The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Discord as Transport Bill gets over the line
Glow with the flow: Event is on wild side Holyrood: Police issue warning over workplace parking levies Digital face at till is theft deterrent Rossi still happy to be on the road
Legislation to reform transport in Scotland has been approved by MSPs, amid some controversy.
MSPs granted final approval to the Transport (Scotland) Bill yesterday in a vote of 56 to 29, with 18 abstentions.
It came after they considered hundreds of amendments in a sevenhour session at Holyrood on Wednesday.
The bill will give councils the power to introduce a workplace parking levy.
A last-ditch bid to remove the charge was defeated by SNP and Green MSPs – with Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats all having voted for it to be removed.
The measure was approved despite a late warning by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) over a failure to provide an exemption to the levy for the emergency services.
Calum Steele, general secretary of the SPF, said communities would be “less safe” as a consequence.
“The Police Service of Scotland is already in a precarious financial position,” said Mr Steele.
“If the Scottish Government genuinely believes the service can sustain further cuts to its budget to shore up local authority funds it should simply have had the courage to impose a direct cut on the already deficient budget.
“But the truth is the government knows full well that rather than having money to burn, the police service is in dire need of a cash injection. It is telling that no minister is prepared to directly answer the question if they consider that the police service should be diverting funds from fighting crime to pay for potholes and bin collections.
“This tin-eared response to the levy will leave the police service in an even weaker position than it is now and communities will be less safe as a direct consequence.”
The bill will also give councils powers over creating and enforcing new low emission zones, the provision of bus services to meet social needs and a ban on pavement and double parking.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Transport (Scotland) Bill will lead to improved journeys for the travelling public and help deliver a cleaner, smarter and more accessible system.
“The bill does include discretionary powers for local authorities to introduce a workplace parking levy.
“This will give councils another tool to help address the climate emergency, should they chose to use it. Local authorities will be able to exempt any groups, such as police officers, or premises based on their individual local circumstances.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles said: “The Transport Bill was supposed to profoundly reshape Scotland’s transport system.
“Instead it will be overshadowed by an SNPGreen attempt to plunder drivers’ pockets.”
Scottish Green MSP John Finnie said: “In voting against the Transport Bill, the Scottish Liberal Democrats rejected low emission zones in our cities, rejected giving our local authorities more powers and abilities to raise funds and rejected improvements to our bus services.” Digitised human-like faces at self-service checkouts could reduce the risk of shoplifting at supermarkets, a new study suggests.
Researchers at Abertay University in Dundee developed virtual characters to see if their presence at tills would affect shopper behaviour.
The study found having a realistic, human-like face resulted in fewer instances of dishonesty among customers than less human-like characters. Status Quo legend Francis Rossi, pictured, has no intention of slowing down or retiring, admitting he loves performing – and the money that goes with it.
Rossi, who turned 70 this year, is continuing with his spoken word tour and then Status Quo are embarking on a series of UK and European dates.
He said: “The money thing is there, I do love it, I just can’t make enough of it, like everyone else.”