HENRY ANDERSON

Firstly, I would like to say, for nearly 5 years I have been an elected member for Almond & Earn and it has been a privilege to work with such a passionate Community Council. When I first arrived Alistair Robinson was in the Chair, a job which he dedicated much time to and had a very much hands on approach. On his departure Colin Morrison took on the chair and with the same gusto continued to carry on, through many challenges that the Community Council has had. When both Alistair and Colin decided that they intended to stand down, Douglas Cleeton took on the role as Chairman, and guided the Community Council through a time, when it seemed that it could not muster enough people to continue. However a great deal of work was done by Dougie to seek out citizens who were passionate about the community, so much so that in the end an election was required, as the applications exceeded the places that were available.  Therefore I feel that a big thank you to Alistair, Colin, and Dougie is in order as these guys were the backbone of Abernethy & District Community Council throughout this 5 year period and before.

Before I move on there is one more person, who was secretary for 25 years, and stood down in 2015.  In her position as secretary of Abernethy & District Community Council she looked after the minutes and the correspondence during all these years. During her time she attended many meetings on various developments throughout the area.  Anne Sangster is an example to anyone that wishes to help their community. Her dedication to Abernethy and all its community was outstanding throughout the years and her support to the various chairs was second to none.  Again myself and the community owe a debt of gratitude to Anne for all her dedicated work.

So we have had an election for a new batch of Community Councillors, I for one, will be looking forward to working closely with them old and new, to improve Abernethy and its surrounding areas. I hope I have not put any off by highlighting the hard and dedicated work their predecessors carried out with such passion. I am sure they will step up to the breach.

Lastly if anyone has an issue they wish to raise with me you can call me on………

Office 01738475039     Home 01738812061

 Email….handerson@pkc.gov.uk

                                    Cllr. Henry Anderson

KATHLEEN BAIRD

Another year, another election has already taken place, this time Abernethy & District Community Council. Thank you to all the candidates who submitted nomination papers  and gave  the community the opportunity to vote. 35% of the community voted. Congratulations to those who were elected.

Christmas is past and Easter fast approaching but I would like to thank all those who transformed not only Nurse Peattie’s garden but  the village with Christmas lights, trees and decorations. Thank you also to the organisations who decorated a window in the Church. All of this helped to  brightened up the village It was great to see so many people at Nurse Peattie’s garden for the light switch on. A real community event.

During  January / February commuters in Abernethy  experienced some traffic problems due to SSEN upgrading the electricity cables between Bridge of Earn and Abernethy. This should help protect customers during high voltage faults and cope with demand. The bonus is that much of the vegetation on the verges has been cut, no doubt it will grow again. Another bonus -  no visible litter!

One of the recurring complaints I receive is about bins not being emptied particularly in Kirk Wynd and School Wynd. The  problem has increased since the collection day was changed from Thursday to Saturday. The bin lorry is large and requires space unfortunately parked cars make their task sometimes impossible.

I have talked to  Community Waste Adviser and reported the missed bins on numerous occasions. I know the residents also report this.  Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon.  

Parking in the village  has also been a problem. There is no easy fix as there is very limited public space available. PKC council and the Community Council did consult residents last year regarding parking around the square and a proposal was put to residents but unfortunately a solution was not found. Please think before you park.

Latest news from Kinross-shire & Almond Earn Community Partnership. The Group at their  last meeting recognised that there are 3 separate “natural communities” in the locality, Kinross–shire, Methven area, Abernethy & Bridge of Earn area. One of the aims of the partnership is to try to make the area fairer for  all. Funding has been provided by PKC and the Scottish Government. The funding is for 2 years. Constituted community groups can apply for funding.   £10K is available for the whole of Almond & Earn ward. Applications to be submitted by 10th March.  Maximum amount group can apply for is £1,500.  Look out for posters, also on Abernethy Facebook and  hopefully in this edition of the Crier. Who  decides who gets the funding? Almond& Earn ward will hold an event on Saturday 1st April at Bridge of Earn Institute, those present will VOTE for the most deserving project .

This is a new way for this community to bid for funds. Hope you will come along to the event and VOTE - your group may be successful.   

 If you wish to discuss any matter with me please contact  kathleenbaird@pkc.gov.uk or 07584206839

Kathleen Baird