Mid-February Column

Written by Malcolm Bruce on Fri 13th Feb 2009

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Snow happens. It is not new

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Whatever happened to global warming you may well ask? Of course the impact of carbon emissions is climate change which can make the weather severe in all directions.

Having said all of that, in reality, the weather of the last weeks has not been unusual by North East standards and not unheard of in the south of England.

I could have made it to London but not without missing the most urgent meetings, most of which were cancelled and spending several hours waiting at airports. So I decided thanks to telephones and e-mails to stay north and transacted a lot of useful work.

I know I was not alone. Of course, an MP's work involves speaking and intervening in the House and committees so this is not a long term option but I know I was by no means alone in reorganising my work pattern for a few days.

I also heard a lot of moaning about the disruptive impact of the weather and criticism that the authorities were inadequately prepared and claims that other countries did not suffer this kind of disruption.

I don't believe this is particularly fair or well informed. When heavy snow is falling airports around the world are often closed. Severe weather in the USA or Russia does cause disruption when it is happening. The issues is how quickly we respond.

Aberdeenshire is one of the best organised local authorities for snowy weather. Schools do close for good safety reasons and the mechanism for informing people is well established.

The problem has been the frequency of snowfalls as much as their weight. Generally main roads are kept open other than in the most severe weather and other routes apart from a few well known exceptions are fairly quickly reopened after the snow has stopped.

As one perspicacious radio listener said. "Winter happens. Get over it".

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Bankers' bonuses - time for a cut not a review

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At least the weather offered some distraction form the continuing worries over the economy. It is clear that this is more than just the economic cycle. It is a crisis of confidence in the post globalisation financial system which will have to be radically reformed.

No wonder bankers' bonuses are in the public eye. People who have colluded in the worst financial collapse since the 1930s appear to think they have done nothing wrong and they can just kept their heads down and carry on getting huge pay packets.

The Government says it is launching an enquiry into bonuses. I'm not clear what that would achieve. It would be more convincing if it intervened to limit or halt bonuses in the banks it now partly owns and takes steps if necessary to deal with other banks.

I have never objected to people making money from their enterprise but when their conduct has destroyed the jobs and savings of millions then the people responsible need to be called to account in the way they understand - in their pockets.

Many successful, enterprising businesses are facing difficulties or closure from circumstances over which they have no control and could not have foreseen.

They need financial support and so do their customers. Reducing interest rates to record low levels starts to look like panic and does nothing to help savers, which includes local authorities and businesses with fluctuating working capital, which rely on higher interest rates for a substantial part of their income.

Addressing these issues is now the test of whether the Government really is addressing the crisis adequately.

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Well done, Locos

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Congratulations to Inverurie Locos who finally staged a memorable cup-tie with Motherwell at the fifth attempt. There is something about the cup that reaches even the most lukewarm of soccer supporters.

It transforms a town and filled Inverurie shop windows with the club's favours. I remember once when I was a boy watching Tranmere Rovers (then in the fourth division) hold Spurs to a one-all draw at Prenton Park.

All credit to the team of willing volunteers who pulled out the stops to ensure that Motherwell played the tie on the Loco's ground rather than being transferred. That is what the cup is all about.

I guess Loco's supporters will be rooting for Motherwell now!

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Economic uncertainties face Inverurie

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The closure of McLeish in Inverurie and the impending completion of the consultation of the proposed closure of International Paper's mill are clearly worrying signs of the times.

Peckham and Rye, who have taken over a number of the McLeish stores have decided against the Inverurie location. While this is a disappointment, Inverurie is currently well served with food, deli and sandwich shops.

The main hope may be, therefore, that the premises are taken up soon by a retailer that adds something to Inverurie. This is a prime site.

There are some expressions of interest in the mill site but nothing firm that it seems likely to ensure continuity of employment.

This is a key strategic location and it is important that all the agencies do everything they can to ensure its optimum development. One suggestion that it could be an energy park generating electricity for the grid and attracting high energy using companies.

However, it is key location, on the A96, with a railhead, close the airport and with east access to the planned Aberdeen Western Peripheral route. If this is maximised, then long term it may sustain more jobs than at present.

However, unless something positive emerges at the end of the consultation the workers at the mill must be given every support to meet the future.

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School programmes good news but council funding still unfair

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I welcome the fact that Aberdeenshire Council have managed by good housekeeping to find some capital funding for school improvements at the same time as the city has managed to secure refinancing for its school building programme that will now be completed on time.

Yet there is something fundamentally unfair about the way North East councils are funded. The shire receives grants well below the Scottish average per head in spite of being one of the most efficient well run councils in the country. The city is the lowest funded in spite of having high costs and pockets of low income and deprivation.

Ministers continue to hide behind COSLA which is dominated by urban councils and the central belt and has never been very sympathetic to the needs of the North East.

In spite of being a model council Aberdeenshire has warned that it will have difficulty with next year's budget and stated that it cannot even begin to address the needs for new academies and swimming pools without Government help.

The city council is tackling its deficit and planning to reorganise the way it delivers it services.

Yet both councils face a continuing council tax freeze that reduces their own flexibility and unfair funding that makes delivering the services taxpayers quite reasonably expect more difficult.

Yet in hard times central governments whether in Westminster or Holyrood habitually squeeze local authorities while continuing to support their own comparatively bloated overheads. It is time for them to tackle this.