Politics: North-east bus services need improved reliability

Political discourse in Scotland has been getting more divisive in recent years and has been even more unsettling recently.

The First Minister’s comments on BBC Scotland’s, The Sunday Show (March 17), suggesting Scottish Conservative MPs should be, "kicked out of Scotland" – not kicked out of Parliament, or put out of a job, but from our own country – was even more shocking than usual.

This sinister rhetoric is particularly stark in contrast with the SNP's own new Hate Crime Bill.

And this "hate" is not just aimed at politicians.

In the same day as making the above comment on the BBC, Humza Yousaf said at an SNP gathering, “we need to reject not just Tory politicians, but Tory policies, Tory ideas and Tory values.”

That represents 700,000 people across Scotland and over 21,000 voters here in Banff and Buchan, at the last election.

As MP for Banff and Buchan, I strive to do all I can to assist all constituents who come to me for help – political allegiance doesn’t come in to it.

I disagree and debate with my political opponents, but I would never call for them to be "kicked out of Scotland".

I regularly hear concerns from constituents about the reliability of bus services.

Reports of erratic service schedules affecting daily commutes, and important appointments underscore the critical role these services play in our lives.

Despite impending fare increases, the consistency of these services has not seen a commensurate improvement, a situation that cannot persist unchallenged.

I have therefore written to the chief executive of Stagecoach on behalf of my constituents and asked what steps she will take to improve the reliability of Stagecoach services across the north-east and in Banff and Buchan particularly.

In Parliament last week, I was delighted to attend a reception held by Marie Curie UK, at which I heard about the vital work they perform providing hospice care and support.

I’m sure many readers, as I do, will have family and friends who have benefited from the invaluable service from charities like Marie Curie and I was pleased to be able to thank them on behalf of my constituents.

In contrast, the decision to close Minor Injuries Units (MIUs) overnight service in Peterhead, Fraserburgh, and Huntly represents a significant setback in service.

I was extremely disappointed in the decision by the Integration Joint Board (IJB) to slash this essential provision.

The IJB says it needs to find cost savings due to underfunding from the Scottish Government, but I fear this decision will result in higher human costs as well as financial.

Regular readers know that I have long called for local health services to return to pre-Covid levels – particularly the MIUs in Banff and Turriff – but this move takes us in the completely opposite direction.

Not only will we see a reduction in essential healthcare services locally, it will also put additional strain on our ambulance service and cause longer backlogs at Aberdeen accident and emergency.

I realise there are staff shortages, but reducing local public services will only make it more difficult to recruit and retain people in the area – not just medical staff but also the teachers we desperately need.

The temptation to centralise public services in the interest of "efficiency", will only result in bottlenecks and ultimately a reduction in service these organisations are employed to provide.