Tag: petition

Backlash as BBC announces River City to come to an end in 2026

EQUITY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO SAVE SCOTTISH SOAP

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

BBC Scotland will be saying a fond farewell to long-running drama series, River City and the residents of Shieldinch next year after more than 20 years on screen. The drama, which has entertained audiences since 2002, will air its final series in Autumn 2026.

Reflecting a ‘significant change in audience behaviour away from long-running series and towards shorter runs’, the BBC will make a considerable boost in major drama productions set across Scotland, moving the River City investment, starting with three new series – Counsels, Grams and The Young Team.

As well as these new titles, popular drama Granite Harbour will return for a third series, filming in Aberdeen and Glasgow in the coming months. Also making a return is Shetland for its tenth series and Vigil for a third series, while the previously announced eight-part drama, Mint, is filming in Scotland. Combined, these dramas will bring a greater range of stories written by Scots, about Scotland and made in Scotland for a UK-wide audience. 

Forming part of the single biggest investment in drama from Scotland in the past decade, these new dramas – along with existing commissions – will create new opportunities across the independent sector. Total investment in BBC drama from Scotland over the next three years is expected to rise to over £95m cumulatively (2026-28).

Counsels, Grams and The Young Team were ordered by Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland and Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. 

The BBC will also work with industry partners on a new talent training plan in Scotland. A new framework for training will build on River City’s successful training academy and the ongoing work on other series to elevate individuals in to senior creative roles as well as supporting and developing production crews. Further details will be announced in the autumn.

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Hayley Valentine, Director, BBC Scotland says: “River City has been a wonderful adventure and of course we’ll all be sad to see it go. The team have done a brilliant job and I know they have some big plans for the finale next year.

!But as viewing patterns change and competition intensifies, this is the right time to invest in the next generation of high-impact drama series from across Scotland showcasing storytelling across the UK.

“Our goal is to grow Scotland further on the global drama map – with a slate of world-class productions that set the standard not just here but internationally too.”

Louise Thornton Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland: “We are incredibly proud of River City and it is with great sadness that we have come to this difficult decision. 

“I want to thank the River City team in front of and behind the cameras for their dedication to the show over the years, past and present.

“For more than two decades, River City has brought drama to life on screen as well as offering industry training at grassroots level, and we know that fans of the programme will be really sad to see it go.

“The show leaves a tremendous legacy behind and the new productions we’ve announced will offer further opportunities. However, the media landscape is changing at pace and, as audience viewing habits change, it’s vital we respond to this.

“Our three new dramas, alongside the returning drama favourites, reflect the increasing shift in audience demand for series rooted in Scotland which play to audiences across the UK … and beyond.

“We’re delighted to be working with such great production teams and remain steadfast in our commitment to invest in Scotland’s creative industry.”

The new Scottish drama titles are:

Counsels (Balloon Entertainment)

8×60’ – BBC iPlayer / BBC One / BBC Scotland

Counsels is an original high-stakes legal drama co-created by Scottish writers Bryan Elsley (The Crow Road, Skins) and BBC Writers’ Drama Room graduate Gillian McCormack.

Set and filmed in and around Glasgow, Counsels follows five young lawyers who once trained together at one of Scotland’s elite law schools but are now scattered across the profession and find themselves facing each other in the courts of Glasgow.

Some will rise to the top, while others risk losing everything as their careers teeter on the edge when they lock horns in their biggest cases yet.

The ambitious lawyers must navigate a legal battlefield where their friendships begin to fracture, love affairs crumble, and the fight for justice threatens to tear them all apart.

Grams (World Productions)

6×60’ – BBC iPlayer / BBC One / BBC Scotland

Grams is a darkly comic thriller created, written and directed by the RTS award-winning James Price (Dog Days, Boys Night), Grams is set in Springburn, Glasgow, where James was born and still lives.

Following the death of her beloved grandson Michael, widowed Glaswegian Thana becomes the target of a violent local gang, who Michael apparently crossed.

Thana finds salvation in the form of Connor, a volatile friend of Michael’s with serious anger issues. Grams will see Thana and Connor form an unlikely partnership, as they seek the truth of what really happened to Michael.

The Young Team (Synchronicity Films)

6×60’ – BBC iPlayer / BBC Three/ BBC Scotland

The Young Team is the scripted debut from one of Scotland’s most exciting voices in literature, Graeme Armstrong.

The series is adapted from Graeme’s best-selling and award-winning debut novel of the same name and is set and filmed in North Lanarkshire.

Fifteen-year-old Azzy Williams and his pals roam the streets of Airdrie on a Friday night, bottles of Buckfast in hand and techno playing from tinny speakers. Azzy is ready. Ready to smoke, pop pills, drink wine and fight.

He longs to become fully initiated into local gang the Young Team Posse (YTP). But when Azzy, determined to prove himself, makes a bold move, a brutal gang conflict ensues with Azzy very firmly at its heart. 

The Young Team will follow Azzy on his journey from boyhood to manhood as he and his mates become postcode warriors in a toxic cycle that threatens to consume them. An unflinching look at the realities of addiction and gang violence, this ambitious series will tell a powerful, visceral story about the realities of life for young, disenfranchised people and the fight for a different future. 

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: “Audience habits are changing and we are responding to that with these plans for three brilliant new dramas made in Scotland.

“BBC viewers love truly authentic stories and we are committed to creating high-impact content from across the UK, so that we can better reflect and represent every part of the country.

“The success of the long running Shetland, coupled with the return of Vigil and Granite Harbour, is a testament to the strength of talent we have in Scotland and we look forward to seeing our three new shows come to life alongside these hugely popular returners.”

The BBC says these new commissions ‘will build on the BBC’s strong track record in drama production in Scotland including award-winning series Guilt and Mayflies, and ratings hits Rebus and Nightsleeper’. 

Richard Gadd’s new series Half Man has also started shooting in Scotland while the psychological thriller The Ridge starring Lauren Lyle will hit screens later this year. Filming on the new titles is expected from later this year and into 2026, with casting to be announced in due course.

Plans are underway to ensure River City goes out on a high next year, celebrating the show’s legacy. River City is a BBC Studios Drama Production.

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Equity, the UK performing arts & entertainment trade union, is urging the BBC to think again and has launched a petition to save the Scottish soap:

The BBC has shockingly announced they plan to cancel River City, one of Scotland’s most viewed and best loved TV shows.

River City attracts half a million viewers per episode and has an iconic status in Scottish TV culture. This decision is an attack on Scottish-made TV drama, Scottish TV workers, and the soap’s 500,000 loyal viewers.

Sign our petition to reverse the cut and Save River City!

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Paul W Fleming, Equity General Secretary, called the move “short-sighted” and a “disaster for Scottish television”, saying the move would have a disproportionately negative impact on Scottish performers – many of whom get their first TV job on River City – and the wider Scottish to production landscape.

‘The £9 million annual budget is excellent value for money given the hours of programming produced throughout the year for a successful show pulling in a regular audience of 500,000 per episode. 

‘The Glasgow-based show is well-loved by Scottish audiences, enjoys strong ratings, and won ‘Best Drama’ at the RTS Scotland 2023 awards. It is the only domestic Scottish soap running on TV and outperforms other TV series by more than 2.5 times. It provides work for dozens of Scottish actors every year. River City is thriving and successful in its current format.

‘There is no way that the BBC can replace the level of investment and job creation that River City provides to the Scottish economy and Scottish culture sector. Any alternative proposals the BBC offers will inevitably hurt Scottish culture workers and and TV production. 

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Sign our petition now to reverse the cut and save jobs.

Ian Murray MP demands urgent action on GP crisis in Edinburgh South

Ian Murray, MP for Edinburgh South, has renewed calls for urgent action by the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian to tackle the worsening crisis in South Edinburgh GP services, as residents continue to face unacceptable delays in accessing care.

Constituents regularly report waiting hours on the phone to get appointments, with many surgeries unable to register new patients due to severe capacity issues. 

The rapid expansion of new housing developments in South East Edinburgh without the necessary investment in healthcare infrastructure is exacerbating the situation. 

Ian Murray has raised these concerns directly with NHS Lothian, and has met with the leadership teams of under-pressure GP practices, to discuss what support they need. 

Over 3000 local residents have signed Ian Murray’s petition demanding action.

Ian Murray MP said: “GP services in Edinburgh South are at breaking point. Residents are spending hours on the phone just to get through to their surgery, only to be told they’ll have to wait weeks for an appointment. Meanwhile, new housing estates are being built without the infrastructure to support the growing population. Our community cannot be left without access to vital healthcare.

“The incredible doctors, nurses, and staff in our local practices are working tirelessly, but they are being let down by a failure to plan for demand. Following the record funding settlement given to the Scottish Government by the UK Government in the budget last year, this is unacceptable. The Scottish Government must act now to expand GP capacity, allocate the necessary resources to NHS Lothian, and ensure new developments are built alongside proper infrastructure and healthcare provision.”

Ian Murray has also welcomed Anas Sarwar’s recent announcement of Scottish Labour’s plans to reform the NHS and end the “8am rush” at GP surgeries by revising the GP contract, ensuring patients can get timely appointments. 

“These plans offer real, practical solutions to fix our broken NHS and ensure people in Edinburgh South can access the care they need when they need it – representing the biggest reform of the NHS in decades.

“The Scottish Government has failed to get a grip on this crisis – Scottish Labour will.”

Ian Murray is encouraging residents to share their experiences of GP access and has launched a petition to demand better services. He vowed to continue pressing for improvements and holding the Scottish Government to account.

Residents have said: 

“I’m registered at a surgery in Gilmerton. I try to get through at 8 am to get an appointment, but even just a call back is impossible. By the time I get through, all appointments are gone for the day. Been trying almost 2 weeks now and never can get through.” 

“I have a chronic illness, and getting a GP appointment is virtually impossible. The stress of not being able to prebook an appointment and having to call at 8am relentlessly, normally around at least a 100 redials and then to be told there is no appointment available because they only have 1 doctor available that day and they are full, is intolerable.”

“Being a new mum I haven’t got the time to be sitting about waiting for phone calls all day. I haven’t been able to get through to our GP in over a month now for an appointment.  It’s really concerning when I have a 1 year old daughter and can’t get appointments for her.“

Constituents who wish to share their experiences can contact Ian Murray’s office at ian.Murray.MP@parliament.uk. 

The petitions are available at: 

https://www.ianmurraymp.com/edinburgh-south/2021/10/05/edinburgh-gp-crisis/ https://www.ianmurraymp.com/build-better-places/ 

Millennium Centre Funding Crisis: Public Meeting Tonight

COUNCILLORS MISSING BUT LIFT COMMUNITY MEETING GOES AHEAD

It is looking like NO councillors will attend but Peter, Brenda, Stacey and hopefully our chair will be on the panel to take and answer your questions the best they can, we will take a list of your questions and make sure they are sent to the relevant department within the council or to the councillors

We will have a petition to request the centre receives at least one years funding to help us to stay open.

We have been told that the budget is already set in stone but we are asking for any monies left from the 24/25 budget as we already know we wouldn’t be even a thought in the new 25/26 budget

We have been told this isn’t possible but two years ago funding was found for us so we don’t see why they can’t do this again

If you can come along to the meeting please do – and sign our petition!

Thank you

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Age Scotland: Sign our Winter Fuel Payment Petition

We strongly oppose the decision to restrict #WinterFuelPayment eligibility to only those in receipt of Pension Credit as it means 89% of Scottish pensioners will go without this vital support to stay warm this winter.

Support our ongoing campaign at http://age.scot/saveWFP.

BUTTERFLY EMERGENCY!

Big Butterfly Count results reveal lowest numbers on record

  • Butterfly Conservation calls on Government to declare a ‘Nature Emergency’ and act now by banning toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, before it’s too late
  • Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2024 saw the lowest number of butterflies spotted per Count in its 14-year history
  • A third of species had their worst year on record ever
  • More than 9,000 Big Butterfly Counts reported not seeing a single butterfly

Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has today declared a national ‘Butterfly Emergency’, with results of this summer’s Big Butterfly Count showing a marked and hugely concerning decline in numbers.

Overall, participants spotted just seven butterflies on average per 15-minute Count, a reduction of almost 50% on last year’s average of 12, and the lowest in the 14-year history of the Big Butterfly Count.

It was the worst summer in the Count’s history for Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Scotch Argus. And the majority of species (81%) showed declines in the number seen this year compared with 2023.

In total, just over 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths were recorded across the UK from 12 July – 4 August, down almost 600,000, equivalent to more than a third of 2023’s total, and 9,000 Counts were logged as seeing zero butterflies, the highest in the citizen science programme’s history.

These figures have alarmed scientists and resulted in the charity declaring a nationwide ‘Butterfly Emergency’.

Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, said: “The previous lowest average number of butterflies per Count was nine in 2022, this latest figure is 22% lower than that, which is very disturbing.

“Not just that, but a third of the species recorded in the Big Butterfly Count have had their worst year on record, and no species had their best. The results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies.

“Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know that the wider environment is in trouble too. Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations.”

Butterfly Conservation is writing an open letter to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, calling for the Government to act now for nature by declaring a ‘Nature Emergency’ and banning butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides once and for all, with no exceptions, before it’s too late.

Dr Fox explains: “When used on farmland, these chemicals make their way into the wild plants growing at field edges, resulting in adult butterflies and moths drinking contaminated nectar and caterpillars feeding on contaminated plants.

Many European countries have already banned these chemicals, it’s time for the UK to follow suit and put the natural world first. If we don’t act now to address the long-term drivers of butterfly decline, we will face extinction events never before seen in our lifetime.”

More than 85,000 citizen scientists took part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count this year, submitting 143,241 Counts. This is equivalent to 35,810 hours, or four years worth of time spent counting, in gardens, parks, school grounds and the countryside.

Dr Richard Fox concluded: “If every single person who helped with the Count this summer signs our letter to the Government, we could prevent the very real and pressing threat of species becoming extinct in our lifetime.”

To sign Butterfly Conservation’s letter to the Government asking them to declare a ‘Nature Emergency’ and ban butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides visit: https://butterfly-conservation.org/emergency

Signing closes on Sunday 13 October 2024. 

To find out more about Butterfly Conservation visit: https://butterfly-conservation.org/ 

BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT RESULTS 2024

Species results in the UK – Big Butterfly Count 2024

Next year’s Big Butterfly Count will take place from Friday 18 July – Sunday 10 August 2025.

UK Totals

BBC 2024: UKAbundanceAverage per count% change from 202314-year trend(bold = statistically significant)
1Gatekeeper190,4131.5-18-32%
2Meadow Brown177,8441.46-15%
3Large White138,4241.1-382%
4Small White112,8140.9-46-19%
5Peacock50,8470.4-67-30%
6Red Admiral47,1090.4-8228%
7Ringlet44,2780.385-47%
8Speckled Wood30,1120.2-2-38%
9Comma24,4980.2-52-20%
10Green-veined White18,9510.1-24-65%
11Six-spot Burnet18,1020.188–
12Marbled White17,9220.1101-18%
13Small Copper13,9620.1-3048%
14Small Tortoiseshell12,4320.1-74-59%
15Common Blue9,7550.1-69-52%
16Brimstone8,6220.1-53-18%
17Holly Blue7,0900.1-8036%
18Painted Lady4,1700.03-669%
19Silver Y4,1010.03-30–
20Jersey Tiger3,4960.03-29–
21Scotch Argus4990.004-61–
 Totals935,4417-40–

Note:

Ringlet, Marbled White and Six-spot Burnet appeared to have fared well in the Big Butterfly Count this year compared to 2023, however, this was due to their peak flight periods coinciding with the count. Over the course of the whole summer, these species also seem to have fared worse than usual.

To account for annual variation in flight periods, which are heavily influenced by the weather, Butterfly Conservation has produced a fourteen-year trend (2011–2024) for Big Butterfly Count species which can be seen in the results table. 

This shows that although these species fared well this year, the long-term picture for the two butterfly species is very different. Over the last 14 years Ringlet has declined by 47% and Marbled White by 18%.

Overall, the 14-year trends show that 11 species (65%) are declining, and three species (18%) are increasing, these are Red Admiral, Holly Blue and Small Copper.

Winter Fuel Payment: Protecting the poorest ‘was a lie’

A Freedom of Information request made by financial journalist, broadcaster, and speaker PAUL LEWIS has revealed the likely impact of cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment.

Mr Lewis says the DWP response (below) that shows the Labour government knew:

* 1.6m disabled pensioners would lose winter fuel payment

* 780,000 of the poorest pensioners who were entitled still would not get it – so ‘protecting the poorest’ was a lie.

* 2.7m over-80s would lose £300.

FOI-Paul-LewisDownload

Creative Scotland’s Open Fund: Sign the petition!

1500 folk signed already! “We are the people of Scotland. We live and work here. We value the arts and the artists who make it.”

Please sign and share if you live in Scotland and value the arts:

http://bit.ly/4dyphen

Independent producer Mairi Robinson’s letter reads:

Open Letter to Scottish Government, on the closing of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Individuals

Listen to this letter here: https://on.soundcloud.com/3zuSaySKzEnftzJL8 

We, the undersigned, are artists, arts workers, and/or audience members from across Scotland. We are the people of Scotland. We live and work here. We value the arts and the artists who make it.

We are writing to you about the closure of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Individuals, due to the Scottish Government being unable to confirm the release of £6.6 million of funding from the Grant-in-Aid budget. This decision shocks and deeply concerns us, and places the future of the arts in Scotland at risk.  

The Open Fund for Individuals is the cornerstone of the arts in Scotland. It is the only fund of its kind to support artists to lead projects, develop their practice, support their professional development and collaborate with other artists and/or communities.

One grant awarded to an individual provides meaningful employment, creative development, allows space for artistic risk and experimentation. Many of these grants support multiple artists and arts workers through paid job opportunities. Grants for individuals can also support organisations through the filling of theatres, galleries and music festivals. 

One grant can kickstart or extend a career, allow an artist to present their work to the public, develop a new stream of income, develop their entrepreneurial and business skills. Take artworks to market and present for Scottish audiences, leading to international tours and commercial successes. They provide a training ground for the arts leaders of tomorrow, allowing artists to skill up through experience of running their own projects and developing new networks.    

One grant can place artists in schools, in care homes, working 1-to-1 with folk who do not like a crowd, or with whole communities at a time, and bring a multitude of positive personal, social and wellbeing benefits. It can reduce isolation and bring people together. It can inspire and delight. It can help people find their voice, and see their experiences and stories represented. 

The Open Fund for Individuals has an enormous impact. It is a lifeline for artists and arts workers. Beyond the individual grants and their benefits, its existence also means an enormous amount to people across Scotland, because it supports people who are not independently wealthy to be artists. It tells us that we have a right to creativity and the arts, a right to joy and wellbeing, and a right to emotion and expression. 

Without the fund, the future is bleak, and bleakest for those who are isolated and marginalised by income, geography, race, class, age, faith, caring responsibilities, gender, sex, sexuality, or disability. Those who do not have savings to fall back on, family support to sustain them, or who have to work harder to bring their work to audiences are at risk of being unable to sustain a career in the arts. The loss of these talents and perspectives in the arts leaves us all poorer.

The arts in Scotland contribute £5bn annually to the economy but they are now at breaking point. We cannot continue without direct support for our artists, arts workers & self employed people. The damage to the arts caused by the closure of the fund is immediate and long lasting. Cut it now, and it could take a generation to build back.

We urge you to fund the reopening of the Open Fund for Individuals as a matter of urgency. We ask that you provide clear guidance on the in-year and future annual budgets so that the arts in Scotland can begin to plan, develop ideas, build upon past successes and deliver a vibrant future for us all.   

[Please sign with your first name, last name and postcode at the bottom of the document]

[If you’re having trouble accessing this document, please email mharirobinson@gmail.com with your name and post code and I will add you in] 

YOU CAN ADD YOUR NAME TO THE PETITION HERE:

http://bit.ly/4dyphen

Traverse Theatre statement on closure of the Open Fund

The Scottish theatre community is in need of support more than ever in light of the cuts to arts funding. Gareth Nicholls, Artistic Director of the Traverse, said last night:

“We at the Traverse wanted to use our platform to the world on the final day of the festival to make you aware of this, and of the significant impact funding cuts are having on our nation’s artists and theatres.

“New work in Scotland doesn’t come from nothing. And one of the key ways this has been achieved is through an open fund where an individual artist can ask for money when their idea is but a seed.

“The open fund is the incubator for Scottish work, but Creative Scotland has been forced to close the fund at 2pm on Friday. It will be closed indefinitely, due to the Scottish Government being unable to confirm funding for its delivery.

“Many on our stages, and whose work you’ve enjoyed at the festivals, have been dependent upon it, alongside wider arts subsidy. It is a fund that helps build careers and craft to get an idea off the ground, and which helps places like the Traverse keep our theatres alive with bold new ideas.

“If you enjoy seeing Scottish work right here in Scotland, then please continue to support the artists who make the powerful work that appears our stages.”

Further information can be found at www.campaignforthearts.org

UK Government decision ends universal fuel payments for Scots

Scottish Government left with “no choice” following funding cut

Plans to means-test Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales will see the Scottish Government’s funding cut by up to £160 million.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has confirmed the Scottish Government therefore has ‘no alternative’ but to replicate the decision in Scotland and restrict payments to pensioners who receive eligible benefits.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Despite all efforts to review our financial position we have been left with no choice but to follow the UK Government and restrict payments to older people who receive relevant eligible benefits.

“This is a necessary decision when faced with such a deep cut to our funding and in the most challenging financial circumstances since devolution. The reduction we are facing amounts to as much as 90% of the cost of Scotland’s replacement benefit, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

“Given the UK Government’s decision to restrict payments to those in receipt of means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, and the implications for the Scottish Government detailed above, I have urged the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to undertake a benefits take-up campaign for Pension Credit and to move forward with plans for a social energy tariff.

“Both of these measures will provide some further protection to energy customers in greatest need.”

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes commented:

Scottish Parliament: Written answer

Age Scotland: Winter Fuel Payment decision ‘brutal’ for Scottish pensioners

Age Scotland is continuing to urge the UK government to reconsider plans to scrap the winter fuel payment for pensioners who do not receive pension credit.

The charity has responded to news that, following the UK Government’s plans to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment, the Scottish Government will have no alternative but to replicate the decision in Scotland.

Age Scotland’s Policy Director, Adam Stachura, said: “It’s infuriating that huge numbers of older people will miss out on the vital Winter Fuel Payment when it is devolved to Scotland.

“We recognise the financial challenge the Scottish Government would face to make up the shortfall to keep the payment universal, but we desperately hoped there could be a more effective delivery of this payment and that it could have looked more generous than the UK Government’s new, and meagre, approach.

“At minimum, a quarter of a million pensioners in Scotland on the lowest incomes or living in fuel poverty will no longer receive this vital financial support over the winter months, while hundreds of thousands more on modest incomes are going to struggle with their energy bills even more than normal as a result.

“This brutal decision by the UK Government was made too fast, cuts too deep and its impact will be severe. It’s important that they rethink this move, as it has a huge impact on the devolution of social security and the needs of Scottish pensioners who live in some of the coldest homes in the UK.”

Visit www.age.scot/SaveWFP to sign Age Scotland’s petition to save the Winter Fuel Payment. 

MSPs join residents to demand a new Winchburgh Train Station

Foysol Choudhury MSP has joined Winchburgh residents outside the Scottish Parliament to deliver a petition addressed to Minister Jim Fairlie, calling on the Scottish Government to name a date for a new train station for Winchburgh.

Winchburgh is an expanding West Lothian community, with Winchburgh Developments Ltd delivering thousands of new homes and some new schools. However, a train station has not been delivered, as a new railway station was not a condition of planning permission.

As a result, homeowners in Winchburgh have been left without commuter links to Glasgow and Edinburgh, leading to a campaign to get the station built.

Foysol Choudhury, Labour MSP for Lothian, has been pursuing the issue on behalf of constituents for almost 2 years and has addressed the issue in the Scottish Parliament with Ministers, as well as making enquiries with other stakeholders such as the Council, local councillors and the Developers.

Yesterday the Labour Lothians list MSP joined the residents of Winchburgh outside the Scottish Parliament to call for action from the Scottish Government and deliver the petition addressed to Minister Jim Fairlie.

Following the rally outside Holyrood, Mr Choudhury said: “Winchburgh community have campaigned for many years for a much-needed train station and I have been raising this for almost 2 years at the Scottish Parliament.

“I was pleased to join the community today in delivering a petition for the Minister-it is time for the Scottish Government to take action, enough is enough.

“The Scottish Government needs to stop passing the buck and take responsibility for ensuring this much-needed and long-awaited station can finally be delivered.

“We must all work together to secure a station for the people of Winchburgh, who were sold homes on a belief it would be a commuter town.

“Instead, the Scottish Government do not seem to be taking these collaborative efforts to solve this important issue of clean and sustainable transport links for Winchburgh seriously.

“I am glad that other stakeholders, including MSPs, local councillors, the local community and the developers Winchburgh Developments Ltd, are instead taking this seriously where the Scottish Government are not.

“I am hopeful this petition and the clear strength of feeling from the community will lead to action from the Scottish Government – let’s get Winchburgh train station sorted!”

Mr Choudhury says he remains committed to continuing to pursue a new Winchburgh train station on behalf of all his constituents and will work with all relevant stakeholders possible to secure the station for his constituents.

Foysol Choudhury MSP’s video on the matter here: 

https://youtu.be/TeSkQ5ZuaSY?feature=shared