.  It was debated in depth.  Expert evidence was taken over many days and weeks.  And it has made zero difference to convictions for religiously or racially motivated crimes. I am not saying that a new law will not work.  I am asking the Government to take the necessary time to consider all possibilities.
Is it that offensive chanting is already covered by Breach of the Peace, but is simply hard to police because of the number of people involved? Is it that sending bullets through the post is actually already covered through anti-terrorism legislation?
Is it that sending death threats via the internet is already covered by the UK Communications Act? And is it that the sectarian aspect of all these crimes is already dealt with by section 74 of the 2003 Criminal Justice Act, and it just needs to be enforced better? These are the questions the Government should be asking before it introduces legislation.  And it should be giving Parliament time to find the answers.

Well done Alison, it is imperative we keep the SNP Government in check and hold them to account, this is exactly the way in which to do it.

Party President backs Kristian in up coming by-election

Dear member,

It is vital in any council that you have a hard working individual, someone who is approachable, dedicated to the local community and will get the job done. Kristian is that person.

I have met Kristian on a number of occasions as member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats executive and the President of Liberal Youth Scotland (Scottish Liberal Democrats youth movement). His passion for Aberdeen, the young people of Scotland, along with his clear liberal principles, Kristian will stand up not only for those in Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone but Liberal Democrats across the UK.

I urge all Liberal Democrats in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and beyond to help Kristian in this vital by-election and secure a win for the Liberal Democrats at this difficult time.

To contact the campaign team and help Kristian win in Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone please contact Jenny Marr on J.Marr.06@aberdeen.ac.uk.

There is plenty to do over the next 9 days and just an hour of your time will be invaluable to the campaign.

Regards,
Tim Farron MP
Party President
Liberal Democrats