MP & MSP hail productive Fraserburgh development meeting

Fraserburgh MP Eilidh Whiteford and MSP Stewart Stevenson have hailed two productive meetings on Monday which highlighted job opportunities and development needs in the Fraserburgh area.

Business Secretary Fergus Ewing MSP visited the town to meet with local business representatives to discuss taking the town forward following the recent challenges faced by Young’s. Among those meeting with the Business Secretary were representatives of local businesses, Aberdeenshire Council and PACE representatives tasked with ensuring the availability of work for those affected by redundancies in the seafood processing sector.

The views expressed will inform the Economic Recovery Plan that the Fraserburgh Task Force is producing. A major jobs fair will take place at the College in Fraserburgh on January 28 from 1000 until 1600, to help workers at Young’s Seafood find employment. Mr Ewing heard from businesses in the area about current vacancies, plans to create new jobs and ideas on how to develop business.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Ewing said:

“I came here today to meet with a cross section of businesses from Fraserburgh and surrounding area, and with the seafood sector, to hear first-hand about local job opportunities and market conditions.

“With a major jobs fair in a fortnight to help Young’s staff and local people find new employment, it’s imperative there is a slick and effective process to capture and advertise vacancies widely.

“We continue to support Young’s staff in their bid to stay in work through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). PACE is providing on site skills development and employability support to all Young’s Seafood staff.

“Local companies also told me of their priorities to increase competitiveness and I took away useful and practical suggestions to feed into the emerging Economic Recovery Plan for the area.”

Dr Whiteford, who represents the area at Westminster, commented:

"Obviously, these remain challenging times for many of the Young's workforce in Fraserburgh. However, we heard today that a significant number of those laid off have already secured alternative employment, and other potential opportunities were highlighted.

"The Scottish Government is working hard to maximise support for everyone affected. The Jobs Fair to be held on January 28 at NESCOL in Fraserburgh will be an excellent opportunity for local employers to engage with what is a highly skilled workforce."

Stewart Stevenson MSP added:

"This meeting was an excellent opportunity for local businesses to discuss what Fraserburgh needs, and what the Scottish Government can do to facilitate that. We had some very useful contributions from local businesses and everyone concerned will have come away with a clearer picture of what needs to be done going forward."

UK Government Must Review Unfair CAP Funding Allocation

£190 Million Lost to Scotland’s Rural Economy
The SNP has today called on the UK Rural Affairs Secretary to undertake a review of how the UK Government allocates Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding, following the decision last year not to pass on £190 million of convergence funding to Scotland.

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead MSP, has today confirmed that he has written to his Westminster counterpart calling for her to honour a commitment made by her predecessor to review the allocation of CAP funding within the UK.

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The UK Government received an additional £190 million uplift in CAP funding as a result of Scotland’s low payment rates. However, only a fraction of this was passed on to the Scottish Government.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“The decision of the UK Government not to pass on to Scotland the funding it received solely due to Scotland’s historic low payment rates was sheer larceny.

“Scotland’s farmers and crofters received only a fraction of the £190 million that they should have benefited from, funding which undoubtedly would have led to a far greater benefit for the rural economy.

“The former UK Secretary of State gave a reassurance that the grossly unfair allocation of CAP funding would be reviewed in 2016. Now that it is 2016, it’s time for his successor to get on with this review and to do so quickly.”

Latest NE Rail Passenger Figures Back Case for Buchan Rail - Stevenson

Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has said the latest figures for rail passenger numbers across North-east stations back the case for extending the rail network to Buchan.

Figures for 2014/15 which have been released show 823,866 passengers used Dyce Station, which was controversially closed by Beeching and re-opened in 1984, compared with just under 270,000 in the same period ten years ago.

Laurencekirk Station, which was officially re-opened in May 2009 by Mr Stevenson as then-Transport Minister, was estimated at that time to see 36,000 passengers per year. The figures for its first year smashed the forecasts with over 56,000 passenger journeys from the station. Now, six years on, that figure has doubled to over 112,000.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson said:

“These figures show a spectacular growth in rail passenger journeys in the North-east over the past decade. The investment in rolling stock and infrastructure and support for the railways from the Scottish Government has helped, but more and more people are coming to realise that for many journeys, rail offers convenience and comfort.

“When I officiated at the re-opening of Laurencekirk Station in 2009 I said at the time the new station will provide a real boost to the local community delivering more trains and new services for commuters and improving access to jobs, education and leisure. The same can be true of a rail link to Buchan. And just look at how popular the Borders Railway has proved in its first few months of operation, breaking all forecasts.

“Investment in our transport infrastructure – road and rail – is vital if we are to achieve the twin goals of improved connectivity to the rest of the country and also making our area more enticing for the people we need to attract to fill key vacancies in teaching and medicine.

“These figures make an excellent case for Buchan Rail.”