Cllr John McNally

Sports and leisure within Falkirk district received a boost this week thanks to the SNP Group within Falkirk Council who secured an additional £150,000 on sports initiatives for young people and £160,000 on local parks.

The additional investment was the successful part of an full SNP alternative budget to the Labour / Tory coalition budget and welcomed by SNP Leisure Spokesperson, John McNally who said,

“Attendances at our sport centres are plummeting with young people in particular staying away in droves, which is an extremely worrying situation.

 Since the Labour / Tory coalition came to power in 2007 fees and charges have risen by around 40%  and I have no doubt this is a major factor in the deline in the numbers participating in sport.

 What the SNP are seeking is this investment to be made in targeted schemes to not only encourage young people to participate in sport but also make it affordable for them to do so.

 It was an innovative SNP Administration that allowed free access to school children to our swimming pools and numbers participating soared with obvious health benefits.

 Now we are seeking to find innovating ways to reproduce this success on a wider range of sporting activities.”

 Cllr McNally also welcomed the SNP motion to up spend on our local parks.

“Our parks are important areas within our communities but have suffered recently from reducing maintenance which has impacted on their quality.

 The lack of facilities in our parks is always one of the top 5 complaints in consultations with the community.

 Spending an additional £160,000 wont resolve all of the problems within our parks but it does demonstrate the SNP;s commitment to parks and places of open spaces.”

Cllr Lynda Kenna

Falkirk Council SNP Group has hit out at a recent flurry of appointments of highly paid council officials.

Correspondence from the council’s Human Resources Department confirmed that the council’s Appointments Committee, which meets to apppoint only senior managers, had never met in their first four and a half years since the current Labour / Tory coalition came to power in 2007.

However, in the last four months the committee has met a staggering 9 times to appoint a range of senior council officers with a combined annual salary total of £693,366.

Said SNP Group Secreatary, Cllr Lynda Kenna,

“The SNP are becoming increasingly concerned that Falkirk Council is involved in an unsightly rush to fill senior management posts, some of which have been vacant for four years, while at the same time, claiming poverty.

 The current Labour / Tory coalition are cutting jobs, introducing new charges on services for the elderly and disabled as well as a raft of new charges for the likes of Pest Control.  These expensive management posts are being filled in haste.

 The close proximity of the local elections leaves us with the suspicion that these appointments are being rushed through before the current Labour / Tory Coalition are removed from power and replaced by an SNP administration with the aim of making Falkirk Council leaner and meaner.”

 The SNP believe that the true numbers of new senior management appointments is actually higher. The figures don’t show the appointments and by the newly formed Falkirk Leisure Trust, the former Community Services Department transferred out of council control last year.

Cllr Kenna added.

 Who knows what the true picture is as we understand there have been several new appointments to the Trust management that have never been reported to Falkirk Council.

 The lack of transparency is staggering and has to be addressed.”

 These revelations come on top of a recent council report that recommended substantial increases in the salary scales of council directors, a report that angered the SNP.

Cllr Tom Coleman

Falkirk Council’s SNP  Group  have successfully reversed one of the most embarrassing cuts inflicted by the Labour / Tory Administration, the provision of free school meals for pupils at the  special needs Carrongrange School in Larbert.

Four years ago the council’s political administration scrapped the free meals for the pupils at Carrongrange to save a paltry £20,000 per year. Children from all over Falkirk district attend the school, making a home trip at lunchtime impossible.

Every year since, the SNP has sought to restore this service to this group of particularly vulnerable children but have been rebuffed on each occasion, until now.

SNP Education Spokesperson, Cllr Tom Coleman said,

“Removing the free school meals from this group of children was a clear demonstration that Falkirk Council’s Labour / Tory Coalition know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

 Since this shameful act there have been three opportunities to support the SNP in having this service restored, so why the u-turn now?

 Quite simply the reason why the Falkirk coalition accepted the SNP amendment this year and not any of the previous three SNP attempts is because we are weeks away from local elections.

Labour, Tory and Independent Councillors concerns were not for the children of Carrongrange but for their own electoral prospects.”

Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn

Falkirk Council’s Labour / Tory coalition have been accused of swapping the potential for 500 new council houses in exchange for an election gimmick of a one year rent freeze.

In a three year budget the ruling rainbow coalition set a 0% increase for council house rents for 2012-13, election year, then a 3.7% increase for the next two years.

However, SNP Housing spokesperson for Housing, Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn was able to demonstrate that a 3% increase in rents would produce an annual income of £1.5m. If this was used as a source of revenue to be borrowed against this then £15m of capital would be attracted.

This figure would be doubled once the rental stream was taken into consideration thus giving the option of 500 new houses.

Said Cllr Meiklejohn,

“The Administration had the choice, 500 new houses or a pre-election gimmick of a one year council house rent freeze and chose a one off freeze.

 This demonstrates that Labour are incapable of acting in a mature and responsible manner.

 It also demonstrates that Labour are still not committed to building new council housing, proving their support for Tory polices.”

Cllr David Alexander

Falkirk Council’s last budget presented by the controlling Labour and Tory Coalition Administration has been described as “the last cynical and dishonest act of a discredited administration.”

The SNP point to four years of new charges for services such as Homecare, Pest Control and Blue Badges with the coalition administration refusing to use any of the council’s surpluses to lessen the impact on vulnerable people. However, just weeks before the council elections the Labour led administration have performed a u-turn and are set to use £3m of their estimated £12m reserves in a budget that sees all charges frozen.

SNP Group Leader, David Alexander said,

“The Labour / Tory coalition administration clearly have a very low opinion of the ability of the people to see through such a cynical and dishonest set of proposals.

 We have had four years of new and dramatically increased charges for services, the cost of school meals for example have rocketed by 70% in the four years since Labour and the Tories came to power.

 Now on the eve of the elections we have a  total freeze with over 25% of the council’s reserves being used to fund what can only be described as a panic reaction from an outgoing Administration that clearly has no credible strategy.

 What is clear is that if Labour and their Tory allies come back to power in May then we will be back to cuts and new charges for essential services as clearly there is no sustainable strategy for the use of reserves and maintenance of an affordable charging regime that does not penalise those with least.”

 In the last 4 years Labour and their Tory allies have constantly claimed they were forced into introducing new charges for services through underfunding from central government. The truth is that Labour have been pilfering the pockets of the elderly and disabled people in order to build up an election war-chest for themselves.

Cllr David Alexander

Boosted by the results of the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary eelctions the the SNP are fielding a record 18 candidates in the forthcoming elections to Falkirk Council they seek to oust the current Labour / Tory and Independent Administration from office..

Last time round the Nationalists fielded 14 candidates in the nine wards winning 13 seats, just 1 behind Labour who won 14.

However, so dramatic has been the upturn in the fortunes of the SNP, winning both Falkirk  parliamentary  seats in 2011 with a combined majority of over 9000 votes over their nearest challengers, New Labour.

SNP leaders believe that lead remains and indeed is growing as traditional Labour voters turn against their town hall representatives due to their formal pact with the Labour’s traditional opponents in the Tory Party. Equally the SNP claim that many Tory and Independent voters are angry that Falkirk’s two Tory Councillors and two out of three Independents, Robert Spears being the honourable exception, are preserving a Labour led Administration for nothing more tangible than personal positions for themselves.(quote lifted from Falkirk Herald article dated 12 January).

Said SNP leader, David Alexander,

“The formal pact that exists between Labour and the Tories effectively means that only the SNP can bring about much needed change within Falkirk.

 We have had five years of stagnation and constant attacks on the public services we all require for the care of the most vulnerable in our society.

 Services that were free to the elderly and disabled people under the SNP now take over £1.2m a year out of the pockets of some of the poorest paid people within Falkirk district, yet this was done by the Labour Party without any consultation what so ever and at a time when they are underspending their budget by 1.3%.

 The frightening thing is that this is phase 1 of Labour’s programme of new charges on those unfortunate enough to be elderly or disabled which demonstrates the need for change within Falkirk Council.

 Compare the inactivity of the last five years of Labour and the Tories with the six years of SNP led Administration from 2001 – 2007. This was the period of office that witnessed the building of 6 new schools, the Helix, the upgrade of Grangemouth Stadium to international standards, town centre regeneration programmes, the Hippodrome in Bo’ness,  the partnerships with both Falkirk FC and Stenhousemuir FC and the raising of Educational standards from the pitifully low level we inherited.

 The people of Falkirk district deserve a council that is ambitious and prepared to be innovative. They have already endorsed the SNP at national level and now we are seeking to deliver a political administration that delivers the same policies locally the people of Falkirk district voted for in such huge numbers last year.

The SNP are also the only party seeking to win the elections with Labour selecting only 16 candidates for 32 seats it is clear they are relying on the Tories to keep them in office”

 Only Angus MacDonald MSP of the existing group is not seeking re-election. In Grangemouth Ward the SNP have two new candidates,  David Balfour and Andrew Cowie.

Stephen Bird makes a return to local government politics and there is another familiar face in the Upper Braes Ward, where former Independent Councillor Ricky Wilson returns under the SNP banner.

First time candidate in the Lower Braes Ward, Robbie Landsman makes up the enlarged SNP team for May.

List of SNP candidates are as follows

Ward 1 Bo’ness – Ann Ritchie & Sandy Turner

Ward 2 Grangemouth – David Balfour & Andrew Cowie

Ward 3 Denny Banknock – John McNally & Martin Oliver

Ward 4 Carse, Kinnaird & Tryst – Stephen Bird & Steven Carleschi

Ward 5 Bonnybridge & Larbert – Tom Coleman & Lynda Kenna

Ward 6 Falkirk North – David Alexander & Cecil Meiklejohn

Ward 7 Falkirk South – Colin Chalmers & Georgie Thomson

Ward 8 Lower Braes – Steven Jackson & Robbie Landsman

Ward 9 Upper Braes – Gordon Hughes & Ricky Wilson

Cllr Tom Coleman

The SNP has scored its highest ever recorded opinion poll lead of 26 per cent, in a stunning new poll released on the day the party revealed a record 18 candidates for the elections to Falkirk Council now less than three months away.

The Ipsos Mori poll shows that 49 per cent of voters would vote SNP in a Scottish general election. In contrast, Labour would be backed by just 23 per cent of voters, their lowest ever recorded poll rating.

A Holyrood election based on these figures would result in Labour retaining just one constituency MSP, while among the constituencies which would be won by the SNP are those of current and former Labour leaders Johann Lamont and Iain Gray.

The poll also shows that 58 per cent of Scots are satisfied with the performance of First Minister Alex Salmond, giving him a positive poll rating of +22. The other Scottish party leaders and Prime Minister David Cameron, in contrast, all score negative satisfaction ratings with Scottish voters.

SNP Depute Leader on Falkirk Council. Tom Coleman said,:

“This is very good news for the SNP and those who want to see positive change within Falkirk Council.

It is clear that the people still have a high level of trust in the SNP to run the country and I have no doubt that will flow into the elections to our local authority where the pact that exists between Labour and the Tories is becoming increasingly unpopular.

Our task is to present a positive vision of what can be achieved with a council Administration working in partnership with not only the Scottish Government but also with the wider community in a way the isolationist current Administration have failed to do..

 Now that we have declared our intention to win these elections while Labour has already conceded they cant by selecting only 16 candidates for the 32 seats it is obvious which party is in advance mode and which is in retreat.”

For Holyrood these figures would see the SNP win 73 seats in the Scottish Parliament, while the other parties would be reduced to a rump.

The Labour Party sees their poll rating fall to their lowest ever level, which would reduce them to a single, solitary constituency in the Scottish Parliament. Scots voters obviously do not look kindly on the Labour/Tory pact to block Scotland’s right to self-determination.

The Ipsos Mori poll of 1,005 respondents results are:

SNP: 49%

Lab: 23%

Con: 13%

Lib: 10%

Gre: 3%

SSP: 1%

Ind: 1%

The projected Holyrood seats based on the poll is (2011 result in brackets):

SNP: 73 (+4)

Lab: 29 (-8)

Lib D: 11 (+6)

Con: 14 (-1)

Gre: 1 (-1)

Ind: 1

Stephen Carleschi

Card carrying membership and online support for the SNP has soared to an unprecedented high as Scotland’s referendum captures the imagination of the people of Scotland.
Since David Cameron’s chaotic intervention into Scottish Politics on 8th January – when on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show – 1,595 new members have joined the SNP increasing party membership by 8% in just three weeks.

On 25 Jan – the day Alex Salmond announced the Your Scotland Your Referendum consultation at Edinburgh Castle which included the wording of the referendum question – 46,684 online visitors logged onto snp.org. Server memory had to be doubled to cope with global demand.

Online followers have increased by an average 25% in those 18 days and @AlexSalmond gained 1,800 followers in the last week alone.

Stenhousemuir SNP Councillor, Steven Carleschi said,

“Overall membership has increased by 8% nationally and locally they are flooding in..

At the end of 2011 the party had passed through the 20,000 barrier and it has been growing ever since.”

 The SNP website had over 46,000 visits to the website on Burns Day.  The appetite for information about the referendum and the SNP’s vision of independence shows how engaged the people of Scotland are with this debate.

Our new members will be made very welcome as there is always room for new members at this exciting time.

 Not only are we facing the prospect of removing this discredited Labour / Tory Administration within Falkirk Council but we are also beginning the campaign for the 2014 referendum.

Cllr David Alexander

Falkirk  Council’s SNP Group has released details of its submissio to the Con / Dem Westminster Government’s consultation on the issue of the proposed referendum on Scottish independence and given a major warning to the London politicians not to interfere

Date:                27 January 2012

Referendum Consultation

Scottish Office

1 Melville Crescent

Edinburgh

EH3 7HW

Dear Sir/Madam

Scotland’s Constitutional Future

I enclose below a submission on behalf of the SNP Group of Falkirk Council to the above consultation exercise being conducted by the Westminster Government in duplication to that already planned by the Scottish Government.

Before answering the specific questions I would question the accuracy of the heading of this consultation exercise, in particular the second part which reads “Consultation on Facilitating a legal, fair and decisive Referendum on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom”.

It is my understanding that it is the Union of the Parliaments of 1707 that Scotland wishes to renegotiate and not the 1603 Union of the Crowns which brought about the “United Kingdom”.  I would therefore contest that your consultation exercise is flawed from the very beginning.

Q 1                  What are your views in using the order making power provided in the Scotland Act 1998 to allow the Scottish Parliament to legislate for a Legal Referendum in the act of the Scottish Parliament ?

Answer 1          As Paul McBride QC rightly pointed out on Radio Scotland, the important principle relating to Scottish Law in terms of the constitution is the sovereignty of the people.  Issues of legality are therefore secondary to the basic issues of democracy and accountability.  This is supported by International Law as you are aware from the Referenda that resulted in Estonia and other Baltic Nations succeeding from the Soviet Union despite the opposition from Moscow.  If the Referendum in Scotland produces a majority in favour of independence we would expect the British Government and all of its institutions to respect the decision of the people.

Q 2                  What are your views on the UK Parliament’s legislation to deliver a Referendum on Independence?

Answer 2          Given that each and every member of the current UK Government as well as the official New Labour opposition were opposed to the people of Scotland having the opportunity to vote in the Referendum, the hypocrisy of both the current Government and official opposition’s attempt to interfere in what is clearly a Scottish matter is breathtaking.

Q 3                  What are your views on whether the Scottish Bill should be used either to (1) give the Scottish Parliament the power to legislate for a Referendum or (2) directly deliver a Referendum ?

Answer 3          Please see answers to questions 1 and 2, which for clarity we would add, the UK Government have failed to agree to any of the transfers of power requested by the Scottish Government in terms of the Scotland Bill. The Conservative Party in particular is clearly no more pro-devolution than it was prior to the establishment of the Scottish Parliament.  This matter is therefore one that the Scottish Government and not the UK Government should be leading on.

Q 4                  What are your views on the oversight arrangements for Referendum on Scottish Independence?

Answer 4          We are conscious of the last two Referenda organised in constitutional matters in Scotland, these being in 1979 and 1997 Devolution Referenda.  The first of these had the infamous 40% rule added as a wrecking motion and the second of these held in 1997 miraculously appeared with two questions rather than the one promised prior to the 1997 General Election.  The record of the Westminster establishment in acting in a fair and balanced manner is therefore not a good one and concerns have rightly been expressed in Scotland of the possibility of interference by a Government who have already intimated it would have been possible to frustrate the ambitions of the Scottish people.  We therefore support the Scottish Government’s position of seeking to have the overseeing exercise undertaken from within Scotland and will participate in their consultation exercise to identify the most appropriate agencies or individuals responsible for doing so.

Q 5                  Do you think the Electoral Commission should have a role in overseeing a Referendum of Scottish Independence ?

Answer 5          Please see answer to question 4.

Q 6                  What are your views on which people should be entitled to vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum?

Answer 6          It is our view that everyone on the Electoral Roll in each of the Scottish constituencies should be entitled to vote in a Referendum.  We would also add that there is no reason why 16 and 17 year olds should be denied a franchise and would point out that not only is this the policy of the Scottish National Party but giving the votes to 16 and 17 year olds is also the policy of the Liberal and Labour Parties.

Q 7                  What are your views on the timing of a Referendum ?

Answer 7          The question of timing has been clarified by the Scottish Government and we support their position of holding the Referendum in the Autumn of 2014.  It is important that there is a informed and proper debate on the matter with sufficient time being available to answer the many questions that would exist in terms of the mechanism and outcomes.  Those who argue for an quick Referendum do so because they believe that a rushed poll will result in confused debate thus benefiting the position in support for the status quo.  Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond MSP, was very clear during the election campaign in 2011 that the Referendum would take place in the second part of the term of office and outlined his reasons for doing so.   At that time all of those who were arguing for a quick Referendum were opposed to the principle of holding a Referendum and therefore altered our position significantly in an opportunist manner.

Q 8                  What are you views on the questions to be asked in the Referendum?

Answer 8          Clearly there is a mandate for the question of Scottish Independence to be included on a ballot paper following the SNP’s historic result in 2011.  We would also argue that there is a case for giving consideration to other options and find it strange that parties which profess to be for greater powers for the Scottish Parliament are arguing against any genuine consultation with the Scottish people.  However, if the so called Unionist Parties wish to treat the Scottish people with contempt as clearly they do, then we would advocate that there would be only question on the ballot paper and Scots be invited to effectively choose between the status quo and Independence.

Q 9                  What are your views on the draft Section 30 Order?

Answer 9          Once again, the sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland.  Lawyers may argue as to how the bureaucrats proceed as long as they proceed to enact the will of the people. If Section 30 support is being offered as an enhancement to the democratic process then it should be given without strings.

I sincerely hope the views of the Scottish National Party Group of Councillors within Falkirk Council will be taken into consideration by the UK Government as a consultee in this exercise.

Yours faithfully

Councillor David Alexander

SNP Group Leader

on behalf of Falkirk Council SNP Group