Since my previous column, the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election has concluded. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gillian Martin MSP for retaining her Aberdeenshire East seat. I would also like to congratulate my party colleague, Stewart Whyte for succeeding in narrowing the SNP majority by two-thirds. Stewart achieved the highest vote share increase of any Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate anywhere in Scotland.
I congratulate all MSPs who gained or retained their seats – particularly here in the North East Scotland Region. I look forward to working with all of them as we all focus on our much-needed recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions which have had a huge impact on our local and national economy.
I am pleased that from Monday 17 May, Aberdeenshire moved to Protection Level 2 as we continue to show a steady suppression of the virus. This is thanks in no small part to the UK Government vaccine rollout as well as the stellar work of our NHS, the British Armed Forces and all the volunteers and other key workers involved in the vaccine roll-out.
We will now be able to socialise with more people, indoors and stay overnight. This is great news for the many hospitality and leisure businesses that have struggled during lockdown and have put a lot of time and effort into making establishments ‘Covid-secure.’
As well as being able to spend time with friends and family indoors, we will also be able to enjoy a wider range of leisure activities. However we must continue to follow the social-distancing and hygiene measures specified for such situations.
I was glad to receive assurances from Aberdeenshire Council that ‘no through road’ signs which appeared recently around King Edward will not be permanent. At time of writing, the Infrastructure Services Committee has approved a new policy for prioritising bridge maintenance and repair. Six bridges were washed away in the area in September 2019 with the local community being split in half ever since. One of the bridges is due to be repaired later this year and I am hopeful that this new policy will help ensure the remaining bridges are also rebuilt and get the King Edward community fully reconnected.
I share a sense of anger with many in Turriff at the recent vandalism in The Den playpark. The park had just gone through a £37,000 revamp for which I had provided my support as the local MP. The sensory aspects of the equipment, which made the improvements particularly welcoming and accessible to everyone, were also damaged and it is a real insult to the hard work of the group and everyone in Turriff and the surrounding area who helped fundraise for the park’s revamp.
If anyone has any information about this shameful act of destruction, they should contact the police on 101.
Finally, I would like to remind all eligible EU citizens living in and around Turriff that the deadline for applying to the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme is 30 June 2021. This scheme has been a huge success so far, with almost 5 million EU citizens across the UK having received grants of status, including 268,500 in Scotland.
For more information, go to www.gov.uk/eusettledstatus. Free help is available 7 days a week.