Scone community councilnotagainstroad

I was concerned to see a quote in the PA on August 30 from Councillor Lewis Simpson in the article entitled ‘Positive reaction to Tay link road details’.

I respond to his comment as an individual, not on behalf of the community council of which I am a member.

Cllr Simpson stated he had “never spoken to anyone that was against it (sic the link)” – other than members of the Scone and District Community Council. If correctly quoted, this is of concern for three reasons.

Firstly, Scone and District Community Council (SDCC) has never objected to the link, which is much needed. It has objected, after polling 10 per cent of the village, to the route, which is currently taking this very busy road right through houses and past a school, exposing future villagers to noise and air pollution, and road safety issues, rather than being placed northwards out of the development.

Never has SDCC objected to the link, a fact of which Cllr Simpson is well aware, having regularly attended SDCC meetings over the past 18 months when this issue has been discussed in detail at nearly every meeting.

Further, Cllr Simpson has frequently, at SDCC meetings, criticised this link saying he is opposed to it, as he does not believe it will reduce city centre congestion or pollution.

I personally have heard him many times over the past three years voice his opposition to it.

For readers who do not attend the SDCC meetings, proof of this can be found on the YouTube video of the council meeting of June 19, 2019, where Cllr Simpson can be heard abstaining from a crucial council vote regarding the link’s route because he has always opposed it. It is to be supposed that the councillor has had a ‘Damascus’ moment sometime within the last nine weeks.

Finally, knowing that SDCC does not, in any way, oppose the link, one wonders why Cllr Simpson made this remark to a journalist. It seemingly isolates the SDCC as being ‘stupid’ in being alone in opposing the link and not representing village views, which is quite untrue. Not a very pleasant outcome from a misinformation.

This statement is inaccurate, and hurtful to the SDCC members who are all volunteers and who work extremely hard for their community.

Jill Belch Highfield Road Scone