Tories start petition to get Moray's grass cut again
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Moray's MP has started a petition to get the council to start cutting the grass in public spaces cut again.
Douglas Ross says he is responding to the "anger, concern and disgust" conveyed to him by constituents in recent weeks about the abject state of many open areas.
He said: "Moray is the jewel in the crown of iconic and scenic areas in Scotland.
"However, after the decision by Moray Council not to cut the grass in parks and open spaces, the state of many of these areas leaves a lot to be desired.
"This budget cut has meant that great spaces for people to relax, play in and enjoy have become overgrown and unwieldy with grass and weeds several feet high, making it impossible to enjoy as a result of dog fouling, littering and increased incidents of animals and the public being infected with ticks.
"I’ve received a huge number of messages of concern, anger, frustration and indeed disgust.
"I have written to Moray Council about this issue many times now and in response I just get told grass cutting is not a statutory obligation of the council and they need to make cuts to meet their budget restrictions.
"This is all the more galling when the Scottish Government underspent their budget by £450m last year but the SNP still cut the funding for Moray Council and other local authorities.
"Having listened to local people who are understandably annoyed about the state of green spaces in the area, myself and the conservative group on the council have urged other councillors to re-consider this decision because of the damage it’s doing to local areas and Moray’s reputation.
"I hope as many people as possible will support the petition.
"Hopefully a strong response from local people will persuade Moray Council to reverse their decision by telling them that this was a ‘cut too far’."
Mr Ross' sentiments have been echoes by Jamie Halcro Johnson, the MSP whose Highlands and Islands constituency includes Moray.
He said: "Moray’s SNP administration is now desperately preparing local people for another wave of cuts to the already under pressure public services they rely on.
"At the same time as the SNP is starving councils like Moray of vital resources – a move which has seen school-crossing patrollers lost and grass-cutting services removed – the SNP in Edinburgh is sitting on an underspend of nearly half a billion pounds.
"Moray has suffered years of unfair financial settlements from the SNP Scottish Government. It’s time Moray Council’s SNP administration recognised that their colleagues in Edinburgh are making a political choice to force cuts on Moray.
"And it’s time Richard Lochhead ended his deafening silence on this subject, spoke up for his constituents, stood up against his own government and actually put the needs Moray first."
The petition can be found here
