I am deeply concerned that a divide is forming between Aberdeenshire Council and Bervie Braes residents, and I have called on all those involved to work together for a resolution.  I sought to remind all concerned that they are working towards the same goal, to secure the Braes and ensure there are no further landslips.

Everyone involved, the residents, the Community Council, Aberdeenshire Council and local Councillors all want the work to secure the Braes to go ahead as quickly as possible.

Having visited Bervie Braes with David Fleming, chair of the Community Council and discussed the issue at length with Aberdeenshire Councillors, particularly Stonehaven Cllr Peter Bellarby, it is striking that they have far more in common, than they have differences of opinion.

Residents, having narrowly escaped earlier this year, and having been promised a resolution by the Council, will be worried about going through the winter without the Braes being secured.  Clearly, residents want to ensure that their future insurance coverage is not affected by the waivers which they have been asked to sign.  Their concerns are understandable and the council should take note.

It is therefore heartening to learn that the Council, having tried several times to visit all the residents to discuss the waivers face-to-face, is open to changing the wording in response to their worries.  When I have discussed the issue with Peter Bellarby and other Aberdeenshire Councillors, it was clear that they felt very, very strongly that the Council should undertake the effort, even though it has no responsibility to do so.

Aberdeenshire Council have had a major success in securing £2m from the Scottish Government towards the cost of the scheme and should be commended for their effort.  Understandably, the council has a responsibility to all other Aberdeenshire residents to ensure they do not incur a future liability, beyond the proposed scheme.  The contractors insurance will cover the work that they do, so this should be straightforward.

I would urge all those involved to put themselves in each others’ shoes.  They would then understand that it is in everyone’s interest to work together towards a mutually satisfactory outcome.

Following the recent bad weather, Angus Liberal Democrats have renewed their calls for the Scottish Government to do more to help protect Montrose from coastal erosion.  There has been further erosion at Montrose Golf Course, which is the 5th oldest in the world and will celebrate its 450th year in just two years time.

Reacting to news of further erosion at the Golf Course and along the coast, Sanjay Samani, Lib Dem campaigner for Angus and Mearns said:

“I was shocked to hear from Montrose Cllr David May this morning that there has been further erosion at Montrose Golf Course.  I visited the course with Alison McInnes, Lib Dem MSP for the North East, just three weeks ago to inspect the damage.”

“The SNP have scrapped a special flood funding scheme introduced by the previous Lib Dem / Labour administration.  They have largely left Councils to fund such schemes from their own budgets.”

“With both coastal erosion and flooding, the SNP Government have focussed on funding warning systems.  While the new warning systems are worthwhile, they do not replace the need for investment to protect our coastline”

“The SNP have not allocated enough money to properly tackle coastal erosion and so risk losing an important part of Scotland’s sporting heritage.  The golf course is all that stands between Montrose and the risk of damage to the town.”

Montrose Cllr David May commented, “This morning, I inspected the impact of the recent bad weather on the coastline at Montrose Golf Course. There has been further erosion, especially at some of the more vulnerable holes.”

“I call on the Scottish SNP Government for help, so that hard cash is allocated to help deal with coastal erosion.  And furthermore, the SNP needs to change policy on the way it allocates funding.”

“With more bad weather forecast for the coming weekend, there are obviously concerns about the impact on the course if there is further erosion.”

I am joining Angus councillors David May and Alison Andrews in backing the call by Liberal Democrat Energy spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP for the Scottish SNP Government to join in the Green Homes Revolution.

UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has announced that by 2015 100,000 Green Deal workers could be employed in the effort to make Britain’s homes warmer and cheaper to run.  The UK Government is in negotiations with Scottish Government officials to extend the Green Deal across the UK.

Backing comments by Liam McArthur MSP, Montrose Cllr David May said,

“The Angus and Mearns area has been devastated by flooding over the last year.  If we do not tackle climate change there are real risks that  floods will be more likely in the region.  The Green deal will help us all to tackle climate change and protect our homes and businesses.”

The Green Deal would be great for Angus and Mearns.  It will save residents and businesses money on their energy bills,  it will create jobs for builders and help tack climate change.

The UK Government predicts that the deal will create 100,000 jobs across the UK, which means a potential 10,000 for Scotland.  These will be vital jobs for the construction industry that has been hit hard during the recession.

I understand that the Scottish Government officials are in discussions with their UK counterparts.  It is vital that the SNP government extend a similar scheme across the country, so that Scotland isn’t left out of this green revolution.

Following a visit to Montrose Harbour with  local MSP Alison McInnes, the Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Climate Change and Angus councillor David May, Angus and Mearns Liberal Democrats have backed calls to protect a fund that could benefit the Port at Montrose.

The £60 million development fund had been allocated by the UK Government to support redevelopment of British ports to service new offshore windfarms. Montrose had hoped to benefit from some of the money, but now faces missing out if the funding is cut in the upcoming spending review.

I visited Montrose harbour area last week  with Alison and it is clear that this fund could make a big difference to the port. The off-shore wind farm market is very competitive and there is a need to develop the infrastructure so that Montrose can establish itself on the international market.

There is clearly the potential to create hundreds of green jobs which would be a huge boost to the economy of Angus. I hope the Liberal Democrats in government are able to find a way to salvage this fund from the financial mess left behind by Labour.

Montrose councillor David May, convener of Infrastructure Services, added his support to the call as he has been directly involved in visiting the port on several occasions and is well aware of the potential for jobs.  He said:

“It is obvious to me that this funding will make a difference to what Montrose port will be able to do.  It has been a huge success in recent years and we are all aware of the possibility of wind-industry work in our port which could lead to hundreds of new jobs in Angus, and this could directly benefit towns such as Brechin, Arbroath and Forfar as well Montrose so the retention of this fund is vital.

Nick Clegg, leader of the Lib Dems, yesterday launched a pledge to invest £400m, identified from savings elsewhere, in renovating shipyards and harbours, specifically for building, maintaining and supplying off shore wind turbines. It is expected that this will create as many as 57,000 new green jobs.

I have campaigned for the Scottish SNP Government to make a similar commitment to invest in Montrose Harbour. This commitment is just what Montrose needs to secure its future and I would call on other parties to match the Lib Dem commitment.

You can read more details about the pledge by clicking here to go to the Liberal Democrat website.

I met with Brechin Cllr Ruth Leslie-Melville and Cllr David May, convener of Infrastructure Services, to discuss the flooding in Brechin and the role the council has played so far to alleviate the problems.

It is no surprise that Brechin residents are alarmed by the threat of flooding. It is clear that the council have done what they can from their roads budget, but they do not have the resources to fund what is now a £13 million project.

Furthermore, the removal of the dedicated government grants has thrown plans for flood protection schemes into complete disarray. Adding to the confusion is the phased introduction of the new Flood Risk Management Act which changes local authorities’ responsibilities and powers.

Surely the SNP government cannot expect councils like Angus to meet such significant development and delivery costs from local budgets. I back Cllr May’s call on the Scottish Government to fund the schemes in Brechin and across Angus to support local residents and businesses. It is surely obvious to the SNP Government that flooding is a national issue that needs national funding.

With the cold weather returning to Angus over the weekend, I want to remind pensioners that they may be eligible for Cold Weather Payments. However I am disappointed that up to 3,000 pensioners in Angus may miss out on the payment due to the complicated application process.

Cold Weather Payments are due if the temperature drops below zero on seven consecutive days. A payment of £25 is due for each week. Through the cold spell at the beginning of the year, this was triggered 3 times across large parts of Angus.

However, pensioners must have applied for the Pensions Credit to get the payments automatically and current estimates suggest that up to 1/3 of pensioners may not have done so, leaving 3,000 of Angus’s most vulnerable residents unpaid.

It is a scandal that pensioners on the breadline are missing out on these payments. Fuel prices are at an all time high, making Cold Weather Payments all the more important to people already struggling on a poverty pension.

Labour has failed pensioners by creating a complicated system that makes it difficult for them to get the help they desperately need. The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash.

Sanjay encouraged pensioners who believe they may be eligible to call their Pensions Office free on 0800 99 1234 or textphone 0800 169 0133. Alternatively they can send a letter to The Pension Service, PO Box 3, Edinburgh, EH91 5AF. Silver surfers can contact them online by clicking here to go to The Pensions Service Contact Form.

Angus residents on other benefits may also be due to receive cold weather payments and they can find out if they are eligible online by clicking here for the Government Direct Website information on Cold Weather Payments or alternatively contact their local Job Centre.

On Wednesday, I visited Montrose Harbour with Terry Wood of the Harbour Board and Montrose Liberal Democrat Cllr David May. We toured the properties surrounding the northern part of the harbour, many of which house derelict, empty buildings. These are a sad reminder of businesses lost to the area. However, they provide a real opportunity to improve the harbour’s infrastructure and provide space to expand for future development.

The future development plans for Montrose Harbour are excellent, and I will be supporting them in any way I can. Angus Council is conducting a study on how to best improve the infrastructure around the harbour, to improve access and attract more business. Again this is an excellent approach, supported by the Harbour Board.

I also talked Jim Raeper, Technical Manager, about opportunities for Montrose to win exclusive contracts to survey, service and possibly construct offshore wind farms. Three wind farm developers have already approached Montrose, which is Angus’ only commercial port, to discuss opportunities. Developing the harbour infrastructure seems to be an obvious plan to secure jobs and business for the whole of Angus.

Offshore wind power will be central to Scotland’s future energy supply and it is crucial that Angus does not miss out. Embracing and supporting green energy production will put Angus at the heart of Scotland’s sustainable future.

Montrose Harbour already supports over 500 jobs around the county and winning new business could generate hundreds more. Improving the infrastructure will attract more business for Montrose Harbour and provide access to a first class port for all Angus businesses. This will be an investment to create jobs throughout Angus, and I am sure that everyone in Angus would want to support the Harbour’s development plans and the Council’s infrastructure study.

To that end, I would call on the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the Westminster Parliament to pay close attention to the outcome of the Council’s study and act quickly to secure a positive future for Montrose and the whole of Angus.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, 2nd December, the Marine (Scotland) Bill will be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.

The Look Out for Seals campaign has called for a ban on shooting seals during their breeding seasons. As it stands the Bill might allow this killing. They are working to get the Committee to amend the Bill to prohibit the killing of seals during their breeding seasons.

On 29th October the Scottish Parliament held its first full debate on the Marine (Scotland) Bill. Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur told Parliament: “In the sensitive issue of seal protection, I congratulate Advocates for Animals on the way in which they have made their case”.

I have signed up to support better protection for Scotland’s seals in the Marine Bill. Click here to find out more and sign up yourself at the Look Our for Seals website.