Double Snub for Bainsford Community

The community of Bainsford has received a double snub in the SNP campaign for regeneration of that area.

Snub number 1 came from the Labour / Tory Administration of Falkirk Council in their rejection of an SNP motion seeking a detailed audit of the community needs outwith the existing main district centres of Falkirk District.

On taking office in 2001 the SNP began the process of reversing 30 years of Labour neglect by targeting the four main district centres of Bo'ness, Denny, Grangemouth and Stenhousemuir for regeneration.

At the time of the elections in May 2007 work had commenced in Stenhousemuir and Bo'ness with detailed plans for Denny and Grangemouth at advanced stages.

Proposals for the second phase regeneration of the smaller centres such as Bainsford were contained within the SNP manifesto and this formed the basis of the recent motion to Falkirk Council.

However, there was a shock for SNP members who suffered a set back when Labour and Tory Councillors united to propose that the villages be the next recipients of council attention completely ignoring the middle section of communities.

Snub number 2 came with the front page of the following weeks Falkirk Herald that trumpeted the proposed regeneration of the Camelon Main Street area, in complete contrast to the motion moved by Labour members the previous week.

Falkirk North SNP Councillor, Cecil Meiklejohn, who seconded the SNP motion at the council meeting was an extremely angry Councillor with both snubs. She said,

"I thought it was bade enough that Labour Councillors such as Craig Martin and Provost Reid could vote against the interests of their own constituents in Bainsford.

However, perhaps they were aware that the Falkirk Herald would be true to form and refuse to publish any details of this motion thus denying the people of Bainsford information pertaining to their community. Instead we had a front page spread the following week following a rehashed report based on information two years out of date.

Of course the Falkirk Herald have shown their political bias on a weekly basis but the snub to the Bainsford community can not go unchecked."

The SNP member pledged to continue the fight and a major campaign is to be launched at the end of October, beginning of November to highlight the betrayal of the Labour and Tory members and support they received from the local newspaper.