NIMBYs halting much-needed road

Our youngsters deserve more credit

SIR, – The need to dual the A96 Aberdeen-Elgin-Inverness road can not be disputed. The project, along with the AWPR and A9 dualling, is long overdue to improve the connectivity between the long-forgotten northern cities and to the south – the aim being to improve safety and journey times and to remove heavy transport lorries from our towns.

Public participation in the A96 dualling project has been widely publicised and encouraged by Transport Scotland and their consultants with regular public exhibitions.

The planning process has taken on board the public feedback and concerns, and removed some of the “silly” options from the Hardmuir to Fochabers section, leaving two basic routes running north or south of the towns of Forres, Elgin and Fochabers.

I therefore find it disappointing that the Forres A96 Action Group has left it so late to ask for extra delays on today’s front page with and a full page inside (P&J, September 18).

Their Facebook has been totally inactive since April this year. Is it a few NIMBYs who wish at this late stage to delay this vital project? SIR, – Your correspondent JJ Dutton (Letters, September 18) makes a valid point about getting our young people, students or unemployed into work by fruit-picking where it is available. However, I do not believe the problem lies only in some prevailing attitudes that our young folk tend to be cosseted or lazy – no doubt some will be, but certainly not all.

Consider some other factors. Many migrant workers are coming to a bonanza at £5-£7.50 per hour compared with what they would get paid at home, and many thousands as we know have made the money they want and have gone home – good luck to them. But what if your future life and living costs lie here? Police Scotland, who are better equipped to manage the problem and bring prosecutions to the courts for sentencing.

Unless this is done, fly-tipping will increase as a lazy and easy option to avoid paying for waste disposal, and our Scottish countryside will become an unsightly environmental mess.

Thirty years ago, as a mature student in my 40s, I worked on a local vegetable farm during the holidays. It was hard work but I could earn £2.50 per hour – very useful money then. However, despite the soaring rise in living costs since then, temporary field workers today are only paid £5-£7.50. Surely after 30 years the work should merit something reflecting today’s cost of living. Besides, when I get to talk to some of our young folk, I am aware they need more encouragement and less criticism, especially since it appears that working hard at school and getting a university degree certainly does not mean you will get a good job these days.