School bus charges anger
THE decision by Argyll and Bute Council to start charging for pupils who live less that two miles from school has generated a great deal of anger, particularly in rural areas.
The policy change will see Argyll and Bute fall into line with the Scottish Executive’s ‘statutory walking distance’, a change from the policy adopted four years ago.
That policy was that free home to school transport was provided where a child at primary school lived more than a mile away from the local primary school by the shortest safe walking route, or where a child at secondary school lived more than three miles away from the local secondary school by the shortest safe walking route.
However, the walking distances were changed during the budget process, in a move expected to save around £30,000.
The new distances, which match the statutory requirements as laid out in Education legislation are changed to two miles for a child who is aged up to eight at the start of the school session, or three miles away in the case of a child who is over eight at the start of the session.
Jimmy Reid, who stays in Newton Park, Innellan, contacted the Observer. He said: “Our children, Morgan, who’s seven, and Holly, who’s five years old, both go to Toward Primary, which is just over two miles away. However, because we chose to send them to Toward rather than Innellan, which is the school for this catchment area, we’ll have to pay.
“There’s a further issue which has to be considered. If the council imposes charges rather than having the kids travel free, then there’s a requirement for the drivers to have PSV licences. Have they taken that into account in assessing how much they are going to save?”
Alison Dodds, who also lives in Innellan and has chosen to send her children to Toward School, said she couldn’t understand how the judgement that the road was ‘safe’ was arrived at.
Alison has three children, in Primaries 1, 3 and 7. “I can’t see the sense in this at all,” she said. “Where do they get the idea that this road is safe?
“Much of the road to Toward is a long straight on which vehicles often exceed the speed limit. On much of the route there’s no footpath and no lighting - has anyone actually walked it to see just how safe it is?
“I’ve done it with my children, and it’s no picnic - there’s a lot of fast-moving traffic.”
She concluded: “I’m happy having my children at Toward. There was a fight to keep it open when it was threatened with closure not so long ago, but the move to charge for school transport is certainly going to reduce the attractiveness of rural schools.”
Local politicians were queuing up to condemn the charging decision.
Argyll and Bute’s Liberal Democrat councillors will attempt to reverse the council’s decision to withdraw free bus travel from many primary school pupils.
The Liberal Democrat councillors’ motion, which will be tabled at the next council meeting on 28 June, will argue that the removal of the free bus travel will not save the council the £30,000 predicted by the council’s Independent Group because of the costs of carrying out safety assessments of the routes that children would have to walk along, providing extra lollipop patrols and administering the courtesy travel scheme.
“I have been contacted by many parents who are very concerned for the safety of their children if they are forced to walk to school along busy roads. Many of the roads that children would have walk to school along have no pavement and are busy with traffic. This cannot possibly be safe.
“It is obvious that, if free bus travel is withdrawn, those parents who can, will drive their children to school, adding to the already terrible congestion outside schools at opening and closing times.
“It is quite clear to me that the proposal to remove free bus travel from many primary school pupils will not save the council the £30,000 they originally predicted.
“The council would still be required to provide free bus travel to many children on safety grounds, and once this and other costs are taken into account, the savings would be minimal and certainly not worth the traffic congestion and risks to children that would be caused.”
The SNP’s Jim Mather said: “When the council increased the availability of free school transport in 2002 this was widely welcomed as it took account of changes that had taken place within our society. The council were seen to be assisting many parents in assuring that pupils were delivered to their schools safely and on time, in a carefully regulated and cost effective manner and in compliance with child safety issues. For a projected saving of £30,000 all this is to be discarded.
“I feel that the council has failed in this instance to properly consult with parents or teachers about the consequences of this action which will undoubtedly make more work for both those categories. The duty for transparency appears to have been ignored.
“I believe that this is a regressive move, taken to reverse an enlightened regime introduced in 2002, and that it may well end up costing the council much more than the relatively modest level of savings it is hoped to achieve.”
Asked if there had been any consultation on the issue, a council spokesman replied that there had been no time to do so because of time constraints during the budget-setting process.
In terms of safety on routes, there were many criteria used in assessing a route’s safety including volume of traffic, availability of crossings, sufficient pavements and footpaths, subways, built-up and wooded areas, and adequate street lighting, Routes were normally walked by an appropriate officer to identify potential risks.
In the case of children attending a school by virtue of a placing request, the parents or guardians were responsible for arranging transport to and from school and the Council will not provide free transport.
Councillor Dick Walsh, whose remit is education, said that he was aware of concerns being expressed by a number of parents and staff regarding the implications of this change, and would be looking at the detail of the representations.
He explained: “The only change to the policy is that the distances for free travel will change. Pupils currently being bused will still be able to do so; however a charge will be made in future.”
He insisted that on any route where children walking to school were considered to be at risk in terms of road safety, even if it was less that the stated distances, then free travel would continue.
He assured parents: “We will be looking at all the routes and available buses well before the new school term and we will keep parents and school staff aware of the future travel arrangements.”
He concluded by outlining the mathematics of school transport: “The council spends well over £6m on school transport and receives £2.5 million in grant from the Executive. Children will not be put at risk and access to school transport will be maintained. Each case will be carefully looked at.
“The budget saving option will save only some £30,000 so that will not be the issue. The Council has taken a decision and on the basis of that the policy has been reviewed although as I have mentioned no child will be put at risk as the policy overall seeks to protect them. And as I have mentioned access and bus routes will be maintained.”


Resistance hardens over windfarms
RESISTANCE to plans for up to 60 wind turbines on Cowal is firming up, with the formation of a pressure group underway, and a public meeting already organised to oppose plans to site turbines in Cowal.
Opponents of the four schemes planned for Cowal insist that they are not against green energy, but are against the ‘inappropriate’ siting of wind turbines - some of which are over 300 feet high, in inappropriate areas.
The mushrooming growth of windfarms has reached such a scale that Scotland will reach its renewable energy target, set for 2010, by the end of next year. These figures have come from Scottish Renewables, the umbrella body for ‘green’ energy. It also predicts that, with tide and wave power schemes, more than half of the country’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2020.
The turbine programme is being strongly backed in principle by the Scottish Executive, while Argyll and Bute Council appear to be taking a very ‘pro-turbine’ stance, councillors in one case having supported the siting of a wind farm in defiance of advice of their own planners.
However, there are growing concerns about the effect that a skyline covered with windfarms will have on the tourism industry. Although the supporters of windfarms say the effects will be negligible, a VisitScotland poll contradicts that view, and clearly indicates that visitor numbers would be detrimentally affected.
Concerns have also been raised among tourism professionals, among them James Fraser, the senior VisitScotland officer in the area.
Among those concerned about the effect of wind turbines on the local economy is Philip Norris, who is in the tourism business and who said: “The situation is critical. The landscape here is the main reason for people coming here. Putting 300 foot high turbines on hills already 1400 feet above sea level is bound to have a negative effect on tourism.”
He is not alone in his opinions. Innellan resident Ian Gamage is so concerned by what is proposed that he recently made a presentation to South Cowal Community Council showing the effect that turbines would have in Argyll. He described the reception as ‘lukewarm’ but has not been deterred. He is expecting to make a presentation to Sandbank Community Council shortly, followed by a further presentation to the Association of Community Councils of Argyll and Bute.
However, Sandbank Community Council had no doubt over which way the wind was blowing. At a recent meeting members unanimously backed the chairwoman, Norma Murray, in opposing wind turbines in Cowal. “It’s not in our backyard,” said Mrs Murray, “But it’s going to affect everyone on Cowal in the long run, and not in a positive way.”
The meeting will take place on Friday June 23 in St Mun’s Church Hall, Dunoon. The organisers urge all with a concern for the future of Cowal to come along.


Around Argyll
Bute
The Rothesay Pier traffic problem seems to have been solved after councillors, the harbour master and the council’s area road manager met to discuss the situation regarding the opening and closing of the pier gates.
It has now been agreed that once traffic movements have ceased completely, the gates will be opened so that people can leave the pier before the ferry sails.
Councillor Robert MacIntyre, who had been himself been ‘imprisoned’ on the pier , said that he was happy that a reasonable solution to the situation had been arrived at.
A Rothesay resident celebrated her 104th birthday at the Victoria Annexe. Alice Feely, who was born in the same year as actor Sir Ralph Richardson and Anthony Asquith, the son of Herbert Asquith, Liberal Prime Minister between 1908 and 1916, was joined by a group of friends and family for the occasion.
Oban
Argyll and Bute has another world champion after a Connel man became the first-ever winner of the World Longbow Championship. Sean O’Byrne won his title at the Wand World Championship held in County Durham recently. The longbow competition gets its name from the target, known as the ‘wand’, which is only three inches wide.
Kintyre
A minke whale was spotted off Davaar Island in Campbeltown Loch by a group of Swedish visitors. The whale was seen while the tourists were enjoying a trip aboard a tour boat.
Machrihanish beach has been awarded a ‘Keep Scotland Beautiful’ Seaside Award for the second year running. The prestigious award is one of only two handed out in Scotland, the other being given to Ganavan Bay near Oban.
The award recognises some of the country’s most beautiful but also most isolated beaches which are used by walkers, surfers, and wildlife enthusiasts as well as families.
Campbeltown Airport got an early visit from the Utterly Butterly wingwalking display team. The planes, which will be appearing at next month’s Mull of Kintyre Airshow, were diverted from Prestwick en-route to Ireland because of heavy fog.
Helensburgh
Last Wednesday June 14 wass the sixtieth anniversary of the death of the town’s most famous son, John Logie Baird, the inventor of television.
Baird, who was born in Helensburgh in 1888, was also involved in the development of the ‘Phonodisc’, a early forerunner of video and worked on several projects during the Second World War, including the system which eventually became radar.
Three bomb disposal experts from the Faslane Naval Base delivered a mine to the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay.
The three-man team from the elite Northern Diving Group had travelled to Islay earlier this year to blow up a wartime device which had been found on a beach there. They were invited to visit Bruichladdich where they were asked by the distillery boss if a mine could be put on display there.
The replica World War Two MK 17 excercise mine, which weighs around a tonne, is fitted with a collection box for the RNLI and the Navy is hoping that the mine will help to raise funds for the charity.


It’s all in the name!
A COWAL councillor has over-ridden the results of a primary school competition organised by Fyne Homes to name a new street.
Fyne Homes are currently building nine new houses in Strachur, and about two months ago they held a competition, open to the pupils of Strachur Primary School, to choose the name of the new complex. The children entered into the spirit of the competition and the name picked by Fyne Homes was Smiddy Gardens.
Local Councillor Douglas Currie has, however, chosen a different name from that selected as the winner.
The Head teacher at Strachur Primary, Marian Norris, told the Observer: “Fyne Homes asked me to run a competition, in the school, to pick a name for the new site. They chose the winner. We were about to announce the winner when I was contacted by a representative of the council and told to hold the result.”
The Observer spoke to Sheena Dowse, a member of the school board, who was unaware of this decision. She did say, however: “It’s a pity that they didn’t have this decision made prior to Fyne Homes running a competition and disappointing the eventual winner.”
East Loch Fyne Councillor, Douglas Currie, told the Observer: “Naming rests with the council. I named Clachan Beag 30 years ago. On this occasion, when the name ‘Smiddy Gardens’ was passed to me by the council for my views, I deemed it unsuitable. I had the option, as local councillor, to name the site, and chose Montgomery Place as more suitable. After all, who ever heard of a smiddy with a garden? The Montgomery family actually ran the smiddy on that site in years gone by.”
Alan McDougall, a director of Fyne Homes, told the Observer: “We ran a naming competition with Strachur Primary School, and we are delighted with the response. Our committee chose the name Smithy Court, but that had to be rubber stamped by the local councillor who preferred Montgomery Place, another name suggested by the Strachur children. The final decision always lay with him.
“We will now award prizes to both of the pupils who came up with the two names.”
In a straw poll carried out on 126 houses in the village 101 ‘votes’ were in favour of Smiddy Gardens while only 25 of those canvassed opted for Montgomery Place.
Apart from the game of Chinese whispers which seem to have been going on - Smithy or Smiddy, Court or Gardens, it would appear that the villagers of Strachur are unhappy with the name which has been chosen.
One local resident, who did not wish to be named, told the Observer: “It doesn’t matter what the council want to call it, we’ll be calling it Smiddy Gardens. The whole thing is like giving a child a sweetie then taking it away.”