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Friday, 30th July 2010

 
Mound Notes
In this week’s column John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, talks about the Borders railway project and unemployment in the region.

AS many of you will have noticed over the last week the issue of the proposed Borders Railway line has been heavily featured in the news.
The project currently has an estimated cost of £300 million and would see the line going from Edinburgh down the Galashiels. This is a large amount of money and represents a significant investment in the transport infrastructure of the Borders.
I believe that this investment should not detract attention though from other local transport services. There is a danger that it could cause funding to be diverted away from other public transport improvements and investment in roads across the region.
For the people in Berwickshire, this proposed investment will have little impact as most will continue to use the East Coast main line. If we were to improve the other public transport services and the roads across the Borders it would have a positive impact on everyone.
In a recent survey conducted into the Borders Railway, it was clear that there was broad support for better public transport links and road improvements.
There was also great frustration that the railway will not go further to Hawick and link with the West Coast main line.
The SNP government has claimed that the railway project will help the whole of the Borders but I know that many feel the current proposals will only assist the communities in the central Borders around Galashiels.
It is vital that other transport improvements are not neglected in the drive to build the railway to Galashiels.
With the legacy of debt that the last Labour government has left the nation in, it is important that spending is not wasted and should go to helping as many people as possible. With imminent spending cuts to come, this £300 million investment is perhaps a luxury for the time being when other frontline services are under threat.
Recent unemployment figures have shown that there has been a 9,000 increase in Scotland over the past 3 months, against a 34,000 drop across the UK.
This is very disappointing and now creates, more than ever, the need for the UK government and the Scottish government to work together to try and help the private sector create new jobs.
The last 13 years of Labour government have left the national economy in a desperate position. Scotland has relied to heavily on the public sector for employment in the past and it is now the time to try and create an environment to help support new and small businesses.
Over the past few weeks I have been conducting a tour round my constituency stopping off at over 60 villages and towns.
The response has been brilliant and it has been wonderful to meet so many people as well as see some familiar faces. It is the part of my job which I enjoy the most and has been good to get some good feed back from every one who came to see me.
The main issues raised on my tour have been the dualling of the A1, the Borders railway, job losses, the economy and post office closures. I have taken on board all that was said and will do my utmost to address each issue.
If you were unable to come to see me for whatever reason and would like to get into contact with me please do not hesitate to do so. My constituency office is located at 25 Hawick High street and is open through the week and the phone number for that is 01450 375 948. View older pages
 
 

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