Windmills / SIC Cut Backs

[croftygair]

I see on Shetnews that School closures are on the cards again and I suppose we can expect other services in the future to also be at risk.

But why I thought we are going to make millions on the windmills surely all cuts can be knocked on the head. And we'll also be able to afford Mareel.????????

[Dratsy]

yeah you would of thought so.

[unlinkedstudent]

It is about time all this Trust nonsense was knocked on the head. Given the amount of hours spent on admin, etc., is it really so bad to pay some tax?

 

Some might then argue that we wouldn't get so much dosh from the Scottish Government but given that we are a rich Local Authority, do we really get that much anyway?

 

I don't know all the ins and outs but surely if these Trusts were not in existence, the Council would be in a position to spend more in certain areas (Albeit not housing because I understand you can only spend on housing what you raise through rents, etc., - but perhaps an additional housing association could be created?)

 

We are in the situation where whilst we can apply for under the Freedom of Information Act for access to information relating to the Council, the same cannot be said for the Trusts.

[trowie246]

I see on Shetnews that School closures are on the cards again and I suppose we can expect other services in the future to also be at risk.

But why I thought we are going to make millions on the windmills surely all cuts can be knocked on the head. And we'll also be able to afford Mareel.????????

 

It's the Charitable Trust who have the share in VE, not the SIC, so presumably any profits gained can only be spent on things over and above what a local authority have to provide ie. education. So any income from VE won't be spent on school revenue but there was talk of the Charitable Trust building a new AHS then it being leased back to the SIC.

 

This is the problem with the money from the VE project as I understand it, correct me if I'm wrong, but it won't save schools from closure but it WILL support Mareel, as the Charitable Trust supports the Shetland Arts Trust and also the Shetland Recreational Trust, so the leisure centres will be safe as well. The money being given directly to the communities as some sort of compensation as well I imagine will only be able to be spent on certain things, how many local hall refurbishments/extensions can be done? What exactly is all these millions of pounds going to be spent on?

[PressedCurdsOfMilk]

Maybe if Viking Energy had carried out a health impact assessment (let alone a socio economic impact assessment, including impact on properties) then we might have information which would help properly direct the spending of these "millions".

[Dratsy]

OK so I get it now the vaunted income from the windfarm will be of little or no benefit to the vast majority of Shelties (oops thats racist I meant Shetlanders) but the same old names ie Grains, Goodlad, Anderson etc will be able to keep their snouts in the trough for a while longer.

Why wasn't it explained like that to me before for gods sake build the thing I would hate to think of those poor folks having to spend their own money on their latest doomed business venture.

My god AT your socialist principles have been upheld I hope you are happy

[Redrobbie99]

Its not just the windmills what about all the money the SIC is going to rake in from the gas plants production dues said to be worth hundreds of millions.This time they seem to have got it right the levy being linked to the value of a barrel of gas not the daft 1p a barrel of oil from sullom.Just imagine if it also been linked to the real value of oil the SIC would be awash with cash.

[Kavi Ugl]

I see prospective councillor Andrea Manson is conducting a referendum on the windfarm on facebook. I feel this is/could be a little skewed because many people are not on fb but are against the windfarm.

 

As someone pointed out to me yesterday, they're not particularly for or against it but the information and behaviour by VE is so poor and muddied that they can't make a reasoned decision.

 

An example the person gave was in relation to the proximity of the turbines to houses. If a turbine is not supposed to be sited within 2km of a house then surely that is that - so how come many of the turbines are alledgedly within that distance?.

[Dratsy]

Its not just the windmills what about all the money the SIC is going to rake in from the gas plants production dues said to be worth hundreds of millions.This time they seem to have got it right the levy being linked to the value of a barrel of gas not the daft 1p a barrel of oil from sullom.Just imagine if it also been linked to the real value of oil the SIC would be awash with cash.

 

I think it was a penny a tonne of oil, negotiated by Ian Clark who went on to employment with Britoil, then in their wisdom the SIC decided to hire his son. remember we only got 70 million from the oil companies the rest was made on the stock market. so much was made on the stock market that pigs have had their snouts in the trough for 30 years and we still have more than the original 70 mil but that is all about to change

[hairyian]

 

An example the person gave was in relation to the proximity of the turbines to houses. If a turbine is not supposed to be sited within 2km of a house then surely that is that - so how come many of the turbines are alledgedly within that distance?.

 

I suspect it is the difference between a recommendation distance and regulation distance. So, it may be recommended that you don't live closer than 2 km to these things, but it is not illegal to do so.

[paulb]

its not 2km from the nearest house. its recommended that they dont build them closer to 2km of towns or areas of high housing density. this is only a guide not law.

[trowie246]

its not 2km from the nearest house. its recommended that they dont build them closer to 2km of towns or areas of high housing density. this is only a guide not law.

 

So basically, according to this rather vague guideline, if you live out in the sticks you're stuffed. Soonds joost aboot right.

[unlinkedstudent]

Within the judicial system, many Guidelines are actually accepted as being 'law' - it would be pointless to have say, for example, guidelines relating to Health & Safety matters or say guidelines pertaining to the schools admission system if they were not enforceable.

 

Cases have been won in the High Court relating to schools admissions policy that have been in breach of such guidelines.

 

So whilst you may be of the opinion that they are not 'law', they are, in fact, referred to when cases go to Court with the Judges usually regarding them as 'law'.

[Ironwithin]

Most folk I know seem to be for the windfarm but a lot of cases are scared to say so in public as there is a very vocal minority against it who do not take kindly in a lot of cases if you think the opposite.

 

Everyone up here is used to a very high cost provision of amenities and the Council/Charitable Trust doing everything. There is having to be cuts and see what a song and dance people are making about even small cuts, I dont know where they think the money for all this is going to come from in the future unless we do something like the windfarm. Oil is a good example that there were a vocal group against at the time, but nearly everyone has to say now thank God it did!

[Carlos]

Guidelines are there to help you cover your legal duties, but not following them does not automatically mean you have broken a law, you may have covered your legal duties by a means not laid out in the guidelines.