Sand Dunes Need Stabilisation Again

Recent high easterly winds have deposited tons of sand on the Esplanade in Broughty Ferry which the Environment Department have been valiantly sweeping up and removing.

The dunes that sit between the Esplanade and the beach seem to have taken a pounding. 

Little of the fencing that had been erected to help stabilise the dunes remains in place. It had already been broken but the recent storm force winds seem to have finished it off.  I have contacted the Environment Department to ask what plans are in place to tackle these issues, not only to retain the sand dunes as a feature of the beach, but also to help protect homes in the vicinity from wind blown sand. 

Historic Street Lamps in Beach Crescent Looking Good

Row of distinctive lamp standards

The historic group of street lights in Beach Crescent in The Ferry have been restored and re-errected.

When they were removed for restoration, some residents contacted me concerned that they might have been been removed permanently. In fact, this was a vital rescue mission, as the former gas lamps had been allowed to get into a really poor state of repair. I hope that they are now pleased as I am with the results.

That this row of lamp standards was saved is down to foresight and determination of the Broughty Ferry Development Trust. The trust were, formed just a few years ago, to help facilitate such improvements.

The second photograph show some of detail picked out in the base of the columns. On one side it features the unmistakable outline of Broughty Castle. In the encircling garland is the inscription, ’Burgh of Broughty Ferry.'

This has been a most worthwhile conservation project. I look forward to the Development Trust bringing forward similar projects in the future and where appropriate facilitating Council support for these.

Some Broughty Ferry Train Fares Will be Cheaper Too

List of Broughty Ferry Train Fare Reductions
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I was pleased to learn on 2nd April that the Transport Minister, Keith Brown MSP, has announced reduced Dundee rail fares from 19 May 2013 removing anomalies in ticketing prices which had been dubbed the Tay Train Tax.

However a spokesperson for ScotRail had pointed out that the new deal would only end split-ticketing on *more popular journeys*. They had warned that, it may still be possible to find a cheaper deal by stringing together several legs of a journey, or splitting less common fares. It was not clear from this statement whether the changes announced by The Transport Minister would also help remove anomalies in the rail fares to and from Broughty Ferry which I have regularly highlighted.

I therefore contacted ScotRail for clarification. I was pleased to receive a quick response from ScotRail and relieved that they were able to confirm a range of lower ticket prices for travellers using Broughty Ferry station. For example:

Broughty Ferry to Glasgow Anytime Single

Exisiting Price        New Price

£26:30                   £20:70

While all these ticket reductions listed are welcome, I know many travellers reply on saver tickets and few if any of these seem to be reduced.

I am glad that the Scottish Government and ScotRail have been prepared to listen to representations from me and regular rail users from the Ferry. I hope they are still listening because we still need a more regular train service to go with the new train fares plus a ticket vending machine on the platform. I also hope a regular hourly service for Broughty Ferry will be included in the new rail franchise for Scotland when it goes out to tender.

Damaged Grit Bin in Camphill Road to be Replaced

Residents from Camphill Road have contacted me to complain about the condition of their grit bin which is located on the pavement at the junction of Camphill Road with Dick Street in Broughty Ferry. 

On inspection the bin seems to have sustained an impact from a vehicle and is badly damaged. I have asked the Council to replace it.

Approaching this junction on Camphill Road (from the West) the road is narrow and twisting with parked cars on one side or the other. Passing cars often have to squeeze by at this corner. 

This damaged bin provides some more support to residents' claims that traffic should be restricted on the lower part of this road to stop non residents using it as a rat run.

Air Quality Study on Dundee Biomass Power Plant Published - 6 Week Consultation Begins

In pursuit of their application for permission to construct and run a biomass power station in the Dundee Docks, Forth Energy has submitted some new information concerning Air Quality. This is in the form of an Addendum to their original application (Addendum 2, April 2013). They have also produced a non-technical summary of this document.

There is now a further period within which to may make comments to the Scottish Government. The opportunity to make further comments closes on 16th May 2013.

If you wish to make any comments on Addendum 2, you can make these to the Scottish Government as follows: 

• In writing to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit, 4th Floor, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G2 8LU.
• Or by email to dundeebiomass@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

The full report and the non-technical summary are available for viewing or download.     Full Report      Summary Report

Previous comments made on the original biomass application remain valid.

Cheaper Rail Fares from Dundee From 19 May BUT Will This Apply to Ferry Fares Too?

I'm pleased that the Transport Minister, Keith Brown MSP, has announced reduced Dundee rail fares from 19 May 2013. Over 1500 "split ticketing" inconsistencies throughout Scotland will end thanks to a £2.28 million grant from Transport Scotland.

It is claimed that the move will ensure that end-to-end fares will be at least 50p cheaper than buying one ticket part of the way to a destination, and a second ticket to complete the journey. These changes should remove expensive anomalies in fares from Dundee which gave rise to the Tay Tax campaign led by Dundee based Labour MSP, Jenny Marra.

For example, next month fares from Dundee to Portlethan will be cut by £11.30 (41%), to Aberdeen by £9.40 (34%), to Edinburgh by £7 (30%) and to Stirling by £5 (27%).

The new cheaper fares will be very welcome news for Dundee rail commuters. Dundee businesses will also welcome the cheaper fares as this could help attract more visitors into the City. With the VandA development, cheaper fares into Dundee should help build visitor numbers.

ScotRail have pointed out while the new deal will end split-ticketing on more popular journeys, it may still be possible to find a cheaper deal by stringing together several legs of a journey, or splitting less common fares.

It is not clear whether the changes will also help remove anomalies in the rail fares to and from Broughty Ferry which I have regularly highlighted. I hope that fares from our station are not some of the less popular routes ScotRail and the Scottish Government have overlooked. I have written to ScotRail to ask for clarification on this.

Hazardous Dropped Bollard in Dawson Park Reported

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A constituent, who is a regular dog walker in Dawson Park, contacted me to complain about a dropped bollard in Dawson Park.

They were worried that it meant that vehicles that would otherwise be prevented by the barrier from driving into the park might now take a wrong turn into the grassed area. 

Click on image to enlarge

Additionally, they thought that the barrier lying prostrate on the ground presented a trip hazard.


I of course decided not to model my response on Bob Servant Independent, who infamously proposed to ban dogs from Dawson Park.

I have requested that Staff from the Environment Department secure the bollard with a padlock.

  

Dundee MSYP Involved in UK Campaign for a Curriculum for Life

Daniel Coleman, Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) for Dundee West, was at the UK Westminster parliament in mid March for a meeting of the Youth Select Committee. This new body mirrors the UK Parliament Select Committee structure and gives young people the opportunity to scrutinise and hold enquiries into topics they're interested in. On 18th March they discussed their topic for 2013, 'Education for Life'.

It is very positive that Dundee and Scotland should be represented by Dundee West MSYP Daniel Coleman on the UK wide Youth Select Committee on ‘Education for Life’.

While Education is a devolved to the Scottish Parliament, it seems clear that this inquiry in London also has relevance in Dundee. At the AGM of the Dundee Youth Council on Thursday 28 March, Daniel was elected as the Chair of the Dundee Youth Council for 2013/14. He spoke at the AGM about his involvement in the new Select Committee. He drew links to the results of the survey of over 4000 young people by the Dundee Youth Council which also revealed some concerns with the curriculum in our secondary schools. For example, while young people in Dundee think they are prepared to pass exams, they believe that:

 'they require more support to develop the knowledge and understanding of the day to day financial decision making they will face once they leave home.' (Dundee Youth Manifesto 2013).

I look forward to more opportunities for meetings with Daniel and members of the Dundee Youth Council to listen to their wider list of concerns and aspirations for education in Dundee and to explore ways to help make that happen in our nine Secondary schools in Dundee.

Evening Classes in Broughty Ferry for the Summer Term - 6 Weeks from Monday 15 April 2013

Broughty Ferry Education and Recreation Association (BERA) have recently announced that their programme of Evening Classes will run for six weeks from week beginning Monday 15 April 2013, the week the schools go back after the Easter break.

Enrolment for new adult learners will be during the first week of the new term.

Most classes will be held in Grove Academy but Ballroom Dancing and Zumba will be held at Forthill Primary School (FPS). 

Programme of Classes

Classes run from 15, 16 and 18 April 2013 for six weeks.

Mondays starting 15 April 2013

• Guitar (mixed levels; cont) (limited numbers) (A Easton) 6.00-8.30, £26
• Local History (cont) (T Cox) 7.00-9.00, £25
• Spanish (cont beginners) (J Martinez) 7.00-8.30, £21
• Zumba (all levels)  (L Linton) 6.30-7.30, £15 (Forthill PS gym)

Tuesdays starting 16 April 2013

• Bridge (cont beginners) (R McPaul) 7.30-9.00, £21
• Creative Sewing & Needlecrafts (limited numbers) (K Wright) 6.30-8.30, £30
• Italian (cont beginners) (A Forbes) 6.00-7.30, £21
• Italian (advanced) (A Forbes) 7.30-9.00, £21
• Spanish (advanced) (J Martinez) 7.00-9.00, £25
• Yoga (M Milne), 6.00-7.30, £21

Thursdays starting 18 April 2013

• Ballroom Dancing (Forthill Primary School;mixed levels) (V McKay) 7.00-9.00, £25
• French (intermediate/advanced) (D Boylan) 6.00-8.00, £25
• Italian (intermediate 1; cont) (A Forbes) 6.00-7.30, £21
• Italian (intermediate 2; cont) (A Forbes) 7.30-9.00, £21
• Yoga (M Allsop) 7.00-8.30, £21

Link to BERA website for more information

We Are All In This Together - Not

Today, Monday 1st April, the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition's unfair Bedroom Tax will start hitting hundred of thousands of families nationwide. 

Those households with a home they rent from the Council or a Housing Association who are judged to have a spare bedroom will lose a proportion of their Housing Benefit. The under occupation penalty is 14% of the actual rent disallowed for calculating Housing Benefit for one 'bedroom' and 25% disallowed for two, or more, 'bedrooms'. 

Cutting benefits to under-occupying tenants when there is little or no alternative accommodation in the social rented sector will just burden Council and Housing Association landlords with rising rent arrears and risks making people homeless. 

On Saturday 6th April 13,000 UK millionaires will get an average tax cut of £100,000 each.

So much for "We're all in this together."

Link to Council Information about Benefit Changes

Happy Easter 2013

Happy Easter
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Commenting on Housing Affordability in Dundee

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On Tuesday the Bank of Scotland published the results of its survey on housing affordability in Scotland.

The table shows that Dundee is the third most affordable city in Scotland with a house price to earnings ratio of 4.67. This compares with the lowest ratio in Stirling at 3.81 and Inverness, the highest in Scotland at 5.71.

Dundee's favourable ratio is based on the comparatively lower average house prices in the city. This is an advantageous for first time buyers who can stump up a deposit, but it is not so positive for those owner occupiers selling up and leaving the city, especially if they were moving to Inverness where their money wouldn't go nearly so far.

Last week Zoopla published a survey which I also reported. That survey showed that renting in our city was 2% more affordable than house purchase.

The downside of both these reports is what the indicate about the local economy in Dundee.  It seems likely that demand for housing by new residents moving into the city has been depressed by a reduction of jobs in the private and public sectors.

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

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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.

Purposeful Annual General Meeting of Dundee Youth Council

Chairperson 2013/14 of Dundee Youth Council Daniel Coleman
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Last night I attended, by invitation, the Annual General Meeting of Dundee Youth Council. Their meeting was held in the City Chambers in Dundee.

Outgoing Chairperson, Laura Gorman, presented some of the highlights from 2012/13 which are referred to in the Youth Council's Annual Report. She  also reported on the election of their new Office Bearers for the coming year. Daniel Coleman was elected as Chairperson for 2013/14. 

Laura also referred to their Manifesto which builds on their citywide survey of undertaken in 2011/12 and which had involved 4494 respondents from our nine secondary schools.

There were also updates from the members of the Youth Council who had led their campaigns over the last year including the It's No Fare Campaign. This campaign aims to:

• Lower the bus fare for all under 18's to a reasonable price;
• Improve the reliability of the buses and
• Increase the frequency of buses. 

There were also reports on some of the opportunities Youth Councillors had taken to provide a youth perspective in public consultations and in meetings. Most notably, this included Youth Councillor for Dundee East, Matthew Landsburgh, who had been appointed as a member of the Board of NHS Tayside.

It is clear that Youth Councillors and Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament in Dundee are committed to representing the interests of young people in our City and striving purposefully to do that.

Link to Summary of the Results of the Youth Council Survey 2011/12 

Queen Street Road Works Progressing

Cables being laid in Queen Street
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Work of laying the new electricity cables along Queen Street seems to be progressing well and is apparently on target for a finish this weekend. 

Since Tuesday 19 March, contractors have been working on the stretch of Queen Street between Fort Street and St Vincent's Street.

My picture was taken from the top of the steps up to the entrance to the Library.

In a week when residents on Arran have been without power because of severe weather damage to their above ground electricity transmission cables, the importance and relative security of our new underground electricity supply for Broughty Ferry is emphasised.