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MP Claims Buses ‘Unfit’ For Buchan

Jun 022016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

BANFF & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has spoken following further meetings with Stagecoach managers regarding the new buses serving the Buchan area.

The meeting follows dozens of complaints from constituents regarding the accessibility of the buses, which have been causing problems for passengers with mobility impairments, less agility, and those travelling with small children.

The vehicles, which were introduced last year, have sparked a campaign for more accessible public transport in the constituency.

Dr Whiteford met with the designers of the bus, Stagecoach representatives, and constituents affected by the problem, on Friday May 20.

Speaking afterwards, Dr Whiteford said:

“It’s quite clear that Stagecoach have made a mistake in choosing this particular model. While it may meet the statutory requirements, I continue to receive complaints from bus users. Given the number of older people, disabled passengers and parents of babies or toddlers relying on the buses, it’s important that our public transport is accessible to all parts of the community.

“In terms of the legislation, I will be seeking a debate on bus accessibility at the earliest possible opportunity.

“I will also continue to maintain pressure on the company to come up with a solution to this problem. Our public transport needs to be fit for purpose. ”

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SNP’s Alternative Queen’s Speech Welcomed By MP

Aberdeenshire, Opinion 1 Response »

May 192016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has welcomed the release of the SNP’s Alternative Queen’s Speech at Westminster, saying it offers “a real alternative to Tory austerity.”

The Queen’s Speech today will highlight the Conservative Government’s legislative agenda for the coming year, and will likely include increases to tuition fees at English universities, and a weakening of the prerogatives of the Lords – where the Government has suffered a string of recent setbacks.

Speaking in advance of the Speech, Dr. Whiteford said:

“We now have a situation where the UK Government has failed to meet its own targets on key economic indicators. Debt, deficit, borrowing, productivity, innovation, trade, exports – you name the target, the Tories have missed it. Austerity has choked off economic growth – and the UK’s trade deficit is now at its worst position since 2008.

“The upshot of austerity is that, inevitably, it’s the poorest in society who pay the most. We’re calling for a modest – 0.5% – increase in public spending, which would help mitigate the worst impacts of austerity, and boost economic growth.

“The only way to tackle the deficit is to grow the economy, and it’s a lesson this Government has singularly failed to take on board. Choking off investment when it’s needed most is economic madness.

“With Labour mired in in-fighting, the SNP represents the only real alternative to a Tory Government. We want a fairer country, and that’s what we’ll keep fighting for at Westminster.”

Other proposals in the SNP’s Alternative Queen’s Speech include:

measures to boost exports
a Fair Tax Bill to crack down on tax evasion
a real Home Rule Bill, including devolution of social security, corporation tax, broadcasting and resource management
reform of Westminster, with replacement of the House of Lords by a democratically elected second chamber
an end to arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

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Whiteford: “Government Owes WASPI A Fair Hearing”

Aberdeenshire, Opinion 3 Responses »

May 162016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

Women campaigning for fair pensions ‘deserve a fair hearing’, according to the SNP’s Pensions Spokesperson, Dr Eilidh Whiteford. The comments come following a meeting between MPs and campaigners representing Women Against State Pension Inequality.

WASPI represent thousands of women born in the 1950s, who have now been hit twice by increases to the retirement age.

To date, the UK Government has announced no compensatory schemes for those who will lose out as a result of the changes.

While the SNP believes that the state pension age should indeed be equalised, the party has criticised the manner in which the UK Government has implemented its changes, in the face of significant opposition from opposition parliamentarians and civil society.

Speaking after the meeting with WASPI campaigners at Westminster, Dr Whiteford said:

“It is profoundly unfair that these ladies have worked their whole lives, only to be told that their retirement age is being raised not once, but twice. They deserve a fair hearing from the UK Government.

“The UK Government has railroaded these changes through parliament without heeding the real impact this will have on women born in the 1950s. Stephen Crabb’s statement to parliament seems to indicate that there’s still no change whatsoever to the Government’s position.

“Constituents affected by these changes should be assured, however, that I and my fellow SNP MPs will continue to keep pressure on the Tories to look again at how these changes are implemented.”

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MP Calls For Consensus On Air Passenger Duty

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

May 132016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford

Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has called for cross-party consensus on reducing Air Passenger Duty, after figures released by Aberdeen Airport revealed the impact of the drop in oil and gas prices on flights to and from the city. The figures, released today, indicate that domestic and international traffic are down 17.9 and 5.8% respectively, with a 23.8% decrease in helicopter traffic.

Nonetheless, the Airport is pushing ahead with new routes to Warsaw, Newquay and Gran Canaria, as well as a £20 million redevelopment programme.

Speaking in response to the figures, Dr. Whiteford said:

“Aberdeen Airport is a hugely important piece of our national infrastructure, and the figures indicate the scale of the challenge we face in the north-east as the price of oil remains low.

“The Scottish Government has announced that it intends to cut Air Passenger Duty by 50% and, in light of these figures, that can’t come soon enough. Businesses in the north-east need our region to be as accessible as possible, and I would call on all parties in the Scottish Parliament to support this move.

“This is one step we can and should take to making Scotland a competitive destination for business and tourism.”

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MP Opens New Premises For Local Charity

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Mar 032016

SNP MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has offered her very best wishes to a local Banff charity, after opening its new premises on Saturday.

Home-Start Deveron has now moved to 10 Carmelite Street, Banff. The charity works with local families, providing play opportunities for under 5s, and support for parents. Volunteers, many of whom are parents themselves, offer friendly, informal advice to help ensure that every parent has access to the support and advice necessary to give their children a good upbringing.

The group was established in 1999 and operates throughout the Deveron Valley area, serving Aberchirder, Banff, Huntly, Macduff, Portsoy, Turriff and surrounding areas.

Speaking at the opening. Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP – who serves as SNP Westminster spokesperson on Social Justice and Welfare – said:

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Home-Start Deveron on securing their new premises. Organisations like Home-Start depend on volunteers who enjoy helping kids get a great start in life, and it was an absolute pleasure meeting with some of these remarkable individuals who give their time for such a great local cause.

“The group is always looking for volunteers, and I would encourage anyone who thinks they can help to come forward. It’s difficult to overstate just how valuable the group’s work is.”

Home Start can be contacted on 01261 819964.

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Buchan MP Calls For Rethink On Work Allowance

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Jan 072016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford MP

Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford

Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has called for the UK Government to reconsider its position on cutting in-work incentives for the low-paid.

In a speech to the House of Commons on Wednesday, Dr Whiteford called on the Government to re-think the proposed cuts scheduled for April. The Institute for Fiscal Studies points out that there will be more losers than winners under the proposed cuts, and the Resolution Foundation estimates that working families with children on Universal Credit will be, on average, £1300 pounds a year worse off by 2020.

The IFS estimate that overall, 2.6 million families across the UK will be worse off by an average of £1600 a year.

Speaking after the debate, Dr Whiteford said:

“While the Government’s U-turn on cutting tax credits was very welcome, it was, as I noted in my speech, a stay of execution given the reductions to the Work Allowance under Universal Credit, scheduled for this April.

“The Government has sold Universal Credit on the basis that work should pay for those in employment. Indeed, Universal Credit was sold as a simplified system which would give families real incentives to find work, and keep work. The reality, however, is that by cutting the Work Allowance, the Government is once again heaping the costs of austerity onto low paid families.

“In a country where the minimum wage remains significantly below what could reasonably be described as a living wage, some form of welfare remains necessary for those undertaking low-paid work. By cutting the Work Allowance the Government is imposing an eye-watering level of marginal taxation on people in low paid jobs, and making it harder than ever for those in low income households to break out of the poverty trap.

“If the Government was serious about making work pay, if they were serious about boosting the UK’s productivity, if they actually wanted to help people get on, they would be increasing the work allowance – not reducing it.”

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MP Slams Billion Pounds Carbon Capture Betrayal

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Nov 262015

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford MP

BANFF & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has hit out after it was announced that the UK Government has scrapped a £1 billion scheme for carbon capture, which could have come to Peterhead.

The announcement was made to the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday afternoon while George Osborne was making his Autumn statement.

Dr Whiteford raised the matter in parliament yesterday, questioning Chris Grayling, Leader of the House at Business Questions, and demanding that the Secretary of State make a Statement on the matter.

Mr Grayling responded with an answer related to renewable energy – a different topic altogether.

Speaking in the Commons, Dr Whiteford said:

“…. while the Chancellor was still on his feet, the Government sneaked out an announcement that they intend to renege yet again on their commitment to support carbon capture and storage by withdrawing the billion pound funding they promised in their manifesto just a few months ago.

“This is a disgraceful act of betrayal. It sends an appalling signal to companies looking to invest in our energy sector, and it makes a mockery of the UK’s commitment to decarbonisation, just days before crucial global talks on climate change.

“When will the Secretary of State come to this house and make a statement to explain to my constituents in Peterhead why she’s led them up the garden path?”

The Leader of the House responded:

“We had to take some difficult decisions in the spending review; however, we have made great progress on renewables.”

Commenting afterwards, Dr. Whiteford said:

“Peterhead was always the front-runner in this competition. Just last week the Secretary of State was extolling the benefits of CCS, but now they have pulled the plug without warning. It’s a massive disappointment, and a disgraceful decision which demonstrates that the Tories have no real commitment to the future of the energy sector and no real plans for tackling climate change.”

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SNP Demand Clarity On Top Ups To Welfare Cuts

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Nov 122015

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford MP

Following the debate on the Scotland Bill at Westminster, the SNP are calling for clarification over the Secretary of State David Mundell’s failure to guarantee that there would be no claw back of payments made by the Scottish Government to mitigate welfare cuts.

Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP, SNP Social Justice and Welfare spokesperson commented:

“Following tonight’s debate we need absolute clarity from the UK Government that if the Scottish Government tops up a benefit it will not be clawed back by Westminster – David Mundell failed to answer that.

“For that and many other reasons tonight will be a huge disappointment to all those people watching and hoping for the Vow to be delivered.

“Whilst I welcome the changes the Government is belatedly bringing forward, all the flowery rhetoric in the world won’t hide the fact that this Scotland Bill still falls some way short of the Smith Commission proposals. More than that, still falls a long way short of the promises made to the people of Scotland.

“The SNP amendments in this Group would have significantly strengthen the Bill, and brought it closer to the expectations and aspirations of the people who voted in unprecedented numbers for real powers and meaningful change. As things stand, it will be those on low and average incomes, especially families with children, who will pay the price of these missed opportunities.’’

Commenting on this evening’s debate – SNP Leader at Westminster – Angus Robertson MP said:

“The sole purpose of the Scotland Bill has been to implement the Smith Commission in full. We welcome the government’s late admission that it had failed to do that but this bill still falls far short.

“We have seen with this debate a Westminster failure to support the devolution of powers over tax credits – industrial relations and workers’ rights powers and on the sovereignty of the people of Scotland.

“People should look and learn because if this is the way to bring forward legislation – we don’t need it. The Scottish parliament is a 21st century parliament and if ever there was a case put for the Scottish parliament being able to exercise all issues that matter to the people of Scotland – this was it.”

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Prime Minister Dodges Serious Questions On Young’s

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Sep 182015

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford MP

Prime Minister David Cameron needs to give a serious answer about the UK Government’s involvement in proposals to use state aid to entice jobs from Fraserburgh to Grimsby, following a parliamentary intervention from Banff and Buchan MP, Eilidh Whiteford.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Dr Whiteford (pictured) asked the Prime Minister directly what action the UK Government was doing to keep jobs in Fraserburgh. The Prime Minister, in response, gave a much vaguer political answer about keeping inflation and taxes low – failing to address the UK Government’s involvement in Grimsby’s bid as a base for centralisation of Young’s operations.

It was reported earlier this month that North Lincolnshire Council, in conjunction with the UK Government, will deploy a £1.34 million funding package to persuade the company to move jobs from Scotland to Grimsby.

It is understood that the money comes from unused cash in the area’s Regional Growth Fund.

However, Scottish politicians have cast doubt on the funding package, highlighting European Union State Aid rules which place strict limits on the direct financial support governments can offer to companies. Since the UK Government and North Lincolnshire’s offer, the Scottish Government has stated that it will match the funding package – provided it can be demonstrated that such a move would be within the law.

Last month, Dr Whiteford and local MSP Stewart Stevenson wrote to the UK Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, asking for more information about the UK Government’s legal basis for making the offer.

Speaking afterwards, Dr Whiteford said:

“I asked the Prime Minister a straightforward question, and he tried to dodge it. It won’t rub with my constituents, who stand at risk of losing their jobs because the UK Government plans to directly subsidise Grimsby’s rival bid.

“The Prime Minister made no effort whatsoever to address the fact that his Government is in the process of breaching state aid rules, with the specific goal of consolidating jobs in Grimsby – to Fraserburgh’s direct detriment.

“The Scottish Government will aim to match this assistance – if it emerges that it is legal to do so. However, it is disappointing to note that the Prime Minister cannot defend his own Government’s role in damaging the local economy.

“I will continue to ask difficult questions at Westminster, and my colleagues in the Scottish Government will continue to ensure that Fraserburgh remains an attractive place for Young’s to continue doing business.”

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Bright Coast – Long Shadows: Exhibition At Duff House

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Jul 162015

By Duncan Harley

Duff House, Banff is to host an exhibition of new work by North East artist Bryan Angus this summer.
An art book, successfully funded by a Kickstarter project which attracted backers from as far afield as the USA, Germany and Denmark, accompanies the exhibition.

Entitled Bright Coast – Long Shadows, the exhibition will feature Bryan’s images of Banff, Macduff, Gardenstown, Pennan and Portsoy.

The book will explore the methods and creative processes used in the making of the work.

Says Bryan:

“This book will help promote my artwork and I hope encourage other people to make art. It will also promote this beautiful and hidden area of the world.”

Bryan is a visual artist living and working on the Banffshire Coast. Along with wife Carla he teaches art at the Creative Retreat in Gardenstown. His work is firmly based in the tradition of representational landscape art, created in soft pastel, oils and increasingly, lino print.

Influenced by American artist Edward Hopper’s paintings of houses in the blazing Massachusetts sunshine and referencing the low angled lighting typical of film noir, Bryan’s images portray the villages and sea edge of the Banffshire coastline and feature the dramatic lighting and long shadows of the northern winter months.

When asked about his inspiration, Bryan, a graduate from Gray’s School of Art, comments:

“The bulk of my work is inspired by the beauty of the land hereabouts, enriched by the history of the people and their towns. My own family history has a branch along this coast, so my sense of place, and subsequently the rediscovering the images of previous lives, has also informed my work.”

Bright Coast – Long Shadows opens at Duff House on 18th July and runs until 30th August.

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