Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
“Essential that Aberdeenshire gains proper funding from Scottish Executive” says MSP
Following a Ministerial statement on the Local Government Settlement for 2002-03 and 2003-04, Banff and Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has criticised the New Labour – Liberal-Democrat Executive’s continued failure to fund Aberdeenshire adequately. Speaking today [Thursday], Stewart Stevenson said,
“Today’s funding announcement continues the dismal record of neglect of the rural North-East from this Executive. Aberdeenshire’s increase leaves our area with about 91% of the Scottish average and well behind comparable rural areas.
“They continue to show how out of touch they are with the realities of life in Aberdeenshire. The prosperity of the city of Aberdeen where a similar increase has been granted is at odds with our experience in rural areas.
“Aberdeenshire Council have said that they are at the bottom of the league among rural areas in receiving financial support. This settlement does nothing to change that at a time when we need improvement in services for all our people. And with recent employment difficulties in mind, now was the time to give us a substantial increase.”
Turning to the Scottish economy and and the ability of Scottish businesses to compete, Mr Stevenson commented,
“With our national economy growing at about 1% per annum and with manufacturing industry suffering badly, this increase in Council funding will still not allow the creation of an infrastructure for growth. Business gets little or nothing from this settlement.
“The planned introduction of an Aggregates Tax next year will be particularly harmful to Scottish business and see a net outflow to the London Exchequer. This is just one example of business-unfriendly and rural-hostile policies being pursued by this government both in Edinburgh and in London.”
Karen Adam is now the MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast
