Xander McDade

Important update on the Loch Tay diesel spill.

Update on Loch Tay diesel spill.

Following the diesel spill incident near Killin, clean-up activities are in place, led by SEPA and Scottish Water.

There is evidence of some contamination in Loch Tay which may be travelling downstream into the River Tay.

Scottish Water has taken precautionary measures to safeguard the public drinking water supply in Peth and Kinross and continues to monitor the situation.

If your property uses a private water supply that abstracts water from Loch Tay or the River Tay, please report any suspected contamination of your water to Scottish Water on 0800 0778 778.

As a precaution it is advised not to enter the water in Loch Tay or the River Tay in the Highland Perthshire or Stirling Council areas, or allow pets to enter the water, at this time.

We will provide any further updates when they become available.

Please note Scottish Water’s information and support point remains open at McLaren Hall, Main Street, Killin, FK21 8TN, and their customer support staff can be contacted on 0800 0778 778 for any queries.

Yesterday the council again considered the proposal to sell the old Council Chamber at 1-5 High Street for £1 and give a £1.9 million grant to the London based developer. We required to take this decision again as the original company selected by the Council went into liquidation.

Sadly, I and others were unable to convince a majority of our colleagues to look at alternative options for the building and the new company was approved at the Council meeting by 31 votes in favour with 6 votes against and 2 abstentions. I’d like to thank Bailie Alasdair Bailey, the Labour Councillor, who moved the amendment to look at other options and the four other independent councillors who supported the amendment.

The Council has taken far too long to progress the disposal of this and many other buildings in our estate that are now surplus to requirements but that is not in my view a reason to make the wrong decision. We have significant housing need across Perth & Kinross and the amendment would have instead allowed the exploration of this as one of a suite of options for councillors to consider that would have benefited local residents.

The awarding of this grant will cost the taxpayer £4.275 million in borrowing costs over the next 50 years of the loan term. Imagine the many community priorities that could’ve been used to support instead of subsidising a private company to such a significant level.

One of the key arguments put forward by those who supported the proposal yesterday was that the disposal of this building for £1 and the annual borrowing costs associated with awarding of the £1.9m grant will effectively be neutralised out by what we currently spend on maintenance annually. The current maintenance costs - the majority of which is made up of business rates - is roughly the same as the annual borrowing costs will be. However, this is based on an assumption that we just let it sit there forever and do nothing with it - it doesn’t consider the proposals in the amendment that proposed leasing the building (for a hotel or other purpose) which would bring in a rental income or conversion to housing which would have brought in council tax revenue.

The current proposal is also a dramatic change from the original scheme proposed by the developer and is no longer a full service five star hotel that was originally envisioned where the former historic spaces such as the old courtroom and council chamber would be on show. This would have filled a genuine gap in the Perth area accommodation market. Instead it is now going to be serviced accommodation with little or no food and beverage provision on site meaning it will create less jobs and training opportunities. This means local accommodation businesses will now be competing against a publicly subsidised competitor who will be able to offer cheaper rates due to the low levels of service on offer and this will make it harder for those businesses to invest as they have to cut rates to compete.

Finally, thank you to the many members of the public who took the time to contact me with their concerns. It is clear to me that there is strong opposition to this from the “chattering classes” and the wider public who have contacted me.

Controversial Perth luxury hotel deal agreed for former council chambers A majority of councillors voted in favour of the controversial plan, which includes a £1.9m grant for the London-based hotel developer

It was a privilege to support Perthshire Women’s Aid in marking 50 years of them supporting women experiencing domestic abuse across Perthshire. Organisations such as Perthshire Women’s Aid are still sadly necessary in the 21st century and it is estimated that 1 in 8 women in the U.K. have been the victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the last year alone. Perth & Kinross Council remains committed to working with public and third sector partners to support women affected by these abhorrent crimes and to promote awareness and education to bring an end to them.