Playing the blame game

Dear Editor

Re the cancelled plans for the proposed Viewforth Link Road.

I find it astonishing that over the last year, the SNP environment spokesperson Councillor Jim Thomson and the Labour environment spokesperson Councillor Danny Gibson have been very vocal in their support for the VLR Link Road plan and now all of a sudden, it’s off the table with the Covid-19 scenario being blamed for the cancellation.

What an absolute load of nonsense! I believe there was public pressure against the plan applied with 1700 online petition signatures and 566 signatures on the council’s own community engagement platform with many more letters, emails, etc all voicing their concerns against this ridiculous idea.

MSP Mark Russell and Stirling West councillor

Neil Benny both nailed it when they stated that a pandemic is not the culprit here but the real cause is the blinkered approach by Stirling Council with Councillor Benny going on to say that the timing of this is all about the elections in May. Never has a truer word been spoken.

The council repeatedly ignored the huge public opinion on this ludicrous plan and ploughed ahead regardless and now, just before election time, it is the fault of the pandemic.

Even Stirling MP Alyn Smith had his say which I find amusing as most of Stirling residents have never seen him and don’t know who he is. I think the local residents would have more belief in their council and councillors if they just admitted they got it wrong with this plan but will they? After all, it is politics.

Jim Reid Bannockburn