Sir, – It is not often I agree with a senior SNP member – but I thought former health secretary Alex Neil’s acknowledgement of the lack of oversight of NHS Tayside’s budget was valid.
His analysis, however, that this is a consequence of there being 14 regional health boards is staggering.
His proposal to streamline those from 14 to three (perhaps four given the challenges of the Highlands and Islands) does not augur well either for local scrutiny of health service priorities and spending, or for local government and scrutiny by local communities.
It does sit rather well with the centralising tendencies shown by the SNP with regards to police, fire and rescue and the embryonic proposals for education.
At least it could demonstrate it is SNP policy, underfunding and mismanagement which are to blame.
But what of the future for Dundee?
Alex Neil didn’t just pluck this idea out of thin air – it has been around as a health priority for years, along with reducing the number of medical schools from four to three.
The recent targeting of Tayside is just a useful way to soften up the populace to NHS senior management plans.
With no local health board to scrutinise spending and protect Dundee’s highly-respected medical school and first-rate hospital, what if, as part of cost savings instituted from Aberdeen (another failing health board), Ninewells is downgraded to a district general hospital?
Will the city’s thriving bio labs stay then, and will the research grants come?
The two biggest remaining employers, the NHS and Dundee University will be hollowed out.
So much for rewarding Yes city. Schadenfreude from the rural communities won’t help save the accessibility of health services, it will just make even more distance for those people to travel.
It’s the same old Edinburgh and SNP thinking – and has little to do with more local accountability.
At least Alex Neil has spoken up – no other SNP politician apparently has a thought about the impact of this budget failure in all health board areas across Scotland.
It’s ironic Glasgow’s situation is even worse than Tayside’s but they could still get to influence Tayside’s future.
John L Davidson.
98 Caesar Avenue,
Carnoustie.
Playing fast and loose with facts
Sir, – Would you believe the good old Liberal Democrats are at it again? Lib/Dem councillor Peter Barrett, who sits on the council umbrella group Cosla was quoted in media outlets as saying: “A month ago Derek Mackay (Finance Secretary) promised to help communities remain resilient and councils deal with any immediate and unforeseen costs resulting from the recent heavy snowfalls and ongoing cold weather –he is going back on his word.
“In Perth and Kinross alone we have been hit by more than £2 million of extra winter maintenance costs. We will end up with just a few hundred thousand pounds because of the Scottish Government’s sleight of hand.”
Enter Willie Rennie: “Derek Mackay has ditched the Bellwin formula activated only a month ago in response to the Beast from the East. Instead, he’s offering a measly £10 million when the councils need five times as much”.
The Scottish tabloids ran the story with all the juicy headlines about there being no money left for potholes, then in the small print at the bottom of an article: “The Scottish Government said: ‘This additional £10 million is being made directly available to local authorities, and distributed via Cosla, immediately so they do not have to submit formal Bellwin claims and await approval”.
In other words, £10 million is over and above the normal contingency measure already in place for emergency funding, known as the Bellwin Scheme.
Absolutely nowhere has it been suggested by anyone that the £10 million is a replacement for the Bellwin Scheme, so no scandal, no broken promises, no sleight of hand, no going back on his word, no ditching of the Bellwin formula and it is not true that there is no money left to repair our roads.
Just the Liberal Democrats issuing brazen falsehoods to the press whilst crying “SNP Bad!” and they wonder why they are hemorrhaging party members, voters, and seats right across Scotland.
Walter Hamilton.
Flat 3 ,
City Park,
City Road,
St Andrews.
Opportunity lost for V&A setting
Sir, – By chance I happened to be coming past the City Churches, looked down Union Street and was distraught to see a metal frame towering above the V&A.
It beggars belief that Dundee Council have approved this construction in close proximity to the V& A.
When it’s complete I have no doubt it will seriously detract from the setting and visionary design of the museum and Discovery complex, not to mention the entire waterfront development. Why is the council letting this happen ?
Whilst understanding that the waterfront project has to be financially viable to the city, I am at a loss to know why this particular site has been chosen for a seven storey hotel, offices and private housing.
There are many other suitable sites in this proximity which could have been considered especially once we knew the V&A was coming to Dundee.
The open space which has enabled all of us to enjoy the views towards the waterfront has been lost; it could have been an innovative visitors’ centre and all-year-round children’s play area with parking access.
My correspondence with the planning authorities in this regard has run up against a brick wall. The indifference on the part of most councillors and other parties who did not reply to my concerns indicates a total lack of vision and an opportunity lost to create a world-class setting.
Dundonians – are we going to stand by and do nothing ?
Hilda Hynd.
5 Grosvenor Road,
Dundee.
Calm needed to prevent war
Sir, – The indecent haste with which the UK Government has made judgements about recent international events can only serve to ramp up tensions between the western powers and Russia and Syria.
Boris Johnson, in response to the Salisbury incident, rapidly drew conclusions about responsibility and used highly inflammatory language to rush other politicians into following his lead.
This was most inappropriate for the office he holds and has initiated a disturbingly hurried apparent bandwagoning on the part of other world “leaders”. This reminded me of the speech Tony Blair used to entice parliament into support for the invasion of Iraq.
I do not believe any of the international players in this crisis are blameless and I am not an apologist for Russia or Syria. They may well be responsible for disgusting acts against civilians but I do not believe that we have yet seen convincing, evidence that they are uniquely culpable.
We are told about “most plausible explanations”, “most probable responsibility” and, dare I say it, “secret intelligence” but where does that really take us?
We are far from blameless. Our interference in Iraq left that country a violent shadow of its former self. Our interference in Libya has left a tribal mess and violence.
We are now reaping the “rewards”. Dictators are horrible but remove them and do things get better? There are many groups who stand to benefit from implicating other players but nobody will benefit from a Third World War.
Our government needs to cool extremely dangerous international tensions.
Andy Waye.
Ryst Wood Road,
Forest Row.
East Sussex.
