Councillor Paul Johnston

An Aberdeenshire Councillor said that it was common sense that there should not be a blank cheque for building the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (WPR). Cllr Paul Johnston, a Democratic Independent Councillor posed challenging questions to officials at the Policy and Resources Committee of Aberdeenshire Council today (Thursday 4th March) where the costs and impact on other budgets were examined.

Cllr Johnston said: ” I was surprised that the report clearly indicated that even the previous, now outdated estimates for spending on the WPR were not affordable. Officials were reluctant to admit that the report suggested expenditure was both unaffordable already AND was only going to get worse. If known increasing costs were anything to go by, the extra costs to Aberdeenshire Council were very considerable. All this extra spending by Aberdeenshire would have to be paid for by cuts in Schools and other vital services.”

Cllr Johnston expressed concern at the comments made by Councillors defending the need to spend on the WPR. “The suggestion that this was vital and worth it at any price, was indicating that the more than trebling of previous csts and still possible more than doubling again, will be acceptable even though vital services in Aberdeenshire will be reduced. That was admitted by officials”

” I made it clear that I supported a Western Peripheral Route as part of a proper transport strategy. But nothing should be at ANY price. The axing of Crossrail (new commuter rail services) and reductions in other transport elements other than just roads mean that we are in serious danger of building a Western Peripheral Car Park. A white elephant.” Said Cllr Johnston.

The issue he explained was not that the north east needed a road, but that the North east needed a solution to both traffic congestion and environmental damage in the city. The issue he explained was nthat any scheme had to work and the WPR was now, he claimed, in severe danger of not delivering for the money.

“At some point, the pain of cuts in services will not be worth it for just an ineffective road. It will be ineffective as it will mean that thousand of houses will be planned and built because of a WPR in places which will only add congestion and the problems will actually get no better – just bigger.

“The Council are in effect giving a blank cheque for this scheme – no known limit to the increased costs, little conception of if it will work, and no thought to the cuts in services needed to fund it.”

I disagreed that Aberdeenshire Council should welcome a scheme which brings with it service cuts and may well be a white elephant still leaving Aberdeen City and Shire with the congestion and crippling debt”

Mid Formartine Councillor Paul Johnston welcomed the news that the Udny Community Trust have been award £269,000 to take forward a proposal to build a large 800kw wind turbine at Tillymaud Hill, Udny.  Paul said: ” It s good news. While turbines generally raise quite a number of concerns locally, this site was substantially less controversial anyway.  The Udny Community Trust should be congratulated for the both their public consultation on the proposal and their success in the application for funding.”

The project is on course to deliver significant benefits to the Parish of Udny which included the villages of Pitmedden and Udny Green and the settlements of Hattoncrook, Mlldale, Pettymuick and Logierieve.

“If this delivers even a fraction of the potential benefits, then this will build resilience and strengthen all aspects of this rural community” said Paul.

Cllr Johnston congratulated Project spokesman Garth Entwistle for the success.  Mr Entwistle has said the project is on course for completion in the summer of 2011 and could deliver as much as £50,000 per annum to local Trust projects following repayment of capital elements.

A leading SNP Councillor in speaking in Thursday’s budget debate on Aberdeenshire Council was described as having “shockingly low levels of understanding” in dealing with the Council budget.

Democratic Independent Councillor Paul Johnston said:

“To help prevent painful budget cuts there was no suggestion of spending less on roads repairs – no cuts in roads spending. But part of the spend could be paid from a capital budget rather than direct from a revenue budget – it was about managing our money better.

“Cllr Merson (SNP – Ellon) and Councillor Webster (Con – Mid Deeside) seriously suggested that this was a cut. They have failed to understand a basic principle in local government finance between Capital and revenue.

“It is a serious indictment on the Council that people who hold responsible positions should fail to grasp this – and so obviously in public.”

Both Councillors had spoken in the budget debate and made the comment in an attempt to attack the Democratic Independent Councillor’s proposals, launching sarcastic attacks on the Democratic Independent Councillors.

Councillor Johnston said: “ Our proposals and my speech made no attacks on either grouping, saying we all had difficult decisions in the budget. To be the target for sarcastic attacks is not new to me, but it has become common currency amongst some on Aberdeenshire – however, what was shocking in this case is how they could have got their information so drastically wrong”

The Democratic Independent Group agreed to keep spending on Roads maintenance as high priority without reduction. However, proposed that some anticipated larger spending items be treated as capital spend this financial year and subject to prudential borrowing to allow time for savings to be found in subsequent budgets as part of a spend to save plan proposed. Capital expenditure can be made by the Council under prudential borrowing where the Council is borrowing to allow savings in future years.

Aberdeenshire Council today set its budget amid a lively debate with challenges to both Administration and other opposition Councillors in their proposals from all five Democratic Independent Group Councillors

The leader of the Democratic Independent Councillors suggested that the Lib Dem led Administration could take some comfort from a reasonable final out-turn to the previous years budget having had a rough year. But there were huge problems ahead.

Councillor Paul Johnston said:

“Firstly, we note that last year’s budget is not far from that bottom line projection. While as usual staff must take credit for their guidance, some of it is also the responsibility of the political leadership of the Council.

“As a Council we have generally been pretty good at being close to the bottom line.

However, … Just avoiding overspending is not the only measure we should call success.

The Councillor said that he and colleagues had made suggestions last year which would still have left the Council in a slightly better position, being more prepared for the tough financial circumstances that the authority now finds itself in.

“The proposals (last year) were constructive in that they sought expenditure that was one off, made a difference or saved money- importantly – for a coming budget.”

“Its in the last year we can judge how the Council has performed buy how ready we are to meet the current situation. We note that the report, the budget briefing papers and the 4.449 million pounds suggests we were not. “

“We have not detected the moves needed in the last year to prepare the Council for the hard times we knew were coming last February”.

Councillor Johnston asked the Council to consider proposals that were not in conflict with the other groups, proposals, but were designed to give room for spend to save measures, restructuring and time to find phase in, or mitigate savings the Council will inevitably had to make.

“The proposals being made are not meant to oppose the administration. They are our contribution to a collective debate on the direction we can take. One could adopt these without any difficulty, perhaps without any major upset to political priorities. Yet it still balances a budget.”

Paul Johnston agreed the general need for the Council to follow its strategic priorities but that it had to meet its commitments to do this in a sustainable and sensitive manner through realistic changes. He highlighted spend to save proposals.

But he suggested there were some tough choices and proposed one that was difficult but was preferable to cuts elsewhere.

“We have proposals that suggest we plug up the leaking sink of resources that has become Archeolink. Its a great place – but its one we can’t afford and we have not made it a success. Someone else needs to try, the Council can’t subsidise it any further”

Democratic Independent Councillors, he said would show commitment to the wider staff by suggesting both senior officers and Councillors bear the burden of pay restraint and cuts with both salary freeze and the removal of some special responsibility allowances to Councillors.

“We urge other savings – moving some revenue spending to prudential borrowing which allows the essential works for schools and roads to continue, but buys time for restructuring”

Councillor Johnston outlined that all the proposals that were tabled today were only ‘nascent’ and had the distinct risk of not being achieved. He suggested they were not fully worked up and that such risks can be managed better by adopting the Democratic Independent proposals which were fully financially worked through. There remained big risks such as the general economic climate, he told Councillors.

“One area of ‘risk’ we all felt that could severely impact on the Council budget is the uncertainty of the outcome of a general election. “

Councillor Johnston suggested the Council was judged not on just being close to the final predicted budget figure but would be judged on if it was ready in one years time for the challenges ahead. He suggested that any light in the tunnel is certain now a train coming in the opposite direction.

“The yardstick which the administration of the Council will be judged is not the single bottom line again in the coming year but how prepared it will be for the problems that lie further ahead, next year and next and next…”

Councillor Johnston finished with distinctive proposals for the Council to change its working methods to arrive at a budget. He suggested that future budget proposals should be done on an all party basis and not only by the Administration group of Councillors. A method he described as “Tribal”

“… the process of setting the budget in the current climate should be a Council wide activity and not something tribal and partisan.”

“We have sought both last year and this year to be constructive in making improving amendments to budgets rather than being oppositionist and now we ask for the opening up of the budget policy steering group to all party and group participation.”

“Its not going to be pleasant out there and it would be better for the Council to be brought into a transparent all member system than indulge in tribal warfare as can so easily happen.”

The issue of future revenue commitments, that were un-quantified was raised. Councillor Johnston suggested that an open ended commitment to fund the WPR should be revisited and that future revenue provision should be dropped.

“ We cannot afford it It was from a time when we knew the cost and that it was part of a wider strategy. It is stand alone and un-costed now – so its too risky to commit to cuts in other vital services just to pay for this project which may never deliver.  It is the Scottish Government’s responsibility – let hem take that up fully – and not leave us with uncaped financial commitments”

An Aberdeenshire Councillor for Methlick has welcomed the arrival of a new community website for the village and district. The site at: http://methick.wordpress.com has notes of local activities and information from the Community Council.

“Its good to see this new site which will add one extra way of keeping the flow of information in Methlick and district. The important thing is that can bring people together for the benefit of the whole village”

Out of public interest I am prepared to make an exception:

Local Councillor Paul Johnston has expressed concerns to roads officials about the surface of sections of the B 999 road breaking apart despite their recent construction.

“It has not gone unnoticed that 2 new sections of resurfaced road have fared very badly due to the frost and snow. Large parts of the surface are clearly faulty and roads officials are being asked to look into the problem” said the mid-Formartine Councillor.

There problem is evident immediately to the south of Whitecairns and just to the south of Tarves. It is thought other road at the B9120 has similar problems.

Continual bad weather has disrupted efforts to carry out investigations on the drainage of Belhelvie Park playing area.  Local Councillor Paul Johnston has been pressing for investigations into the drainage from there Park.

“Since around the time of the construction of phase two of the Barratt Homes, drainage in that Park has begun to fail badly. It’s always been a bit damp but there have been too many times when it has become a boating pond rather than a children’s play area and football pitch.”

Aberdeenshire officials have agreed to investigate the drainage said Councillor Johnston.

“There bad weather means that they cannot get the vehicle and digger onto the site to carry out the investigations without getting bogged down and creating a big mess.  We now have to hope for better weather and drier conditions in order to find out if the problem can be resolved without major capital expenditure.” said Paul.

The work is thought to be beyond the normal maintenance that would be carried out by the Council’s Landscape staff. The investigation includes roads engineers skilled in drainage work.



If this were not a serious topic, it would be in my ‘just for fun’ section. But as the inaction of Copenhagen begins to sink in… you have to have a laugh otherwise we’d do an Andy Murray.

An Aberdeenshire Councillor has expressed huge disappointment that once again, Aberdeenshire Council’s Provost refused to debate important motions that backs local MSP Mike Rumbles and could help many Aberdeenshire families

Councillor Paul Johnston was seeking to get support for Lib-Dem MSP Mike Rumbles bid for a boiler scrappage scheme in Scotland.

“Despite it being a genuine late issue for debate because of an impending motion to the Scottish Parliament it is ruled out of order. This Provost does not have to give an explanation and cannot be challenged. ”

“There is a very important reason we need to pressure the Scottish government over a boiler scrappage scheme. There is good support for this in the Scottish Parliament and money has been allocated to Scotland from the Barnett formula as a consequence of spending commitments to do similar things in England. So there is no real excuse for lack of money. The government needs to be persuaded that it should do a sensible and practical scheme rather than just use the extra money within the pet schemes of the SNP government.”

“Real people within real problems can benefit from any scrappage scheme. Potentially 12,000 households could qualify for this and many jobs can be sustained while at the same time saving money for hard-pressed families. It helps us meet the challenges of climate change so it’s a complete win-win situation.  Its a pity the Provost thinks it’s not worth doing”

“if we are to represent our constituents effectively we have to be aware of these issues and as a Council press government to take the best decisions which meet the needs of Aberdeenshire residents.”

“After a period of severe cold weather, many more vulnerable lower income families will have heavy costs of extra heating. Mike Rumbles MSP is right that this is something that will directly help them in the future and be of most use in colder areas like ours. Yet the Government are clinging to the cash. They need to stop dithering and commit to a boiler scrappage scheme.”