Any funding cuts will be challenged

Dear Editor I would like to thank the many local voters in Strathearn who backed myself and John Fellows as the SNP candidates for Strathearn in the local elections a week last Thursday. Also to be thanked are my campaign team, who put in such an immense amount of effort.

And for those who did not support the SNP, or indeed those who did not vote at all, I will aim to serve them equally, and to my utmost, as their councillor over the next five years.

Moreover, on many local issues I will endeavour to work on a co-operative basis with my fellow ward councillors on an all-party and non-party basis. I congratulate them on their success.

Quite a lot of the work of a local councillor is non-party political. That applies in particular with regard to the four community councils in Strathearn.

At time of writing it is not entirely clear what the composition will be of the next administration in Perth and Kinross Council. Despite our efforts to build a progressive alliance, the SNP will now be the official opposition.

At Wednesday’s full council meeting we are more than likely to have a Tory-led council, aided and abetted by the Liberal Democrats, and the Independents. What role the Independents will have - and just what backing they are going to give the Tories - we’ll have to wait and see.

Should the new administration seek to implement the type of cuts that the Tories proposed back in February I will not hesitate from speaking out forcefully on behalf of local people. A good example here is the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). The Conservatives proposed a substantial cut in funding to the CAB. That would have dire consequences for those locally who do not have the resources to seek legal advice, especially anyone who has major debt problems. It cannot, and must not, happen.

It may be early days, but in our eve of poll leaflet we did warn “Don’t Wake up with a Tory Council.”

Whatever the outcome may be this week, rest assured that the SNP will scrutinise and challenge the administration in any attempts it makes to cut local services and slash public spending.

If any constituents wish to contact me, I’m on SDonaldson@pkc.gov.uk and my mobile for council duties is 07557 815544. Councillor Stewart Donaldson Strathearn ward