In June 2015 the Aberdeen city centre masterplan was shaped following public consultation and unanimously approved by Aberdeen City Council resulting in the biggest regeneration programme in the city’s history to the tune of £150 million.
Now it’s been unanimously voted by the ACC to take a “surplus” £100,000 from the Common Good Fund to do what the masterplan monies should be doing (EE, August 11).
Surplus is an amount left over in excess of what is required. Where has this “surplus” come from and who is missing out on cash from this fund?
Shopkeepers are all for the clean-up, of course they will be – they are not paying for it nor are the owners of the buildings who collect the rents.
Ryan Houghton convener of the city growth and resources committee, pictured, stated, “the council has to take responsibility for the appearance of the city” and “there is a sense that the place needs a good spruce up”.
Where has Ryan been and when did he last walk down the Granite Mile?
The fund should not be used for this clean-up or any other whimsical reason proposed by the council – which is fast becoming a joke.
T Shirron, Aberdeen
Street of shame
Given that it is called Union Street you might have thought well-heeled unionists would be falling over themselves to do up Union Street and make it pristine and wonderful, but apparently not.
So, instead it is left to the Common Good Fund – set up by King Robert The Bruce, someone who fought for Scottish independence – rather than many of the folk that probably voted for the council.
It is laughable to me as a Fifer who supports Scottish independence and is outnumbered three to two by Aberdonians in his household that the city council is looking to the Common Good Fund to sort out this once-proud thoroughfare.
While they may spruce up Union Street with £100,000 it will take a bit more than that to sort out the deep inequalities between those that have done well from the oil industry and the parts of the city that have been left behind.
In fact, if the leaders of local administrations had any sense they would have saved oil revenues like they did in places such as the Orkney and the Shetland Islands and ensured that my eldest daughter, born in Peterhead a town twinned with Aalesund, had a decent public transport system and roads network – and a decent Union Street to shop in.
Peter Ovenstone
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