Responding to the suggestion by Arbroath Cllr David Fairweather that Community Councils be disbanded, Liberal Democrat campaigners for Angus, added their support for the great work done by Community Councils.

Sanjay Samani, campaigner for Angus and Mearns, said:

“As secretary of Alyth Community Council, I am fully aware of the crucial role they play in local communities.”

“In particular, Community Councillors do a huge amount of work on a purely voluntary basis.  They organise a tremendous amount of events, discussions and fund raising for local people.  In Alyth, sub groups set up by the Community Council are responsible for the Christmas Lights, the Gala and parade, youth activities, management of the Town Hall and a community consultation on long term plans for the town.  These are just some of the things that Community Councils are responsible for, all across Angus.”

“All this unpaid work done on a voluntary basis would have to be taken up by the Council at considerably more expense than the nominal savings Cllr Fairweather’s suggestion would make.”

Montrose Councillor David May said:

“I visit three Community Councils on a regular basis.  They represent the cross section of opinions to their local councillors and act as a key liaison with Council officials, local police, schools, residents associations and healthcare providers.  They are a weather vane for residents’ opinions on key planning applications and on long term planning for their areas.”

“Without the voluntary work done by them, Council officials would have their work cut out to make sure that their decisions are democratic and represent the views of everyday people.”

Kirriemuir Councillor Alison Andrews commented:

“Having attended my local Community Councils, disbanding them would be a huge loss to communities.  They would lose the strong voice they have with local service providers, with Angus Councillors and Angus Council as a whole.”

“It is really important that residents are able to raise local issues without involving any party politics and it is vital that communities continue to have their say.”

I welcome the Scottish Government’s decision to include the Liberal Democrat proposal to remove the right-to-buy for new build council and social landlord houses in the draft Housing (Scotland) Bill. There is an overwhelming case to abolish the right to buy for new build council houses.

However, I was disappointed to hear that my fellow parliamentary candidate, Tory, Alberto Costa, is not supporting the proposal. I am surprised that Mr Costa does not appreciate the hugely negative impact this policy has had on the most vulnerable families, Angus Council’s budget and taxpayers’ funds.

Families across Angus and indeed, Scotland, are having to wait for years for suitable council accommodation. Councils have had to sell off their best assets at steep discounts, under this old Thatcherite policy.

There are much better methods for helping first time buyers get onto the property ladder, such as equity mortgages, that do not disadvantage vulnerable families and do not disrupt Angus Council’s ability to provide suitable housing.

Does Mr Costa seriously expect Angus Council to continue the cycle of finding suitable land, planning, funding and building houses, just to sell them off cheaply to property speculators?

He seems to want to nationalise the costs and privatise the profits. It demonstrates that the Tories have not changed and cannot be trusted to run this country.

I am calling on the SNP government to go further in improving safety at the Lochlands Junction of the A90 at Forfar. Transport Scotland have proposed closure of the central reservation of the A90/A932 due to the accidents which have occurred at that junction.

It was good to see Angus Council’s success in persuading the government of the need for improvements at Lochlands. Whilst closing the central reservation will ease the situation at Lochlands, it may simply move the problem elsewhere. There will be an impact from diverted traffic on local roads, such as the Westport junction, Westfield Loan, West and East High Street. There has to be concern about the risks from large lorries on local roads, particularly for children attending Langland’s primary school.

Visiting Lochlands Junction, and with the number of accidents at this junction, it is clear that something has to be done. There is clearly a need for a flyover, allowing Northbound traffic on the A90 to join the Dundee Road safely. I am joining the campaign to ensure the safety of the people driving to Forfar.

I will be writing to Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson to call for his support for a flyover, and I also call on SNP representatives Mike Weir, MP and Andrew Welsh, MSP to back Angus Council’s proposals.

Whilst Lochlands has a lot in common with Laurencekirk junction that I blogged about a week ago, each issue needs to be dealt with on its own merits. In particular the Lochlands junction is used by traffic heading into Forfar and beyond. This means that changing access to the junction will have a knock on effect on other junctions and roads. As a result, a flyover is the only sensible option.