WHITEFORD ENCOURAGES LOCAL RESIDENTS TO BE “GOOD WINTER NEIGHBOURS”

SNP Westminster candidate for Banff & Buchan Eilidh Whiteford today urged people across Banff & Buchan to respond to the current cold weather by looking out for vulnerable people in their communities.
The SNP candidate said:

“With conditions forecast to remain arctic for some time to come, the Council and emergency services will be at full stretch trying to keep major routes open and attend to the most pressing emergencies.

“If you are able to, it would be an ideal time to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours, make sure they have heat and that pre-payment meters are topped up. If you are in an area where there has been heavy snowfall, you may be able to help clear paths.

“I would urge people to consider what they could do to be a good winter neighbour while current conditions persist.

“It’s also important to remember the Scottish Government’s Energy Assistance Package is available and can be accessed by calling the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 or visiting http://www.energyassistancepackage.com/.”

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson added:

“The weather we have seen in the North-east is incredibly exceptional and with the conditions set to continue for some time yet it could be worst period of winter weather since records began.

"There is clearly frustration from people at the condition of roads and pavements and I am sure given the severity of the weather, the Council will wish to see if any lessons can be learnt to be prepared for any repeat in future years. In the meantime, I fully support Eilidh’s call for local residents to be good neighbours when it comes to clearing pavements or offering to pick up items at the shops for elderly and infirm. I also pay tribute to the many unsung heroes who are doing their best to keep roads and vital routes clear.

"That being said it is very important to recognise the hard work being put in by council workers, who have been working many long hours over the holiday period and continue to do so."

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BUCHAN GROUPS SET TO BENEFIT FROM MARY SALMOND TRUST

Local groups in Maud, Cuminestown and Turriff are set to benefit from awards from the Mary Salmond Trust.

The latest funding rounds which concluded in December saw Maud-based Buchan Dial-a-Bus subsidiary DAB plus cic gain £500 towards the cost of bringing drivers up to DSA test standards in the voluntary sector, while Cuminestown Youth Active Football gained £500 to assist with the purchase of 2 team kits for 10s and 12s teams and rain jackets. 2nd Turriff Boys’ Brigade also benefited with £500 towards travel costs. Across the North-east, a total of 11 groups received funding this time, sharing almost £5000.

Welcoming the awards, SNP Westminster candidate for Banff & Buchan Eilidh Whiteford said:

“As the UK recession bites, voluntary groups find it more and more difficult to raise funds by conventional means so new sources of funding such as this are always welcome.

“I’m delighted for the groups concerned and I’m sure that these awards will assist them in their activities. Among the things the Trust seeks do is support, promote and develop children and young people’s health, welfare, training, education, civic responsibility and volunteering for the public benefit, which I think are excellent qualities we should be encouraging in our young people.

“I would encourage any group which thinks it may qualify for assistance to get in touch with the Trust.”

The next meeting of Trustees will be held on 17 March 2010 with the closing date for receipt of Applications being 15 March.

Since the Trust was established in the summer of 2007 over £32,000 has been awarded to successful applicants.

Application forms and guidelines can be obtained from Roddy McColl Chairman of the Trust at 11 Burns Road Aberdeen AB15 4NT Tel 01224 313473 email roddy@mccollassociates.com or by accessing them online at http://www.marysalmondtrust.com/

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TURRIFF COUNCILLOR OFFICIALLY OPENS NEW BUSINESS VENTURE IN TOWN

Turriff councillor Sandy Duncan today (Monday) performed the opening ceremony at the latest new business to open up in the town.

Skin Deep Beauty Salon, operated by local woman Debbie Thomson, opened for business today at 1A Hatton Road. Also present at the opening to wish Debbie good luck in her new venture was SNP Westminster candidate for Banff & Buchan Eilidh Whiteford.

Speaking in Turriff today, Eilidh Whiteford said:

"I congratulate Debbie, and wish her every success in her new premises. It's great to see a young woman taking on the challenge of starting her own business.

"This is exactly the kind of enterprise that we need as we emerge from the current recession. This has been a tough a year for many businesses, but the SNP Government's abolition of business rates for small businesses has helped many local firms weather the storm."

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SNP CANDIDATE WRITES TO BBC OVER MISLEADING WEBSITE

SNP Westminster candidate for Banff & Buchan Eilidh Whiteford hit out today at misleading information being provided by the BBC's Democracy Live web site.

Following complaints from constituents, Dr Whiteford conducted a series of tests of the new facility which is designed to assist the public in identifying who their parliamentary representatives are.

Speaking today she said,

"When I put my own Macduff post code I discovered that the BBC suggested that I was represented by the list MSPs for the Highlands and by the MP and the MSP for Gordon. The majority of representatives shown were wrong and all the North-east regional MSPs were omitted.

"Using various post codes across Scotland, I was unable to find one without error.

"In the run up to the Westminster election, it is important that people wishing to quiz their current representatives are provided with accurate information. I have written to the BBC asking them to withdraw this facility until its many errors are corrected."

Notes:

The facility may be accessed at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/scotland_politics/default.stm (top right of page)

Post codes checked and found in error -

AB44 1XS (Macduff) - 9 Parliamentarians incorrectly included, 7 Parliamentarians incorrectly omitted
IV3 5QA (Inverness) - 1 Parliamentarian incorrectly included
AB12 3AR (Aberdeen) - 1 Parliamentarian incorrectly included
EH7 5QZ (Edinburgh) - 5 Parliamentarians incorrectly included
EH49 7EW (Linlithgow) - 10 Parliamentarians incorrectly included, 7 Parliamentarians incorrectly omitted
G5 8TA (Glasgow) - 3 Parliamentarians incorrectly included
KY1 1SA (Kirkcaldy) - 1 Parliamentarian incorrectly included
DD2 2HB (Dundee) - 4 Parliamentarians incorrectly included
PA23 8AY (Dunoon) - 1 Parliamentarian incorrectly included
PH2 0ER (Perth) - 3 Parliamentarians incorrectly included
DG1 2RR (Dumfries) - 1 Parliamentarian incorrectly included
ZE1 0PE (Lerwick) - 1 Parliamentarian incorrectly included
EH42 1YG (Dunbar) - 1 Parliamentarian incorrectly included
FK1 5QU (Falkirk) - 2 Parliamentarians incorrectly included

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