FRAE OOR COONCILLOR

Perth & Kinross Council at their December meeting approved an Interim Climate Emergency Action Plan.

Emissions as I am sure you are aware are mainly from transport , the energy we use in our buildings, our homes and the waste we create.  

The Council’s own activities only produce 3% of the emissions produced in the area. The Council will lead by example but reducing the other 97% of emissions will require everyone in Perth & Kinross to make changes to protect our planet.

I challenged each elected member at the December meeting to try to do one thing to cut down their own carbon footprint. We can all do something - no-one is too small to make a difference. We are all responsible for our actions; we can all take small steps starting in the home by turning down the thermostat, leave the car at home occasionally and walk if it is a short distance to shop or school. The three Rs some of us were familiar with Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic are still important but equally important are the new three Rs; Reuse Reduce and Recycle and the 4th Repurpose.

We are all part of the problem so together we need to solve it. The Council is committed to working with residents; starting with a widespread community engagement to develop a shared vision for Perth & Kinross, to identify the main actions we can all take and to start the conversation about targets for the Perth & Kinross area. Fairness is at the heart of the Council’s Community Plan and we need to ensure that any actions we take on climate change mitigation are fair for all.

Reducing emissions is a priority. The Council has direct control over its own fleet with the solution being to change to electric or low carbon vehicles. This would be a huge cost in one year! The Council has influence for example by using measures such as parking charging policies, promoting car sharing or alternative transport, but we need to make sure we do not create another problem.

The Council secured funding from TACTRAN and Smarter Choices Smarter Places fund to have more Cycling and Walking Friendly routes in Bridge of Earn, Kinross, and Dunning Area Green Routes. The signage will be in place during the next financial year. This is good news for our keen cyclists and walkers.

I am pleased that funding has been secured from Sustrans to carry out a feasibility study regarding a cycling/walking path from Bridge of Earn to Aberargie along the A912. The first meeting with landowners, funders and engineers has already taken place and a community consultation will follow. I know some are very keen to have a walking cycling path and others do not support the proposal. I hope the community will take the opportunity to engage in the process.

Aberargie is looking very smart with a new multi purpose path, bus shelter and signage, The long awaited VAS sign should now be in place. All these measures are to encourage people to get out of the car and walk or cycle.

The Environment and Infrastructure Committee has agreed to begin formal consultation regarding parking restrictions on the corner of School Wynd and Main Street. This means no parking at any time. Residents who may be affected have been consulted and there were no objections. Now the formal consultation will begin.

Almond and Earn Action Partnership through Community Investment Funds has been able to help groups in Abernethy; Williamson Hall Management Committee and the Pavilion in recent months, all to the benefit of the community. Thank you to all the volunteers who manage the buildings.

This has been a busy few months locally with public meetings regarding Binn Wind Turbine Community Involvement and an EfWaste planning application at Binn. Thank you to members of the public who have come along to find out more about what is happening locally.

Councillor Kathleen Baird contact kathleenbaird@pkc.gov.uk 01738475086 mob07854206839

YOUR ITHER COONCILLOR

I hope you all had a great festive season and have recovered from the dreaded colds and sniffles which we endure at this time of year.

The Council business is firmly focused on the budget and this one is very much a shot in the dark. The UK government has delayed its budget to such an extent that the Scottish Government has no idea whether we are to be love-bombed or faced with further austerity. Perhaps Westminster is waiting for the £350 million savings that were on the side of the bus and that many folk believed in. Let us wait and see what the funding will bring to us all. When the Conservative administration gained control of PKC we had a pledge that additional funds were to be put into the addressing of the potholes in the roads. Since then we have had mild winters with little frost, yet still when I meet with constituents and Community Councils this is the issue that generates most complaints. What I would like to know is, if they have invested more funds into roads, has this funding been used wisely?

This article has been late in submission as everyone has been awaiting the 31st and what impact Brexit will have on our communities. Again Westminster does not have an exit strategy. This morning a Government Minister on TV said that it would be quite easy to negotiate through all the trade agreements and treaties as they would be nodded through by both sides to remain as they were! Let us think this through. We don’t contribute to the EU pot but every other trade agreements and treaties remain? I am sure many of the 27 remaining EU countries will have quite a different perspective on that one. We in Abernethy like all of Scotland will feel the pain of Brexit.

We are an aging population that has very little unemployment and we need a vibrant EU workforce with a wide variety of skills to ensure that this area remains sustainable in industries and services. I sincerely hope that our return to the EU fold is swift and will limit the damage that this madness is going to cause us all. I am Scottish and European and I too would ask our EU brothers to leave a light on for Scotland.

Aye yours Cllr Henry Anderson