Stewart Stevenson Welcomes £2.5 Million Boost for North-East Schools

Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP, Stewart Stevenson, has backed the Scottish Government’s drive to improve standards in schools, including a £2,569,200 boost to schools in the North-east.

The share each school is due to receive from the Scottish Government’s new £120 million Pupil Equity Fund has been revealed by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.

135 primaries and 17 secondaries across Aberdeenshire Council Area are set to receive additional support worth thousands of pounds. It will be up to teachers and school leaders to decide the best way of using the funding to close the poverty related attainment gap in their schools.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“Every child in Scotland should have the best possible start in life, and it is unacceptable for children from the poorest backgrounds to have their chances limited by circumstances outside their control.

“The SNP in government has made closing the poverty-related attainment gap our number one priority, and our new £120 million Pupil Equity Fund is aimed at doing just that – supporting 135 primaries and 17 secondaries in the Aberdeenshire Council Area.

“This new announcement will let parents, teachers and school leaders in the North-east see how much funding they can expect to drive up standards and tackle the inter-generational cycle of deprivation in their school.”

Stevenson - Tories Intent on Stifling Growth in North East Energy Sector

UK Government Discrimination Threatens Peterhead Plant
The SNP has accused the Tories of betraying the North East by delivering another blow to Peterhead power station.

The plant has lost out on a crucial deal because of the UK’s punitive transmission charging regime - which deliberately puts power stations in Scotland at a competitive disadvantage with higher fees than rival power stations south of the border.

The Capacity Market auction awards funding to electricity generators in return for guaranteeing supplies to the national grid at times of potential shortages.

The Tories have already axed a potential £1bn investment in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology at Peterhead, and this latest blow demonstrates how UK Government policies, focussed on the needs of the south east of England, are stifling economic activity in the North East.

Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“It is grossly unfair that Peterhead was disadvantaged in the UK government’s Capacity Market auction purely because of its location in the North East of Scotland. Whacking higher transmission fees on Scotland’s only gas-fired power station because it isn’t next door to London is both ludicrous and discriminatory.

“The Tories previously axed their commitment to invest £1bn in CCS technology that was earmarked for Peterhead - and this latest revelation is just another example of the Tories managing a decline in investment and damaging the local economy, jobs, and the future capacity of Peterhead as an energy provider.

“Scotland is an active contributor to the UK’s energy market however developing capacity will be impossible if we cannot compete on a level playing field. The Tories can’t justify stifling investment and development in Peterhead whilst building new power stations elsewhere in the country. Strategically, economically and ethically, it doesn’t make sense.”

Tories gearing up to sell out fishing... again

Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford, and Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson have condemned the UK Government’s weak commitment to the Scottish fishing industry in its White Paper to leave the European Union.

The White Paper, just 75 pages long, was published today following the UK Government’s victory in the Commons on Wednesday night.

Speaking after the publication, Eilidh Whiteford said:

“The paper published today confirms what many in my constituency have feared, that the potential opportunities of leaving the CFP will be watered down as fishing interests become a bargaining chip in wider trade negotiations.

“The SNP has been consistent in opposition to the CFP, and that remains our position. The UK Government, in contrast, has consistently negotiated poor deals for the industry. The Conservatives could have articulated tough demands for the benefit of our industry in its White Paper – instead, there’s a mealy-mouthed commitment to a ‘mutually beneficial deal’.

“The Tories sold out the Scottish fishing industry going into the EU. The danger is it will now betray it on the way out.”

Stewart Stevenson added:

“The White Paper shows more than ever that the UK Tory Government is just itching to use Scottish fishing to bargain for London’s financial sector. It’s there in black and white. The Tories will make Scottish fishermen pay the price for their negotiations.

“This is a complete betrayal of Scotland’s interest – making the white paper’s claim to secure Scotland’s interest not worth the paper it’s written on. The real danger under the Tories that only part of the EU we do not leave is - the Common Fisheries Policy.

“The only champion of our fishing is the SNP, the Tories will pretend right up until they’ve sold us out – again. There are huge opportunities for our coastal communities, these communities have the chance to thrive – but that won’t happen if we let the Tories have their way.”