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 have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Angus North and Mearns for the Scottish elections next May.  I have also been selected as one of the Liberal Democrat Regional Candidates for the North East.

I am very grateful to the Liberal Democrat members in Angus and the Mearns for their support and their decision to select me as their candidate. I am looking forward to continuing the campaigns that we have been running in the area.

The SNP have said they will fight the next election on just the issue of independence. Most people are concerned about their jobs,  rising prices and the economy. This shows how out of touch the SNP really are. They have been completely unprepared for the economic crisis, created by the Labour government.

In just five months, the Liberal Democrats in coalition have put in place plans to take 900,000 low earners out of income tax, restore a fair pension and to provide £2bn extra in child tax credits for poorer families.  In stark contrast, in over four years, the SNP have failed to deliver on their hollow promises of more police, smaller class sizes and maintaining teacher numbers.  The Liberal Democrats can do more for Scotland and for Angus and the Mearns.

Stonehaven Liberal Democrat Councillor, Peter Bellarby, said, “I am very pleased that Sanjay has been selected. Mike Rumbles has served Stonehaven and the Mearns well and I am sure that Sanjay will continue to listen and respond to the concerns people have in this area, just as Mike has done. In the revised constituencies, Mike Rumbles will be the candidate for Aberdeenshire West and I am sure that Mike and Sanjay will form an excellent partnership for this area.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr David May from Montrose, commented “I am delighted that Sanjay has ben selected.  He has an excellent record on campaigning on local issues.  He has called for the SNP government to reinstate funding to prevent coastal erosion and flooding, to provide relief to small businesses who received huge rises in their business rates and for a full time service at Forfar fire station. And he has been a strong supporter of Jill Campbell’s campaign for a flyover on the A90 at Laurencekirk Junction.”

David continued, “Angus North and Mearns is a new constituency for the Scottish Parliament.  In the Mearns, residents have elected four Lib Dem councillors, Sir Robert Smith MP and an outstanding Liberal Democrat MSP, Mike Rumbles who has stood up for their needs at Holyrood.  Unfortunately, SNP representatives have let down Angus residents.  Now, Angus and Mearns residents will get a straight choice between an SNP candidate and a Liberal Democrat who will continue to fight for local people.”

Below: Sanjay campaigning for a flyover on the A90 at Laurencekirk, along with Laurencekikrk Flyover campaigners Jlll Campbell and Julie Watson, with Tavish Scott MSP, leader of Scottish Lib Dems, Mike Rumbles MSP, Sir Robert Smith MP and Montrose Cllr David May

Photograph by Neve Photography, Brechin

I am congratulating the Scottish Lib Dems for their successful inclusion of the Post Office Diversification Fund in the Scottish budget. The diversification fund will help secure the future of local post offices by helping them offer a wider range of goods and services to their communities.

The news that a Post Office Diversification Fund has been included in the budget is great news for Angus villages and towns. With state owned banks refusing to lend to sound Scottish businesses at reasonable rates, the fund will assist post office owners to expand and widen their services. By helping the businesses become more profitable, it will hold off the risk of closure.

I learned that the risk of further closures is still serious. Under the last Tory government over 4,000 Post Offices were closed. Under Labour 608 more in Scotland have closed, and yet the boss of Royal Mail is paid a salary of more than £1 million.

Post Offices are essential services in many towns and villages across Angus. I visited Glamis Post Office, which is the last remaining shop in the town. It was saved from closure by a hard fought campaign by the owners, Hugh and Ann Nicoll and local residents. Its success is partly due to expanding the range of goods sold, and it is now the village shop as well as a Post Office. In spring and summer, their cafe provides lovely refreshments for tourists and locals.

Not all villages can count on a strong campaign in defence of their Post Office. The Diversification Fund secured by Scottish Liberal Democrats at Holyrood will ensure a fair chance for all village Post Offices to stay open.

I am backing the Scottish Lib Dem campaign to get the SNP Government to support businesses and particularly hotels, facing huge increases in their businesses rates. Speaking to a debate on this issue at the Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference, I highlighted the issues facing tourism during a year of celebrations across the whole of Angus.

Jeremy Purvis MSP, Lib Dem Shadow Secretary on Economic affairs, introduced a motion to press the Scottish Government to support hotels facing rises of up to 120% in the 2010 Business Rates revaluation. He called for the SNP to provide transitional relief, staggering increases over a number of years, in the same way as the previous Lib Dem / Labour Government had done whilst in power, and is standard practice across the rest of the UK.

In Angus, the recession is already hitting Scottish Hotels and Tourism. In February, a stately home, the Castleton House, near Glamis, closed its doors as a hotel.

This year, there are bicentenary celebrations for the Royal Montrose Golf Course and the Bell Rock Lighthouse as well as the 150th anniversary of J M Barrie’s birth in Kirriemuir. All of these celebrations have developed great relationships with local hotels and B&B’s. But already a lack of hotel beds in Angus limits how big their events can be and how much extra business they can bring to the local area.

I spoke to Fraser Ogston, the owner of two hotels in St Andrews, who will open a third in Arbroath in April. He had little idea of what his business rates will be, particularly with the rates revaluation. How can hotel owners plan their business without knowing what their taxes will be?

The issues with business rates go further than the hotel industry and transitional relief, however. In particular, business rates are discouraging investment to tackle climate change, as any savings made on energy bills are swallowed up in increased rates. I talked to a shipyard owner, Harry Simpson of Mackay Boat Builders, again in Arbroath, where they rebuilt a workshop building, with one with an insulated roof, motion sensitive lights and taps, and a better working environment for staff. With little warning their rates were doubled, not least because they were taken over the threshold for small business relief.

How can it make sense that a business that has added no new capacity, is no longer regarded as small, simply because they have replaced a building with a greener, safer one?

I am asking Forfar, Kirriemuir and Brechin residents to have their say on plans to change fire station provision in Angus. Tayside Fire and Rescue Board are proposing to switch a whole time night shift at Balmossie Fire Station to a whole time day shift at Forfar Fire Station. Currently there is no whole time provision in Forfar, Kirriemuir or Brechin. Instead, the stations are retained, which means that firemen are on call, but not based full time at the station.

I visited Forfar fire station with local Community Councillor and activist, Avril Simpson. As I understand it, the overnight crew at Balmossie fire station in Broughty Ferry were not called to a single house fire in the last 3 months of 2009, and were only called to two, relatively minor secondary fires between October and December. The Fire Board are arguing that a retained service overnight at Balmossie would be sufficient to meet the needs of local residents, based on 6 years of operational incidents across Tayside.

The retained fire crews across Angus and the whole of Tayside provide an excellent service, securing the safety of local residents.

The Fire Board noted that the peak time for incidents were during the day. They also stated that research indicates that prevention and early detection is the best way to save lives. They argue that a whole time day shift in Forfar would allow fire crews to carry out Home Fire Safety Visits, which the retained fire men are currently unable to do, due to their full time employment commitments.

Cllr Ken Lyall, Chair of the local Fire Board believes that this change will improve emergency response in Forfar, Kirriemuir and Brechin during the day, without impacting overnight cover in Broughty Ferry. The Board also believes that by conducting Home Fire Safety Visits, Tayside Fire and Rescue Service will be able to save more lives.

It is crucial that local people have their say on whether they would like these changes to go ahead. I will be distributing a Focus leaflet in Forfar and will ask local residents about their wishes. In the meantime, residents from across Angus can contact me with their views by commenting below. Or if you wish to keep your views private, you can email me at contact@sanjaysamani.com or by mail at Viewpark, Meethill Road, Alyth, PH11 8DE.

I am calling on the Scottish Government to follow through on its fitness manifesto and help to finance a new swimming pool for Forfar.

I visited Forfar’s current swimming pool with local independent Councillor, Colin Brown and met with the staff at the pool. I was very impressed with Forfar’s swimming pool and have heard excellent reports of the service given by staff. The existing pool offers the best facilities it can, given the age and size of the current building.

However, it is clear that the pool cannot meet the needs of all Forfar residents going forward, including the youngest in the community. As a father of a four year old, I myself know how important it is to allow toddlers to get confident around water by making learning to swim fun. Forfar families could really do with a pool tailored specifically for their kids’ needs.

A new facility would allow young and old, fitness fanatics and leisure swimmers alike, to go swimming together. Pools can be an excellent meeting place for the whole community.

Angus Council is aware of the need for a new pool in the town. However, with the council’s allocation from central government set to be slashed, the Scottish SNP Government needs to follow through on its fitness manifesto and invest in health at the heart of Angus and Forfar.