Capital budget
Would any Councillor be able to forward a copy of the letter from the Vice-Convener to John Swinney which suggests that the Comhairle capital budget could be cut by 30% under the new formula?
And a copy of the Committee papers would be nice too.
Enjoy your 'away day' tomorrow, which I understand is away in the sense of being held in the Members dining room, rather than in the Council Chamber. Any good gossip arising from this session will be gratefully received.
Update 2 hours later: Thanks to sources for the copy letter, which shows that permitted Capital Expenditure may drop from £11.3m to £4.3m, which will have a major impact.
It appears that the formula is based on population and road length, meaning that peripherality and the costs of service delivery to small and rural populations are not only excluded, but penalised. And the winners are???
I've also been sent a copy of the Committee papers, which I'll need time to digest.
And a copy of the Committee papers would be nice too.
Enjoy your 'away day' tomorrow, which I understand is away in the sense of being held in the Members dining room, rather than in the Council Chamber. Any good gossip arising from this session will be gratefully received.
Update 2 hours later: Thanks to sources for the copy letter, which shows that permitted Capital Expenditure may drop from £11.3m to £4.3m, which will have a major impact.
It appears that the formula is based on population and road length, meaning that peripherality and the costs of service delivery to small and rural populations are not only excluded, but penalised. And the winners are???
I've also been sent a copy of the Committee papers, which I'll need time to digest.
24 comments:
Get it right up ye Angus, only 83 days until Air Discount Scheme is continued.
anon 12 20
Its amazing that the SNP are hailing the continuation of ADS as a triumph when AA said during election campaign that he didnt think much of Ads and that he wanted a scheme that went much further. Where is this scheme? I await 80% off my flights in future.
Labour said the SNP would scrap the ADS scheme if voted in and they haven't. If the opposition parties hadn't voted through £600 million for the Ediburgh trams project maybe the ADS scheme could have been improved and the A9 dualled now rather than later. ADS has been extended for another 3 years and who knows what the SNP might announce in the run up to the next Holyrood Election?
Seriously though, why is the countdown still running at the top of the blog Angus?
Anon 4:09pm
who knows what the SNP might announce in the run up to the next Holyrood Election
That's an easy one, the same empty promises that they made in the run up to the last Holyrood Election. The difference being they will have a track record of non-delivery.
Anon 5:40pm
Have you actually bothered to read the announcement or non-announcement? Where are the guarantees that this will continue? These very rushed press releases are in response to pressure to put something out to try to reassure people whilst promising nothing. Until there is a definitive "yes ADS will continue" then Angus is right to keep the pressure on.
I've answered this in the ADS thread.
I guess the fried yoke head (sunny side up - get it?) must be Labour inclined and if so he/she must be aware the local Labour guys are in disarray. The 'crack' in the town pubs is that one ex MSP and a certain Uig councillor are still absolutely livid at being bypassed for the next Westminster MP job by a certain Point councillor that was actually booted out of Labour a few years back for standing in the Comhairle elections against the official Labour candidate. Meanwhile the former official Labour candidate in question has apparantly joined the local SNP - well at least he was seen talking to one of them.
anon 9 43
Lay off the dutch cookies.
Confirmed - the former Labour council candidate DJ MacSween got kicked out of the party for standing against has joined the SNP.
The former Labour candidate has also been a member of the Liberal Party and the SSP since he stood against D J Macsween. I am sure the Liberals and the SSP are glad top be rid of him as are the Labour Party. Their loss is not the SNPs gain. If there was an Italian National Party I am sure Mr Cameron would be joining it.
Maybe the former Labour Candidate is the "mole" inside the SNP office who is writing Alasdair Allan's blog.
He seems like a loyal chap.....
anon 10.28
Have you read any of his books. Utter crap
As both Angus and Donald John were booted out of their local parties for the same reason maybe its time for Angus to make a come back too, although I'm sure he finds this blog much more fun - for the time being at least. The word 'sabbatical' is on his banner headline!
I still think it's hilarious that after obvious scrabbling around Macsween was nominated MP candidate several weeks 'after' the Westminster election (that really was planned) was cancelled by Gordy - while all the other parties had candidates in place weeks before the well trumpted election was supposed to take place.
Yes it must have been funny in Labour's smoke filled room (I guess they don't have those anymore since the smoking ban) when someone proposed "lets vote for Macsween as he did us the greatest damage a few years back and brought us the greatest embarassment" and everyone else said "yeah all right then, he's just who we need to restore our fortunes in the years ahead, and there's the added benefit - he'll move to London if ever elected!"
So 'sunny side up' - your're saying the old ousted Labour Executive ask Europe if having an ADS scheme is OK and they yes, but if the new Scottish Government ask Europe if it can be extended they might say no so - it's not quite in the bag yet. Why would Europe do that? Where are you coming from on this?
Get real, why don't you stop carping and think strategically as to how best Labour can operate as an OPPOSITION party.
Actually carping on the way you do is probably all you can do for the next 4 years at least (if not for ever). How old will you be then old 'sunny side up'?
Angus - you really ought to take that ridiculous banner off! You are looking way out of tune with what's actually happening.
I'm pretty sure I still have a letter from the former Labour candidate referred to dated in the early 1990's where he tried to rejoin the SNP.
Then he decided to try to become a Labour Councillor. Then joined the LibDems. Then joined the SSP.
Good reliable recruit, obviously.
Speaking of changing parties, did Angus Brendan MacNeil MP used to be a Tory when he worked with the BBC in Inverness?
You can't talk Angus, you and you're family were SNP to the core (stickers on the car and everything) and now you're.......?
Angus only you can fill in the gap above as no one can do it for you.
OK - you're too sensible for politics.
Or are you just 'independent' like the 'independent' councillors on the Comhairle - not one of whom are trully 'independent'!
Angus you've got to hang your hat somewhere!
I guess the fried yoke head (sunny side up - get it?)
Actually carping on the way you do is probably all you can do for the next 4 years at least (if not for ever). How old will you be then old 'sunny side up'?
Typical SNP, accuse anyone who isn't an obvious SNP stepford wife of being a Labour supporter and make sure that you kick them in the balls and personally insult them at the same time. Have any of you ever heard of constructive criticism? Your comments on here are sad to say the least. You jump on anyone who doesn't worship your leader.
I am not a Labour supporter, have never voted for them, but I have voted SNP. I am just very embarrassed, how little ABM and AA have done for the Islands.
The announcements in the last couple of days are a knee-jerk reaction. Why wasn't the renewal of the scheme in the bag last year when SNP were elected and why hasn't it been extended? Why have our elected not done more to persuade other airlines to fly to/from Stornoway to add a bit of competition? As we all know, with the monopoly that BA/Loganair have, 40% of a lot is still a lot. And where is our RET? 8 months later and the ferrys still cost the same.
Labour supporters, I respect you for your ability to ignore these pathetic rants from Bayhead.
Sunny side up - where/what is Bayhead? And don't get so annoyed. If you don't like blogging - which you obviuosly do the blog off!
If you were an SNP voter why get excited about what has or hasn't happened in the last 8 months -relax and just enjoy the next 4 years unfold.
Turning the country around in the right direction after 10 years of the last lot is like turning a tanker.
Dear 'sunny side up', I'm another 'anonymous' visitor(all 'anonymous' blogs aren't from one person stupid - didn't you know that?) and from what I can see of your various contributions you're a bloody Labour supporter masquerading as a one time SNP voter and you're now having a go on Angus's site at the wrong 'anonymous'.
You know the way some former smokers are, having given given up smoking, they're now really really anti-smoking? Well that's the way I feel as a former Labour voter who was for instance a big fan of Tony Benn and one of those responsible for instance in getting George Galloway elected in Hillhead, Glasgow - where I still live with my boyfriend who's from Ness.
With the blood of Iraq on their hands I'm now really anti-Labour and although I can see the former Labour candidate guy in Stornoway is being ridiculed by Angus and others, believe me there are going to be more 'defections' from Labour and other parties to SNP over the next 4 years and beyond from people that want to get things done for the benefit of Scotland.
I can understand Labour supporters wanting to be Labour because of Labour's traditional working class roots and values but who wants to be associated with Labour today as a war mongering, Iraqi murdering, cash for honours, donation hiding, generally despicable, sleaze ridden Party that now even wants to stop prison officers from striking down south of the border for God's sake! What happened to the 70's slogan 'up the workers'? Labour's now shafting the workers! Just like the Labour guys in the Council with their 'single status' settlement.
At least the Tory party admits to being right wing. Labour is now a big business party of smoke and mirror deception still pretending to be for the ordinary people - who they've actually let down really really badly.
Why don't you Labour guys realise and accept you lost the Holyrood election and under Gordy you're going to lose at Westminster too even if somehow that Macsweety guy (he's too beardy for me), takes the Western Isles - and that it in itself is a laugh. I've read elsewhere that the Praise the Lord's Day Observance Society is going to organise an anti-SNP campaign in advance of the next election - and who is the biggest advocate of Sunday sailings? Well it's no other than Labour Councillor Macsween! So that'll be an interesting choice for the voters. Do I vote against the SNP for letting the Sunday ferry come in, or for Macsween that wants the ferry to come in.
Viewed from down here Labour is a joke in the Western Isles and I hear the Scottish Government's Audit Committee is quizzing your Health Board tomorrow with it's Labour Chairman and cozy Labour Comhairle representive.
The words 'laughing' and 'stock' come to mind!
I'm not into all this this SNP\Labour ding dong but apparantly at the meeting yesterday there was an audible gasp from the public gallery when the Chairman of the Board answered that the various changes of management over the years hadn't caused problems in the hospital.
There is a clear cover up going on to shield the real culprits in all of this - who were of course placed there by the Executive 5 years ago.
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