My Submission to LGBCS About Proposed Boundary Changes for Ward 8 - The Ferry - in Dundee

Dear LGBCS,

I am writing to add my weight to many hundreds of my constituents who attended a public meeting on Tuesday 1st September and the regular October meeting of The Broughty Ferry Community Council as well as those that have already submitted written representations. The former meeting was the largest about a local issue in The Ferry during my eight years as a City Councillor. The latter meeting was the largest public attendance at an ordinary meeting of the Community Council for many years.

Almost without exception residents from West Ferry were hostile to your proposals. Almost without exception residents from other parts of The Ferry were supportive of retaining the entire Ferry ward and not having West Ferry pruned off or any other part of their ward subsumed into another ward. I understand that this has been reflected in the written representations you have already received.

As an opposition Councillor, I regret that I did not take the opportunity to move against what became the LGBCS proposal when the Council discussed this. At that meeting, the tabled proposal from the majority SNP group on the Council was obviously going to be voted through.

The case for retention of the current boundary for Ward 8 does not however wholly depend on the number of objectors but also the following arguments:

Parity.

Using the LGBCS figures, not unreasonable parity, would be achieved by retaining the existing ward boundary.

Community/Local Ties. 

The Ferry Ward is effectively identical with the long established community of Broughty Ferry. The electoral boundary currently adequately defines what is essentially the eastern suburb of Dundee. This arrangement will be disrupted by the proposed boundary change. This moves the western boundary eastwards so that the West Ferry part of Broughty Ferry will, to a great extent, be merged into the adjoining East End Ward. The western boundary of the historic (independent and electorally separate) Police Burgh of Broughty  Ferry is identical to the current western boundary of West Ferry/Broughty Ferry (this has been confirmed to the Community Council by Ian Flett, the City Archivist). After Broughty Ferry was subsumed into Dundee in 1913, this electoral boundary was retained and exists to this day. Not only is the existing Ward 8 boundary historically significant, but the identity of The Ferry is strongly felt not only by residents born and bred in The Ferry but also by those residents like me that have moved to the city and made their home in Broughty Ferry. The strength and prevalence of these ties are also evidenced by the volume of objections you have already received.

Local services. 

There is a complex web of local statutory and voluntary organisations that serve people in the ward; for example the Broughty Ferry Community Council and Grove Academy. Significantly, while much of the current West Ferry lies outside the current catchment area of Grove Academy, through placing requests and the increased capacity of the new Grove Academy, many children from West Ferry attend Grove Academy along with their counterparts from other neighbourhoods in The Ferry ward.

In conclusion

I think there is now overwhelming evidence of a strongly held held consensus amongst my constituents that The Ferry ward should retain its existing boundaries. It is now the responsibility of the Commission, not the electors of The Ferry ward, to decide the potential alternative changes that might be required in adjoining wards to make this aspiration a reality.

Yours sincerely

Councillor Laurie Bidwell

Submitted to the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland (LGBCS) 22 October 2015

Public Meeting on Proposed Local Government Boundary Changes in The Ferry TONÍGHT Tuesday 1st September 2015

Tonight, Tuesday 1st September 2015, Broughty Ferry Community Council, will be turning over their entire meeting to consider the proposals from the Boundary Commission for Local Government in Scotland. 

The Commission have proposed to remove West Ferry, west of Victoria Road and Claypotts Road, from 'The Ferry' local government ward.  This is in conjunction with other ward boundary changes in Dundee.

More details about these proposals are contained in my earlier post.

NB This public meeting will be held in The Gym Hall of Eastern Primary School with access from Claypotts Road at the back of the School. Please note, due to other events on at the school, parking in the immediate vicinity of the school will be limited and restricted.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meet on the first Tuesday of every month (except July) in Broughty Ferry Library. 

Public Meeting on Proposed Local Government Boundary Changes in Broughty Ferry Tuesday 1st September 2015

On Tuesday evening 1st September 2015, Broughty Ferry Community Council, will be turning over their entire meeting to consider the proposals from the Boundary Commission for Local Government in Scotland. 

The Commission have proposed to remove West Ferry, west of Victoria Road and Claypotts Road, from 'The Ferry' local government ward.  This is in conjunction with other ward boundary changes in Dundee.

More details about these proposals are contained in my earlier post.

NB This public meeting will be held in The Gym Hall of Eastern Primary School with access from Claypotts Road at the back of the School. Please note, due to other events on at the school, parking in the immediate vicinity of the school will be limited and restricted.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meet on the first Tuesday of every month (except July) in Broughty Ferry Library. 

Broughty Ferry Heritage Walk Leaflet Published

Just before Easter, the Community Council announced the publication of the updated and extended Heritage Walk leaflet for The Ferry.

The sumptuous new leaflet in printed in colour and is available free from Broughty Ferry Library and many other outlets in The Ferry.

This heritage walking tour is mainly focused on central Broughty Ferry. The tour is divided into six sections, so that you can follow the entire route which might take more than a couple of hours or pick out a section or two that takes your interest.


The leaflet was revised and updated under the auspices of the Broughty Ferry Community Council. The text of the leaflet was written by local historian Nancy Davey. It has been published in hard copy by Dundee City Council. 

Click on this link to read the leaflet online 

Broughty Ferry Community Council Launch New Website

Click on image to enlarge

Broughty Ferry Community Council have just relaunched their website.

Their new website is uncluttered and easy to navigate. It helpfully provides access to minutes and agendas of their meetings and all their activities working on behalf of The Ferry. Their next meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 March 2014 beginning at 7pm.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August and January) in the Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2HN.
Community Council meetings begin at 7pm and are open to the public.
http://www.broughtyferrycommunitycouncil.org/

Report to January 2014 Meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council

On Tuesday night 7 January, I attended the monthly meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council. Here are some extracts from my report to the Community Council:

Dog Poo in Dawson Park 
Following complaints from a junior football club about dog poo on Sports Pitches in Dawson Park which they rent from the city council, I have requested more vigilance by the dog wardens in the park. Link to more about this issue.

Illuminated Signs in Brook Street
I followed up a constituent complaint about illuminated advertising panels attached to bus shelters in Brook Street outside Marks and Spencer. The planning department clarified that permission was granted for this and other illuminated panels on bus shelters in The Ferry in August 2007 under delegated powers to planners. Link to full posting about this.

Scottish Water
Following comments at the Community Council's December meeting, I sought clarification on the timescale for undertaking work on the intermittently leaking sewer under the beach near Douglas Terrace.

I also followed up the complaint made by Community Councillor David Hewick about the most recent flooding at Cedar Road. It is clear that Scottish Water's investment plans will need to be modified in order to put in place the upgrading of the capacity to main drainage in order to mitigate the flooding and sewage spillage coming up through the drains. Link to more about this issue.

Bett Homes and Dundee City Council
In December, I was pleased to see the resolution of a near 50 year old ownership anomaly that affected twelve driveways in Falkland Crescent. Bett Homes funded the upgrading of the portion of householder's driveways that runs over grass margins to the roadside. The City Council have now adopted the driveways. Link to more about this issue.

Forthill Primary School
In mid December a man was knocked down at the end of Marlee Road in Broughty Ferry. An ambulance was called and took the person involved  to Ninewells hospital. This occurred close to the leaving time for pupils at the nearby Forthill Primary School. I have informed Police Scotland in Dundee and Neil Gellatly from Transportation about this to ensure the incident is logged. Link to more about this issue.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) in the Community Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2HN. Community Council meetings begin at 7pm and are open to the public. 

Report to Broughty Ferry Community Council December 2013 Meeting

On Tuesday night 3 December 2013, I attended the monthly meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council. 

Here some extracts from my report to the Community Council:

Damaged Stone Wall Corner of Bughties and Camphill Roads
A stone wall at the corner of Bughties and Camphill Road was damaged by a vehicle crashing into it during the early autumn. A resident had contacted me to express concern that if this wall was not repaired soon the weather might get into the wall. I contacted Gary Knox, the Council's Conservation Officer, who contacted the relevant Planning Officer who has reassured me that the owners of the wall are pursuing an insurance claim and hope the wall be repaired soon..

Barnhill Primary School
The steel frame for the extension has now been erected providing a clearer illustration of the external dimensions of the extesnion currently under construction. 

I have asked the Director of Education to investigate plans that seem to indicate that the changing rooms for the new Games Hall will neither have wash hand brains nor toilets. This does not seem right.

Barnhill Primary school has insufficient storage racks for scooters and bicycles, for the children who scoot or cycle to school, I have asked the Director of Education whether any potential underspend in the contract for the extension of the school can be used for installing more bike and scooter racks.

Eastern Primary School/Grove Academy
After meeting of the School Parking and Pupil Safety working group and a further meeting with the Head of Transportation, Neil Gellatly. I can report that his engineers are investigating the feasibility of installing a lights controlled crossing on Queen Street close to its junction with Church Street.

Dundee Port Authority
I have mentioned previously (to the Community Council) the potential proposals for the expansion of port land from the Stannergate towards Broughty Ferry. In an article in the local press this week, the Manager of the Dundee Port indicated that this was to be pursued.

Changing Policy for School Placing Requests for Session from 2015/16
The Director of Education has produced a report to the Education Committee on Monday 9 December 2013 asking for permission to consult citywide on changing the policy for Placing Requests for schools with effect from school session 2015/16. A consultation meeting about this has been arranged at Grove Academy on Monday 3 February 2014.


Broughty Ferry Community Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month(excluding August and January) in the Community Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2HN. Community Council meetings begin at 7pm and are open to the public.

Blue Plaque Scheme for Broughty Ferry?

Folk who walk along the coastal pathway near the end of Douglas Terrace may have noticed a blue plaque on the front of the cottage overlooking the wee triangle of open space.

On closer inspection, it is clear that this plaque celebrates the infamous Bob Servant who apparently lived there. Of course, those of us who enjoyed seeing the Bob Servant series on BBC TV will recognise the location from the distinctive extension on the side of the house.

This plaque got me thinking that there must be many famous and some infamous people in the history of The Ferry who might merit an official Blue Plaque. Furthermore, a Blue Plaque scheme might also add to the visitor appeal of Broughty Ferry.

I have already discussed this with Broughty Ferry Development Trust at their recent AGM and with some members of the Community Council. The idea was well received but needs a sponsoring organisation that might take it on and both the Community Council and the Development Trust have their hands full at the moment. I intend to take it up next with Dundee Civic Trust.

I would also like to hear from any organisation that might might be interested in taking this on.

Email laurie.bidwell@dundeecity.gov.uk

Report to the October Meeting of the Broughty Ferry Community Council

Changes to Licensing Hours 
As fellow Community Councillors know, I have encouraged the Community Council to respond to the parallel consultations held over the summer into proposals to extend licensing hours for the sale of alcohol in pubs and clubs and the sale of takeaway food.

On Monday 16 September the Licensing Board (I am not a member of the Licensing Board) approved longer and later weekend licensing hours for the ‘on’ sales of alcohol. In the Licensing Committee (of which I am a member) later that morning, the Committee agreed to revised opening hours for hot food takeaways in the City Centre. This committee agreed however to defer a decision on opening hours outside the city centre. This will be reconsidered at the Licensing Committee on Thursday 3 October. Under the Councillor’s Code of Conduct, I will not be making up my mind about how to respond to this issue until I have heard and read all the evidence submitted at the Licensing Committee meeting.

Road Safety at Barnhill Primary School
Following the long term absence of the Barnhill PS Crossing Patroller who is stationed at the junction of Falkland Crescent with Balgillo Road parents were concerned to find that there was no cover from the Council nor Police Scotland. This also applied to year long lack of a Patroller at the junction of Wyvis Road and Balgillo Road. Council officers have agreed to priorititise two appointments for Barnhill following the recent selection interviews. The Director of Transportation is also investigating putting up Slow Children crossing signs on Balgillo Road because to the speed of the traffic.

Eastern Primary School Parking & Pupil Safety Issues
I followed up the issues raised at the last meeting by Vice Chair, Stan Nutt, about parking and pupil safety issues around Eastern Primary School in the vicinity of the main entance to the school and shared vehicular access driveway to Stan and his neigbours’ homes. The Head Teacher is having a meeting with Neil Gellatly to try to resolve some of these related issues. One of the practical issues affecting the management of the school is the necessity for the head teacher to attend meetings in other locations in the city and yet currently does not have a reserved place close to the school when she returns.

Scottish Water – Replacement Sewer Junction
The replacement of the leaking concrete sewer junction partly buried under the beach was nudged forward by the City Development Committee. At out meeting ten days ago the Council approved Scottish Water’s application to dig up the sea bed at the location close to Douglas Terrace.

Advertising in a Conservation Area
As a supplement to the updating the Conservation Area Plan for central Broughty Ferry (and other Conservation areas), the planning department are developing a policy which would provide a greater measure of control over advertising on buildings in the Conservation Area.

Bins
Following my request, on behalf of the Ferryfields Residents Association, additional dog poo bins have been installed in and around the Ferryfields estate.

The Environment Department have agreed to provide a larger capacity rubbish bin on Grassy Beach close to the Royal Tay Yacht Club premises as the current smaller bin is often overflowing.

Vandalism in Barnhill and Brook Street
After a relatively quieter time on the vandalism front, it would appear that there is another spate of such incidents following a series of graffiti tags in Barnhill late last Thursday night and in the early hours of Friday morning.

On Monday of this week, I reported the vandalised cycle rack outside Greggs on Brook Street. When I reported this to the Police, I asked that they refer to recorded CCTV footage to try to identify the culprits over the weekend. Council Officers I contacted have confirmed they will arrange for the removal of the broken cycle rack and then subsequently a replacement that matches the remainder of the street furniture. 

Broughty Ferry Community Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) in the Community Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2HN. Community Council meetings begin at 7pm and are open to the public.

Broughty Ferry Community Council Meeting 2 July 2013

On Tuesday night 2 July, I attended the monthly meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council. 

Here are some extracts from my report to the Community Council:

Reduction in Support for Learning Teachers at Grove Academy 
In a recent review of the number of Support for Learning Posts in every Dundee School, Grove Academy had its allocation of Support for Learning teachers reduced with effect from August 2013. The Support for Learning staffing levels at Grove for 2012/13 was 5.8 teachers and the allocation for 2013/14 is 4 posts. This comes into effect at a time when the school's roll is growing and the number of children entering our schools with additional support needs is increasing.

Scottish Water Short Term Repair to Leak near Douglas Terrace
On Monday 24 June Scottish Water repaired the leak to the sewage pipe on the stony beach close to to the Douglas Terrace end of the coastal pathway. Given the history of difficulties with this particular stretch of sewer, it is important that the pipe and the concrete junction buried in the beach is replaced. When Scottish Water briefed me about the long term replacement last November, they had predicted they needed a period of 6-8 months for undertaking the preparatory work. I have written to Scottish Water again to seek assurances that they plan to do this work before the winter.

Licensing Board and Licensing Committee Consultations
The Council's Licensing Board and the Licensing Committee are both undertaking consultations over the summer. For clarification, the Licensing Board deals with liquor licensing matters and the Licensing Committee deals with almost all other licenses including takeaway food, houses in multiple occupation and taxis and taxi drivers. In addition to the consultation from the Licensing Board about  amending its existing policy on trading hours for On-Sale Premises Licences granted under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, I wanted to give you notice that the Licensing Committee will also be consulting the Community Council about the licensing hours for take away restaurants including those hours that might operate outside the city centre in locations such as central Broughty Ferry. 

Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership Survey
There is also a community survey on alcohol survey being undertaken under the auspices of the Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership. The aim of their survey is to gauge community views on alcohol availability and get a sense of the factors that influence alcohol purchasing locally along with other associated attitudes in Dundee. Any member of the public can complete this survey online up to and including 31st July 2013.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) in the Community Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2HN.
Community Council meetings begin at 7pm and are open to the public.

Completion of Improvements at Broughty Ferry Station

I am pleased to be notified that the improvements at the Railway Station in Broughty Ferry are coming to an end and the vacant space on the down platform is now ready to let to a restaurant business.

This bring to a close a series of improvements that many residents in Broughty Ferry have come to appreciate. The historic former signal box has been restored and erected next to the down platform and the former unused waiting rooms remodeled to make space for a restaurant at the station. Thanks in no small part should go to David Hewick of the Community Council, who so persistently kept asking about the future of the old signal box after it had been dismantled. 

But the improvements have not just been about making the station look good. Importantly the number of stopping train services have increased, including services on Sundays, a special timetable has been issued and distributed in Broughty Ferry and passenger information screens have been erected on the platforms. More recently, following MSP Jenny Marra's Tay Train Tax campaign, which the Courier championed, some ticket prices from our station have been reduced too. Not surprisingly, this has meant that many more folk are letting the Broughty Ferry train take the strain.

Looking to the future, I think we deserve an hourly stopping service. I hope the Scottish Government will have included that in the forthcoming new rail franchise. We also need an automated ticket vending machine.

Broughty Ferry Community Council May Meeting

Here is a copy of my report to the May meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council:

• I  have called for another initiative to stabilise the sand dunes adjacent to The Esplanade between the car park by Castle Green and junction with Panmure Street. The recent high winds have deposited tons of sand on the dunes and the existing fencing to help stabilise the dunes and restrict entry points to the beach is damaged and unserviceable.

• I have welcomed the cheaper rail fares that will be available from Broughty Ferry with effect from 19 May 2013. Over 1500 "split ticketing" inconsistencies throughout Scotland will end thanks to a £2.28 million grant from Transport Scotland.

• I have welcomed the very positive reports arising from the HMI inspections of Grove Academy and Community Learning in the Grove Cluster. The Head Teacher and our Communities' Officer deserve our commendation too.

• I have called for the upgrading of the triangle of open space on Douglas Terrace by the beginning of the coastal walkway where the contractor doing the upgrading of the walkway has been storing their equipment and building materials. Now it is due to be vacated by Kilmac, the contractors, the flower beds need replanting, the ruts need filling in and the grass needs to be cut.

• I have asked for a crackdown on those that leave their litter on the streets and do not clean up after their dogs. There seems to be an absence of any on the spot fines for these offences in The Ferry.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) in the Community Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2HN. Community Council meetings begin at 7pm and are open to the public.

Proposed Dundee Tourism Strategy and Broughty Ferry

On Monday, Councillors will be asked to approve a Tourism Action Plan for the Council. As a Ferry Councillor, I have been looking at where Broughty Ferry fits into this.

Broughty Ferry is mentioned twice in the twenty page report. Firstly, the report acknowledges that in addition to the city centre and the waterfront developments there are other destinations to be promoted: 
"Dundee also has some key locations which are likely to be of interest and could be packaged as visitor attractions in their own right – examples of this would include Broughty Ferry and also West End or Cultural Quarter."

And when it comes to recommendations and actions:
"Identify key geographies in terms of specific areas within the city which can be packaged as a visitor destination within the city.
Lead Department –
• Activities
- Consider the added value to packaging areas together in relation to tourism offer i.e. Broughty Ferry, West End/Cultural quarter and develop marketing information
• Measures
- Additional visitors to areas identified
• Timescale – Ongoing

I know that Broughty Ferry Traders, the Community Council and the Broughty Ferry Development Trust would all welcome better promotion of Broughty Ferry as a destination. Currently, Visit Scotland's offering on their website leaves a lot to be desired as their information is out of date and incomplete. And measuring success of this proposed Tourism Action Plan by increases in visitor numbers to The Ferry would be a fair and acid test.

Wefare Reform - How Will It Affect You? April Meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council Tues 2 April 2013 7pm

Click on image to enlarge

The  next meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council will be devoted to exploring the implications of Welfare Reform.

Speakers will inform and engage in discussions about the effects of Welfare Reform on the incomes of people in our community.

Over the next few years there will be a series of fundamental changes to benefits that taken together will amount to the largest shake of since the Beveridge Report in 1942. Some of these changes will begin on Monday 1st April.

These include the move towards online application only for many welfare benefits, monthly rather than fortnightly payments, payments to bank accounts, and the imposition of the 'bedroom tax' on council and housing association tenants whose homes are now calculated to have spare bedrooms.

The meeting will be held in the Broughty Ferry Library on Tuesday 2nd April beginning at 7pm. 

Broughty Ferry Community Council meets in the Library on Queen Street on the first Tuesday of each month except August. Its meetings begin at 7pm and conclude by 8:45pm.

Report to Broughty Ferry Community Council March 2013 Meeting

On Tuesday night 5 March, I attended the monthly meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council. 

Here some extracts from my report to the Community Council:

Parking Issues Beach Crescent
Constituents had complained to me about the lack of access to parking in Beach Crescent for residents and visitors. They were also concerned about the parking of commercial vehicles, mainly vans, which they thought had outstayed their welcome. The Transport Directorate of the Council had responded promptly and had agreed to direct one of the parking attendants to check out cars and vans parked for lengthy periods along Beach Crescent. They had also informed me that in the coming months they will be reviewing the Parking Restrictions around Broughty Ferry including consideration of introducing limited waiting parking restrictions for Beach Crescent to encourage day time turnover of spaces which would assist the local businesses, whilst leaving parking overnight for residents' use. Any recommendations about additional parking restrictions will be subject to consultation.

Pilot Pier  
A resident had previously complained to me that the chain link barrier at the Pilot Pier had been left unlocked and opportunistically cars and vans had been parking there. I initially approached the Environment Department. They helpfully redirected my enquiry to Economic Development who are responsible for securing the pier. The chain and padlock has been replaced and the pier re-secured. 

Review of Bus Shelters
The City Council is in the process of reviewing the position of the bus shelters following significant bus route changes over the last two years. If members of the Community Council or the public want to nominate any locations where they think a bus shelter would be needed, they should contact me.

Out of School Clubs Opening Hours Affected by Walk to Rule
A reduction in the casual car user rate for staff travel was introduced in the recent Budget 2013/14. Consequently, some staff have decided to not make their private car available at work. As a result they are walking or using public transport between work locations. At the end of last week, in some parts of the Ferry it was reported that Facilities Staff  for Primary Schools, (Janitors) who now look after a cluster of primary schools made their point by walking between schools. This meant that the Forthill Out of School Club opened half an hour later than usual causing inconvenience to parents and carers, pupils and staff. I hope the SNP led Administration of the Council will sort out the mess they have caused by unilaterally reducing the hitherto nationally agreed rates for casual car mileage.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month (excluding August) in the Community Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2HN. Community Council meetings begin at 7pm and are open to the public.

Broughty Ferry Community Council Meeting February 2013

Last night I attended the regular monthly meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council. Each month there is an opportunity for elected members to report to the Community Council. 

Here is a summary of my report which covers some of the issues I have worked on since the last meeting in early December.

Coastal walkway
The work on the contract to upgrade the last section of the coastal pathway has been progressing more slowly than anticipated because of extreme weather restricting access to the beach. From later this week, the contractor is expecting to be working from both the Douglas Terrace and Grassy Beach ends pouring concrete. The contractors have been maintaining a narrowed pathway for pedestrians while the work is ongoing. Last week, because of the very high tides, the coastal pathway was temporarily closed. During this period of closure, pedestrians were using the connecting path between Grassy Beach and Beach Lane using the the railway footbridge and a connecting pathway. The surface of this pathway was extremely muddy and slippery. After complaints from residents, I contacted the Transport and Environment Departments. This week work has started on the section of muddy path to scrape off the surface and lay some grit to improve the underfoot conditions.

Council Budget
On Thursday afternoon 14 February, the Policy and Resources Committee will convene for the City Council's annual budget meeting. In relation to 'savings' or 'cuts' identified in the budget and affecting residents in Broughty Ferry, I draw attention to the following:

• Grove Academy - Larger Classes for S1/2 English and MathsAt Grove Academy and four other Secondary Schools in the city, Maths and English S1 and S2 classes with an average of 20 pupils will be cut and replaced by standard class sizes with up to a maximum of 33 pupils. According to a report Grove Parent Council last week, Grove will lose 2.4 Maths and English teachers. Over the last 8 years, when these smaller classes have been in place. pupils' examination grades in core examination subjects like Maths and English has markedly improved;
• 5% across the board cut in funding for non council social welfare organisations and services and
• Shoppers 'friendly bus' for sheltered housing residents is to be withdrawn. 

I also reported that the Labour group on the Council are currently finalising their alternative proposals for the budget meeting.

Anton Drive Retaining Wall
Work will be starting soon on rebuilding the retaining wall in Anton Drive.

Broughty Community Council December Meeting

Last night I attended the regular monthly meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council. Each month there is an opportunity for elected members to report to the Community Council. Here is a summary of my report which covers October and November as there was no time for these reports at the November meeting.

Permanent Repair to Sewage Pipe Under the Beach
In early November I had a meeting with Scottish Water and Violia about their making a permanent repair to the  leaking sewage pipe under the beach now that their temporary repair appears to be effective. They have committed to a comprehensive repair following an options appraisal and gaining the necessary permissions. The likely timescale for the permanent repair is 6-8 months.

Coastal Flood Risk and Protection
In November Councillors have had a briefing from staff from the City Development Department, SEPA and consultants who had undertaken a study on rising sea levels and coastal flooding. This will be going to Committee in February or March. Over the next few year there will be a process of selecting priority works to enhance coastal protection with some potential funding from the Scottish Government.

Coastal Walkway
On Monday, preparations on site have begun on the contract to upgrade the last section of the raised walkway between Grassy Beach and Douglas Terrace.

Biomass Plant

The Environment Department have recently confirmed that they are having a meeting later this month with Forth Energy (Scottish Power and Forth Ports Partnership) to hear an update about the air quality assessment in connection with the Biomass Planning Application. This assessment is be published by the section of the Scottish Government dealing with the assessment of the proposed biomass power plants in due course.

Anton Drive Retaining Wall

On Monday the contract for the building of the replacement retaining wall in Anton Drive is coming up for approval at a cost just exceeding £94,144. The proposed new wall will be built beside the current wall using modular timber crib blocks by PHI Group. 

Broughty Ferry Community Council meet in the Library on Queen Street on the first Tuesday of each month except August. Its meetings begin at 7pm and conclude by 8:45pm. As Tuesday 1st January is a public holiday, the next meeting of the Community Council will be held on Tuesday 5 February 2013.

ScotRail Fail to Reassure Passengers from Broughty Ferry About Fair Fares

At the Broughty Ferry Library on Tuesday 6 November, John Yellowlees

the External Relations Manager of First ScotRail talked to members of the Community Council and the public about the development of train services at our station. In response to two questions I had posed, which he was unable to answer on the night, he emailed the Secretary of the Community Council with his responses. 

I had first put to John Yellowlees a question about higher fares from Broughty Ferry which a constituent had raised with me. The fact is that in some instances the return fare from Dundee to Aberdeen is £4.20 cheaper than the equivalent but slightly shorter return journey to Aberdeen from Broughty Ferry. In fact when I inquired about this at the ticket office at Dundee Station, I was advised to buy a cheaper return ticket from Dundee and get on at Broughty Ferry. John Yellowlees replied:

"We have two levels of Advance fare. The lower of the two is available only on a small number of high demand flows where such deep discounting is viable. The higher level of Advance will be the same or similar for both stations." (Broughty Ferry and Dundee)

My second question was about under counting  of rail users journeys to and from Broughty Ferry if they were buying tickets to and from Dundee, and the potential effect on future investment. John Yellowlees didn't answer my question but warned:

"On the risk of undercounting, if passengers use a Dundee ticket to travel from Broughty Ferry, then they are liable to purchase a new ticket as it would not be valid."

I think it's nonsense to not make Broughty Ferry fares equivalent to the best fares to and from Dundee. It is disappointing to hear that ScotRail is not committed to look into these anomalies and sort these out. Even worse we are told that passengers that follow the advice of ScotRail staff at the booking office in Dundee might be penalised and have to buy another ticket if they are caught getting on at Broughty Ferry with a ticket from Dundee. This is Alice in Wonderland stuff.

I think that ScotRail should sort this out. 

On their website ScotRail claim that:
"Providing a safe and reliable service and continuous improvement to performance levels remain at the top of our agenda. We will continue to provide value for money services and to invest in train refurbishments leading to improve reliability and station enhancements to ensure a safer and more comfortable environment." 
I think some of their fare paying passengers in Broughty Ferry may be doubtful about the commitment of ScotRail to live up to these bold claims.

Agenda for Broughty Ferry Community Council Meeting Tuesday 6 November 2012 7pm

At the next meeting of the Broughty Ferry Community Council on Tuesday 6 November, there will be an opportunity to find out more about two important local issues:

Future Development of Train Services at Broughty Ferry Station



and

The proposed City Council's Draft Development Plan for Dundee October 2012 which has just been issued for public consultation.

A representative from First ScotRail and two senior Planners from the Council will be present at the meeting to brief members of the public and the Community Councillors about their respective issues.

Broughty Ferry Community Council Meeting 

Tuesday 6 November 2012 beginning at 7pm

Broughty Ferry Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry DD5 2HN

Cedar Road Flooding Demonstrates That Ferry Drains Can't Cope Again

After the heavy rain yesterday (Friday 12 October), Cedar Road in the Ferry has been flooded again at its junction with Forthill Road.

This was brought to my attention by Community Councillor David Hewick, who passed on his photographs and observations to me.

He is concerned not only about the temporary inconvenience of large pools of water obstructing the roads and pathways but also the unhealthy side-effects. More specifically, he is rightly concerned about effect of raw sewage being washed out of the sewers. When the water level subsides, unpleasant residues are left on the road and pavement.

David and I have contacted Scottish Water about this and asked them to organise a clean up.

I think this regular flooding of Cedar Road, is also indicative of overloaded sewers in this part of Broughty Ferry. This is part of the infrastructure in Broughty Ferry that needs to keep pace with new housing developments.