Bobbies On Beat To Double

The number of beat bobbies pounding North-east streets will nearly double in just six months. But the move could also see residents waiting longer for some crimes to be investigated.Grampian Police is to merge its north and south Aberdeenshire divisions in an effort to free up more officers for community policing. Superintendent Bill Archibald, pictured below, the new division's operational commander, said using resources more efficiently and boosting the current tally of 34 beat bobbies could only benefit communities.He said: "There will be no reduction in the number of front line officers but the way they're deployed will be changed. There will be community police officers in stations that don't have one at the moment, and growth in other areas."I'm confident that in the next six months we'll see 50 or 60 community-based officers." You can read the rest of the report here.

Aberdeen First would like, I am sure with all the other law abiding residents like to thank Superintendent Bill Archibald and his colleagues for having the drive to give us all what we want, "more Bobbies on the beat".

Aberdeen first is confident that the initial fear that some lesser crimes will take longer to be investigated is a burden that will be short lived. Because we firmly believe that Grampian police are moving in a forward direction, and the reduction in crime due to actually having more officers on the beat will quickly offset any initial delays in investigating lesser crimes.

Hopefully the knock on effect of this reduction in crime will be that even more officers will be available to go on the beat. A win win situation especially if this is backed up with longer and tougher sentences for criminals, tougher sentences along with a more visible police presence will act as a deterrent.

It's good and reassuring as a local to see Grampian Police leading the way in giving us safer communities. Maybe other Police forces across the country will take note.

Support our police in the fight against crime. You can visit the Grampian Police site here.

or telephone 0845- 600- 5-700.

Council To Axe Nursery Places

Parents in Aberdeen are outraged after it was revealed all full time nursery places provided by Aberdeen City Council are too be axed as part of proposed £27 million budget cuts. A total of 148 children will lose their full time sessions.
A council spokesman today confirmed that nurseries were the latest victims of budget cuts. The spokesman stated "that all of the 2,838 youngsters who receive pre-school education will have a nursery place but not a full time one".
The government currently pays for all part time nursery places, at the moment the 148 children in full time nursery do not pay any fees. This in its self raises some questions that need to be answered.

1. Do the children with full time places actually cost the council anymore money, given that the staff are already in place.
2. Do these children cause, others to miss having a place at nursery.
3. Is it fair that some children have been getting full time nursery places while others don't. Enabling some families to have two incomes coming in as both parents are able to work without cost.
4. Leading on from 3, if a child is at full time nursery, surely the government save money on reduced payments as regards children's tax credits, as the parents will be paying no, or reduced child care payments.

Their are many questions to this issue but the main one must be that families who were given full time nursery places, have probably centred their work life on having full time nursery places, and if like many families they depend on both wages to provide the money needed to pay for mortgages and other essentials the possible loss of part or possibly a full wage could be devastating to that families.
Surely a fairer option would be to allow these 148 children to finish their full time nursery and progress on to primary one. This would take away any unnecessary hardship that may be inflicted on these families.
The council could then take the full time places away, (although it would be interesting to see how much money would be saved if at all) which on the basis of fairness seems to be the right decision, as part time nursery is the only choice the other 2,700 pupils have. And Aberdeen First believe that Fairness must be one of the priorities of local government.

It just seems fair that all children receive the same education and start in life. Perhaps Aberdeen City Council should have done this from the start.

Doonies Farm To Close

Some of the wonderful friendly animals at Doonies rare breed farm.

Doonies Farm Aberdeen is a rare breeds farm and model farm at the village of Cove just outside Torry, Aberdeen. Doonies Farm is the home to the largest collection of rare breeds of sheep, goats and cows within Scotland and works with the Rare Breed Survival Trust (RBST) to preserve many rare breeds such as the Gloucester and White Park cow and bull. Doonies Farm in Aberdeen breed their own livestock to either keep at the farm or sell throughout the United Kingdom so that farmers can continue to breed from the rare stock.
Doonies farm offers a rare hand’s on experience for children, and if visiting at the right time of the day children get to bottle feed calves and sheep as well as helping the friendly staff feed the other animals.
The real life experience offered to visitors, young and old is something that is becoming rarer in these times of computer games and consoles.
Doonies farm is one of the last bastions of what life is really like in rural Scotland that is accessible to the public. What Doonies offers cannot be measured in monetary terms, the delight in children’s faces as they get to meet close up animals that they may have only previously seen in books or on the television is priceless.
So it is with a sense of disbelief and anger that I write this on the day that Aberdeen Council has announced that Doonies will close as part of a £30 million cost cutting exercise. Doonies has been hit along with other vital services and sports facilities.
Remembering that this is from the council that has spent £30 million on consultants over the last three years, and that this is the council that is planning to spend hundreds of thousands building traveller sites, and almost £2 million on English classes for none English speaking children who have newly arrived in the UK.
The Councils priorities seem not to be with local tax payers who should expect the same level of services and facilities that previous generations have enjoyed. Failure to provide this rests fully at the council’s door, and they should perhaps look in-house for the savings that are required. Because as it stands at the moment they have failed the citizens of Aberdeen. You can read about the planned closures here.

Council's shock bid to save £30m

Aberdeen’s Renowned Maritime Museum, At Risk From Council Cuts

Sports centres, museums and swimming pools all face the axe under plans to save Aberdeen City Council £30 million. You can read the article here.

Although the city is due a £3.3m bonus from the Scottish Government for agreeing to freeze council tax, the report from city chamberlain Susan Cooper has said the council needs to reduce spending across the board. Officials have been told £25m needs to be saved.
These savings will hit at the heart of our city, with many vital services and sports facilities in the firing line for either closure or reductions in services.

Cuts, closures and increases in charges recommended can be found at the link here

The list on the above link above is barbaric in its reading, almost every group in society will be hit hard, the young the elderly, the disabled, the workers who will lose their job’s, and the wider public who will have to live in a dirtier, less welcoming city, with fewer services.
Aberdeen First would like to ask why such drastic slash and burn cost cutting measures have not had to be introduced in the past, could it be that the last few council administrations have been guilty of gross mismanagement of tax payer’s money.
When you consider that over the last three years Aberdeen City Council has spent £29.7 million on outside advisors.
Taxpayers must be asking themselves why, various council department managers and directors who draw large salaries can’t do the jobs they are paid for. The figure of almost £30 million for advice is obscene, Aberdeen First will be asking for a complete breakdown of who this money was paid out to and why. We would also like to ask why council officials are unable to make decisions that they are paid to do.
Perhaps by using outside agencies at tax payers expense, they remove all element of responsibility from their own shoulders when making decisions. If this is the case surely they are not up to the task of doing the job they are employed to do.

If like Aberdeen First you have questions that need answered, leave a comment or get in contact with firstaberdeen@btinternet.com

Welcome to the Aberdeen First blog

This blog has been established by concerned citizens and community campaigners in the Granite City who feel let down by the political establishment.

It is our hope that this blog will help give a voice to those like us who feel their views are not being listened to and maybe even be a catalyst for change.

Our goals are simple. We want to put local people first in education, health, housing and jobs. We want an end to political correctness and the squandering of taxpayers money on things which don't benefit local people directly.

We love our city and we will do our level best to promote what is positive as much as we'll be speaking out against the negative.

Initially there will be sections on our culture and heritage, education and enterprise, local news and media, politics and government (i.e Aberdeen Council and the work of our MSPs and MPs) and local sport and recreation, but everything that happens in the city can and should be of concern to her citizens and other sections may be added in time.

If there is an issue or story you want us to cover please do get in touch and let's see what we can do to make life better in Aberdeen for Aberdonians!