Stevenson Welcomes SSE Committment to Banffshire Business

Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed a commitment by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) to support local businesses.^(R)

The company has set up the Open4Business web portal, which gives local business the opportunity to share in investment being carried out by SSE.

Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, a division of SSE, has received consent from Moray Council to build a new substation at the site of the existing substation at Blackhillock.

The Open4Business team will be holding an event at Ugie House Hotel, Keith. This event will give local businesses the opportunity to meet the team, register their business and learn more about the scheme.

Stewart Stevenson commented:

“I am pleased to see that SSE is looking to support small and medium sized businesses in the area.

“It can be difficult for companies to discover what opportunities are available and for organisations to know which businesses are able to provide them with the services that they are looking for.

“I therefore welcome this initiative, and would encourage any interested businesses to register their interest with SSE and to attend the event in Keith on 9 October.”

The Open4Business portal can be accessed at www.sseopen4businesshighlands.com

Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plans to upgrade the electricity transmission in and around Blackhillock. Alongside the principal contractors, a consortium of Bam Nuttall Limited and Siemens Transmission and Development Limited, they are hoping to meet suppliers and award a share of the £120 million contracts to local businesses.

The Open4Business team will be at the Ugie House Hotel, Keith, AB55 5BR from 2.00pm to 6.00pm on 9 October 2013.

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^(R) Voluntary Declaration: My family and I are small shareholders in SSE. The total amount is below that which Parliamentary rules require be published in my Register of Interests.

Stevenson MSP Raises Royal Mail Privatisation with the First Minister

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Stewart Stevenson, SNP MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast has this week raised the issue in a parliamentary question to the First Minister about proposed privatisation of Royal Mail.

Royal Mail is set to be privatised in October this year, however, the plans have been heavily criticised by the SNP and union leaders. This sell-off is widely regarded as the largest privatisation since John Major’s Government’s railway privatisation in the 1990s. The First Minister had sent a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron calling for a moratorium on the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Mr Stevenson in a parliamentary question asked the First Minister if David Cameron had answered his calls to consider setting up a moratorium into the proposed sell-off. However, the First Minister Alex Salmond responded that he had not yet had any response.

Speaking after raising the matter with the First Minister, Mr Stevenson commented:

“I am disappointed to learn that David Cameron has failed to reply to the First Minister’s request for a moratorium to consider the privatisation of Royal Mail.

“The sell off of Royal Mail is a real concern for many constituents in the Banffshire and Buchan coast area and across Scotland. Rural communities rely heavily on the postal service- a reliable service is essential for providing a lifeline to people and businesses.

“David Cameron’s failure to respond to the First Minister’s letter demonstrates yet again Westminster’s failure to consider the wishes of the people of Scotland.”

Tammie the Puffin Takes Stewart Stevenson MSP Under his Wing

Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP endorses outdoor learning with Scottish Teacher of the Year, Jenny McAllister, Education Officer of the Scottish Seabird Centre.

Stewart Stevenson MSP met with the Scottish Teacher of the Year, Jenny McAllister and Tammie the Puffin at the Scottish Parliament, to endorse outdoor learning in Banffshire and Buchan’s schools as part of the Curriculum for Excellence.

Jenny is the Education Officer at the Scottish Seabird Centre, an independent visitor attraction, conservation and education charity, which runs a Seaside School for outdoor learning. It has proved an outstanding success in its first 18 months, with Jenny’s work in encouraging children to learn and develop through outdoors experiences winning her the title of Scottish Teacher of the Year 2013. Jenny is the first non-classroom teacher to win the award.

There are numerous imaginative opportunities available in the Banffshire and Buchan area for outdoor learning, and schemes such as the John Muir Award also encourage local pupils to connect with and enjoy wild places within the structure of the Curriculum for Excellence.

Stewart Stevenson MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast said:

“I am delighted to learn about the fantastic work being undertaken by the Scottish Seabird Centre to encourage school children to get involved in learning in an outdoor environment.

“The Seabird School, working with Jenny McAllister as their educator, are providing interesting and innovative new ways of connecting with young people.

“The Banffshire and Buchan area provides a rich natural heritage and it’s great to see the Scottish Seabird Centre providing schoolchildren with the opportunity to explore and learn first-hand about their local area".

Jenny McAllister, Scotland’s Teacher of the Year and Education Officer at the Scottish Seabird Centre said:

“In my childhood I loved playing outdoors, but in one generation that has changed. Children have become more tied to indoor pursuits, and that has led to a gap between people and nature.

“That’s why I see learning outside the classroom as being so important. In England, it would appear that resources have been diverted away from outdoor learning – this is disappointing because it would mean English children are missing out on what I believe are vital learning experiences in the natural environment.

“So the Scottish Government, along with the largely supportive opposition parties, deserves much credit for pushing this up the agenda. I’m so proud and happy to be teaching in a country where progressive and sustainable outdoor learning opportunities are now firmly embedded in the Curriculum for Excellence.

“It’s incredibly fulfilling for teachers like me to see the difference that this sort of learning can make to a child’s life.”