Anton Drive Residents Impatient for Replacement Retaining Wall

In early July, following torrential rain, the City Engineer decided that the weight of water above a retaining wall in Anton Drive was potentially in danger of collapse and was to be fenced off as a precautionary measure. As this retaining wall was built on Council land managed by the Housing Department, it turned out to be the responsibility of the Housing Department to fix. 

At the same time, following my request, a commitment was given to Ferry Councillors and the residents of Anton Drive that we would all be involved in examining an appraisal of different ways of replacing the wall. Two options had been identified; either rebuilding the wall with a better construction than the wall that is being pushed over or re-landscaping the bottom of the slope with the loss of the existing pathway. 

The residents in Anton Drive are concerned that no discernible progress has been made ten weeks after this announcement. In the meanwhile, the residents of Anton Drive have had the usable width of their road reduced by the safety fencing. This has led apparently to their parked cars being damaged by passing vehicles such as bin lorries with several residents either losing wing mirrors or having paintwork on their cars damaged.

I have written to the City Engineer and his colleague in the Housing Department as well as the Housing Convener, Councillor Black to ask them to hurry things up.

Shortage of Places at Dundee College

Figures released recently by Dundee College demonstrate a significant shortfall between the number of places at the College and the number of applicants. 

At the same tine that youth unemployment is at record levels in our city, we can see that a place at Dundee College is also subject to stiff competition; 8932 applicants chasing 3812 places.

Dundee College

Number of applications - 19087 

Numbers of individuals applying - 8932
(note many applicants apply for more than one course)

Number of places - 3812 

(figures supplied by Dundee College)

It must be very disheartening to get knock backs from employers and then find you are also rebuffed when you try to improve your qualifications at college because there is such a shortage of places. 

In the last two years the Scottish Government has cut the teaching budgets of Further Education Colleges by 10% each year with two more years of similar cuts scheduled. That has led to the number of College lecturing staff being reduced by more than 1800 across Scotland. This reduction in staff reduces the capacity of Colleges to provide places. It means that too many young people who want to get the qualifications that would help them into jobs are being denied the chance.

In a recession, we need to invest more not less in training and education so that when the upturn comes we have adults ready and well qualified to take their place in the workplaces that are expanding. We must not give up on our school leavers and aspiring adult learners. I hope the Scottish Government reverse their cuts in the budgets of further education colleges and pay for more places. We can't afford another lost generation.

Good and Bad News from Scotrail for Train Services from Broughty Ferry Station

There was good and bad news about the rail services to and from Broughty Ferry station earlier this week. Would you like the good or bad news first?

Last September, I welcomed the announcement about improvements to the schedule of trains that were to be stopping at Broughty Ferry Station when the then new national rail timetable was coming into force on Sunday 11 December 2011. This included four more trains a day going south and three more trains a day heading north. These improvements were introduced on a pilot basis to be evaluated in 2012.

The good news is that from Sunday 9 December 2012, one further train a day will stop at Broughty Ferry in both directions. This afternoon service will help fill one of the gaps in the current timetable.

The bad news is that ScotlRail will not be delivering an hourly timetable of stopping trains at Broughty Ferry on the Aberdeen to Glasgow and Glasgow to Aberdeen route. There will continue to be long gaps between services and it will remain difficult, if not impossible to commute into Dundee from The Ferry unless you have unusual working hours.

I have been saving this for last. The best news is most definitely that the pilot programme of improved stopping trains at Broughty Ferry has been judged a success on the basis of growing passenger numbers. So our rail services in The Ferry are no longer a pilot programme. In other words, we are no longer under threat of returning to a station with virtually no train services. For that we have to thank all those passengers who have voted with their feet and let the train take the strain.

Finally, I shall continue to press for a comprehensive timetable of stopping trains at our station. This makes sense environmentally and practically.

Commenting on Two Pupils at Forthill Primary School Hit By Car at Crossing with Patroller

It has been reported in The Courier that earlier this week two young pupils were hit by a car as they crossed Nursery Road on their way to Forthill Primary School. They were apparently crossing with the help and protection of a School Crossing Patroller:

The children's father was reported in the Courier saying: ''It was horrifying — I just watched as it happened. I feared the worst.''
The Courier Reporter added: "Forthill Primary pupils Jodi (8) and sister Charli Ewing (5) were lucky to escape serious injury in the accident with a black Fiat Panda as they walked hand-in-hand across Nursery Road .... Happily, both girls escaped serious harm and did not require hospital treatment. They were recovering at home in Broughty Ferry and are already looking forward to returning to school. The accident is under police investigation."

I am very relieved to learn that the two young pupils who were hit by a car, were not badly injured and will soon be back at school. 

I am member of the School Parking and Pupil Safety Working Group established by The Council in response to a range of concerns raised by parents and Councillors like me about pupil safety in and around our schools. As part of the work of that group, I have visited a number of Primary Schools including Forthill, to see the drop offs in the morning or the pick ups in the evening.

In meeting with parents at school gates, I have heard many stories about car drivers ignoring School Crossing Patrollers with their distinctive 'lollipops' and by so doing putting young lives and the lives of the patrollers at risk. 

I appeal to drivers to take particular care in the vicinity of our schools and slow down when they see the flashing road signs warning of schools ahead and obey the School Crossing Patrollers when they hold up the traffic for our children to cross. No driver wants to have to live with the guilt of maiming or killing a child on their conscience for the rest of their lives.

Home Scotland AGM at the McManus Museum and Art Gallery 13 September 2012

Presenting the prize to the winner of the
Best Kept Garden Competition.

Last night I was reporting to the Annual General Meeting of Home Scotland (Housing Association) members in Dundee. This meeting was held in the McManus Galleries and was well attended by members from Dundee, staff of the Association and folk with an interest in social housing and the work of our housing association in Dundee.

The year 2011 to 2012 has been a busy one for the Dundee Area Committee. We have had 8 meetings, been on an 'away day' in the training room of the new Visitor Centre in Camperdown Park and also taken an active part in discussions with members of the other three Area Committees in Scotland.

Our principal achievements as an Area Committee have been:

• Commenting on and monitoring key changes in the Home family of organisations as these affect our tenants/customers in Dundee;
• Keeping in touch with wider developments in the Home Group and shaping new developments by having members of our committee on the Board of Home Scotland and the National Customer Panel;
• Following up issues that committee members bring to the Area Committee;
• Interviewing key staff from Seddons before endorsing them as single maintenance and repairs contractor for Scotland;
• Holding three consultations with customers/tenants in Blackness Sheltered Housing, Whorterbank and Whitfield;
• Developing links between Criminal Justice in Dundee and our Maintenance Manager so that in future some of our neighbourhoods can be benefit from work by offenders on Community Payback Orders;
• Continuing running the Cleghorn Charitable Trust which provides small grants for basic furnishings for customers/tenants moving into their new home;
• Exploring ways to cut the energy bills of customers/tenants;
• Monitoring the performance of the new UK call centre for Home Group and the new repairs contractor for Scotland and
• Meeting members of the North East England Regional Viewpoint Committee in Durham to see at first hand what their new structure might offer.

Overall it was a very constructive evening with a number of members expressing interest in joining us on the Area Committee.

Loose Stone on Bridge Parapet is Reported to City Engineer

A large stone on the Fort Street railway bridge in Broughty Ferry has worked loose. Its an ornamental and heavy stone on the end of the bridge parapet at the junction of Fort Street, Brook Street and Erskine Lane. 

This is the slab of stone to which the Fort Street sign is fixed and which can be clearly seem in the photograph. Looking closely you can see that it's slightly skewed because it can swivel round on the wall below.

I have reported this to the City Engineer because I think it is a potential hazard.   

Integration of Adult Health and Community Care - Council's Response to Scottish Government

At the meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday evening 10 September 2012, Councillors were asked to approve a draft response to the Scottish Government in relation to their consultation on The Integration of Adult Health and Community Care.

Here is what I said while asking a series of questions about gaps in the draft consultation responses from the Council.

"Convener, (Councillor Ken Guild also a Ferry Councillor) the problems of lack of integration of the planning and delivery of social care services have long been identified. From the point of view of many elderly constituents in Dundee, combining health and social work services currently funded and managed by local authorities and The National Health Service so that they provide a seamless service seems desirable. But the devil will be in the detail. 

Like the drafters of this report, I have concerns that democratic accountability to our council will be weakened without a wide range of elected member involvement in the new Health and Social Care Partnerships.  

Convener, we are both local Councillors with a high proportion of older people in our constituency whose services will be affected by this proposed integration. I think our position, as Councillors, to intervene and influence those responsible when one of our constituents has a dispute about their integrated care looks as though it would be weakened and diminished. In order that this is not another example of remote and distant authority, I would have preferred if we had followed the Policing example and had reporting of the planning and performance of the Integrated Health and Community Care direct to this Policy and Resources Committee. In addition I would urge that in our Council's response  question 6 (in the consultation) should be answered directly by saying that we are not in favour of a Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership combined with other local authority boundaries."

The Committee agreed to accept my proposal about responding to question 6 and senior Social Work officers agreed with my analysis about the potential negative effects of a lack of democratic accountability.

Broughty Ferry Education and Recreation Association Grant Approved

At the meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee last night, Councillors approved a grant of £2850 to Broughty Ferry Education and Recreation Association (BERA) who organise the annual programme of evening classes in The Ferry. The BERA committee, all volunteers, have been organising these classes for over 30 years. 

The investment of the grant and support to BERA from the Adult Learning staff of the Council is much appreciated by BERA and I think is a good investment. Last year BERA provided over 1500 places in their classes in a wide variety of subjects and what's more paid more than twice the value of this grant back to the Council in rental payments for the use of school premises for their classes.


BERA's new programme of classes is already underway for the Autumn term at Grove Academy and Forthill Primary School. If you want to find out if there is a still a place in one of their classes email BERA info@beradundee.org.uk and refer to the details on their website www.beradundee.org.uk

Dundee Cyclathon Success 2012

Registration in Camperdown Park

Yesterday I took part in the Dundee Cyclathon organised by Claverhouse Rotary Club. The cyclathon uses the Dundee Green Circular route with a start and finish in Camperdown Park. The event encourages fund raising for the Caring for Kids charity or for the self-nominated charity of an individual or teams of entrants. The Cyclathon is not a race and includes cyclists of varying ages and abilities.

This year I registered a team, 'Bidwell Bikers' raising money for Tushinde Children's Trust that supports the education and nutrition of children living in the sprawling Mathare slums in Nairobi.  I had signed up my two daughters to cycle and attract sponsorship with me. My older daughter badly sprained her ankle and so had to withdraw from the event. Her place was taken by a neighbour.

As well as enjoying a pleasant bike ride round the circuit and collecting our medals at the end, we have already raised over £250 and there's more to come in from folk who have committed to support us and from whom we now need to collect the cash.

As a Councillor, it was also interesting for me to do the rounds because some improvements to the Green Circular route have been proposed in a report that is being considered by the Environment Committee later today. As I have cycled round the route the day before the meeting, I think that will give what I have to say some additional credibility.

One early observation is that the frequency and positioning of Green Circular way markers is inadequate and that does need to improve. 

Another observation, is that our Environment Department staff have worked really hard to bring the Green Circular route up to scratch for this event and the general public at other times.

A good day out on two wheels.

Barnhill Stretch of Pavement in Urgent Need of Resufacing

A constituent in Camphill Road has complained to me about the very poor state of a section of pavement in her home area. It is in fact stretching a point to refer to this pathway as a pavement. The pathway in question is at the beginning of Abertay Street on the western side of the road between Campfield Square shops and Camphill Road.

My constituent finds that the potholes and unevenness in the surface on this short stretch of pathway makes it impossible for her grand daughter to push her wee dolls pram round to the shops. Furthermore, the sharp exposed chunks of gravel are very hard on the feet of adults and children. They are also very punishing on the knees and hands of those, young and old, who are unsteady on their feet and fall over onto the gravel.

The picture shows both some of the holes in the path as well as the coarse and sharp exposed gravel on the surface of the path. This coarse and angular gravel is probably more exposed now that some of the finer particles has been dispersed by the wind and rain over the years.

I have written to the City Development Department to request an urgent resurfacing of this short section of pathway. It would be good if the Council could make this rough section of path into a bona fide pavement.

Drainage Improvements Completed on Coastal Pathway

New drainage channel to catch water
seeping from the wall.

Yesterday afternoon, I walked along the coastal pathway from Douglas Terrace to the Stannergate. 

Just beyond the Grassy Beach Centre, on the raised section of the pathway, the building work to create better underfoot conditions has been completed.

A new drainage channel has been installed which catches the water seeping from the wall above and then takes this to a new drain.

Further down the slope on the seaward side of the path, a additional drain has also been installed so that any surface rain water does not collect and form a pool.

New drain to disperse surface water.

I trust this satisfactorily reduces the likelihood of poor underfoot conditions at this spot, which some of my constituents had complained about at the end of July.

I think this represents a comprehensive and very satisfactory response from the Environment Department, whom I first approached about this.

Baldragon Academy Pupils Feature in CBBC Newsround Special Tonight

Pupils from Baldragon Academy feature in a CBBC Newsround Special which was broadcast at 5pm tonight. 

This programme, called Starting secondary school: Up and Away is about the transitions from Primary to Secondary School. It was timed to coincide with children in England starting back to school. 

The programme begins with testimony from a series of pupils with additional support needs as they anticipate and then reflect back on their first few days at Secondary School.

The pupils from Baldragon are featured in a short sequence at the beginning and in the last few minutes of the programme making it clear that all children have concerns prior to moving up to Secondary School.

The whole programme delivers the positive message that there's no need to be scared about the the big move up to Secondary school.

"It was really good to see and hear from pupils at Baldragon Academy talking confidently about their experience of moving up to their Secondary School. They reflect that their prior worries about the big move were unnecessary. Clearly these pupils have settled into life at their new school in just a few weeks. I congratulate Baldragon pupils and teachers for managing the transition so well."

You can catch up with the programme for the next week on BBC iPlayer.

Panmurefield Residents Left in the Dark

Residents in Panmurefield Village have contacted me to complain that they have been left in the 'dark'.

A recent replacement of street lighting bulbs in Lawers Drive has left road users worse not better off. Motorists and pedestrians have found the replacement lamps don't have the same luminosity. While the new lamps may reduce the Council's energy bills, the illumination of our streets and the safety of residents has been compromised.

I  have written to the staff in the Transport section of City Development to seek clarification of the extent of this new programme of 'upgrading' and to put a temporary stop on any further such work in The Ferry. I have also requested that work is undertaken to get the residents back to square one before the nights draw in.

Panmurefield Environmental Issues Reported

Following up a complaint from a constituent, I took my dog for a walk in the public open space between Panmurefield Village and Balgillo Road. 

This valuable corridor of land sits either side of the Dighty Water. The major pathway running along the North bank is a section of the Dundee Green Circular.

My picture, bottom left, shows two public benches near the section of the Green Circular close to the Seven Arches bridge which have been almost overwhelmed by the growth of weeds including Giant Hogweed. I have reported this to the Environment Department.

The main section of the pathway which runs above the benches (and is out of view) seems to be poorly drained and is prone to water pooling and consequently gets muddy. I have also reported this and requested this stretch of the Green Circular is added to the programme of upgrading works to the surface of the route which is ongoing. 

Broughty Ferry Community Council September Meeting

Last night I attended the September meeting of the Broughty Ferry Community Council who meet in the Broughty Ferry Library.

One of the regular items on the agenda is reports from elected members.

Here are some extracts from my report, which I read out at the meeting of the Community Council: 

• I have been working with the Environment Department on issues raised about the coastal walkway/cyclepath between the Stannergate and Douglas Terrrace.
• Work is well advanced to improve the drainage on the raised sections of the path west of the Dundee Sailing Club Centre and beneath Ravenscraig. This should ensure that the slime does not grow back and spread across the path again.
• The brambles and nettles have been cut back on Beach Lane. There is a commitment to improve the surface of the path where it is currently muddy. This is important because this path will become the main access route to Grassy Beach from central Broughty Ferry when the final section of the unimproved raised section of the coastal pathway is closed for upgrading.
• A quarterly cleaning of the coastal pathway has been programmed. It will be undertaken by a small mechanical sweeper from the Stannergate end as far as the steps up to the footbridge over the railway  This will be extended as far as Douglas Terrace when the last unimproved section of the coastal pathway is upgraded.
• I have been very concerned about the recent decision of the Development Management Committee of the Council with regard to relaxing the planning conditions on Sainsburys and the admission by the Director of City Development that no routine checks had been made on developers such as large retailers to see whether they had been complying with planning conditions.

One of the Community Councillors, Ken Anderson, reminded me and the meeting that I had also been taking up the issue of traffic calming measures in the narrower section of Camphill Road and he endorsed what I had been promoting along with the residents.