Cllr Fraser Macpherson

Latest update from Friends of Wighton …

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:45:12 +0000

Ann Heymann

On Wednesday 1st February, the celebrated harpist Ann Heymann will be in Dundee for a special concert and workshop of ancient and historical Scottish and Irish harp music.

Ann is the world’s best known and most highly regarded historical Gaelic harp player. Based in Minnesota, USA, this is her first visit to Scotland for many years and the Friends of Wighton are delighted that she will be visiting Dundee to teach and perform in the Wighton Centre, upstairs in Dundee Central Library.

Ann will perform a lunchtime concert on Wednesday 1st February from 1.15pm to 1.45pm. The concert will be performed on a beautiful, craftsman- made replica of the medieval Scottish “Lamont” harp with strings of brass, silver and solid gold wire, and will feature music from medieval times through to the 18th century traditions. Since the 1st of February is St Bride’s or St. Bridget’s day, Ann will also perform medieval music associated with this ancient Celtic saint. Admission to the concert is free.

After the concert, from 2pm, she will present a demonstration and masterclass, which provides a chance for any harpists to bring their instruments and get some inspiring tuition from one of the world’s masters; this is also a chance for anyone interested in the old Gaelic traditions to stay in the audience and watch the workshop. Admission to this part of the event is £10 for participating harpists, and £5 for audience members.

A master in the performance and traditions of the Gaelic harp, Ann Heymann continues to spearhead the instrument’s revival, recording, performing and teaching around the world. Recent recordings include the critically acclaimed “Cruit go nOr – Harp of Gold” and “Queen of Harps”. Her books include the seminal tutor for the old Gaelic harp traditions, “Secrets of the Gaelic Harp” as well as a groundbreaking method book “Coupled Hands for Harpers”.

For more information about Ann Heymann including sound clips, photos and biographies please visit http://www.annheymann.com

For more information about the Friends of Wighton and their concert series, please visit http://www.friendsofwighton.com

For more details of these events please call 07792 336804 or email secretary@friendsofwighton.com

Our schools deserve better than a Sixty Minute Makeover

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:12:37 +0000

I have today highlighted my concerns about aspects of the proposed Dundee City Council Capital Budget and urged that there be a cross-party discussion about ways to improve the proposals to benefit the city’s schools.

There’s much to welcome in the draft capital budget and in particular the proposal to build new primary schools in Menzieshill and Coldside is good news, especially given the state of some existing school buildings. The total of £20m investment in these two areas will not only bring new primary schools but also community facilities and given the funding level for Menzieshill, presumably new nursery facilities may be possible there too.

However, it is over capital expenditure for other primary schools identified for improvement where I am critical of what is being proposed as the funding is simply inadequate and must be increased. Seven other schools across Dundee have been identified, including Blackness and Ancrum Road Primary Schools that serve large parts of the West End Ward.

The recognition of the need to improve facilities at these seven schools is welcome but the amount of funding at only £250 000 per school and that is simply not enough funding to make the sort of modernisation that these seven schools deserve. It should be remembered that a new-build primary school costs in the order of £9-10 million. These seven primary schools deserve more than a sixty minute makeover.

I have a specific proposal to make the improvements at Glebelands, Clepington, St Mary’s, Longhaugh, Dens Road, Ancrum Road and Blackness Primary Schools a whole lot better by allocating them £1 million each over the lifetime of the next Capital Plan – four times the proposed funding.

£1m per school is affordable if we consign to the bin another proposed set of expenditure on new headquarters and depots for the Environment Department. The council has already spent around £35 million on Dundee House and more expenditure on other council offices. It is about time to focus on our schools and, by abandoning ideas of further council department headquarters and by focussing on schools, we can increase expenditure on at Glebelands, Clepington, St Mary’s, Longhaugh, Dens Road, Ancrum Road and Blackness Primary Schools to £1 million for each school.

No business case has been brought before a city council committee to make a case for more money being spent on council headquarters buildings. It would be better spent on our schools.

Getting things done … Peddie Street

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:47:48 +0000

Towards the end of last year, I was pleased to report the introduction of a trial for Eurobins at the north end of Peddie Street, to replace the wheelie bin collection that was not working and that residents had asked for a re-think about.

The trial has worked well and feedback from residents has been very positive but, as a number of residents have pointed out, the lack of concrete blocks to weigh down the Eurobins leaves the possibility of them being insecure - see right. Blocks are used at other locations to keep Eurobins securely in place.

The City Council has assured me that the bins will be properly weighted down as soon as possible and has also given a commitment to re-site the bin at the east end of Abbotsford Place to improve parking.

TayScreen is 10!

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:28:00 +0000

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a very enjoyable event at Dundee Contemporary Arts as part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations of TayScreen that has done so much good work to promote Fife and Tayside for media development and film and TV production, post-production and animation.

My involvement with TayScreen stems from our joint interest in promoting local television for Dundee, wider Tayside and North Fife, a project now with great potential.

Keith Partridge (right), a Fife-based adventure cameraman, gave a superb talk with dramatic film footage of some of his work.

In his seminar session, Keith talked about adventure camera work and what it is like to undertake production in remote and dangerous places. His presentation was hugely impressive and you can find out more about Keith’s work at www.adventurecamera.co.uk.

Kathleen Smith

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:21:50 +0000

It is with great sadness that I learned yesterday of the death of Kathleen Smith, Honorary President of Dundee Liberal Democrat Association. Kathleen was 89 and passed away just a few weeks after the death of her husband of 63 years, Jack.

Kathleen and Jack were both leading members of Dundee West Liberal Association and thereafter Dundee Liberal Democrats over many years. They helped keep the Liberal cause going in the difficult days of the 1950s and 1960s and, as a young election agent in 1984, I remember Kathleen’s kindness in giving a generous donation towards the election of Dundee’s first Liberal District Councillor.

Kathleen was a parliamentary candidate in Perth and East Perthshire at the February 1974 general election and also at the Tayside Regional Council election the same year in the then Central/Riverside Division, which covers much of my current West End Ward area. In the Regional Council election she ran a spirited campaign and laid the foundations of future electoral success. Both Kathleen and Jack were very supportive of my election campaigns in the West End, for which I will always be extremely grateful.

In addition to her highly successful role as Rector’s Assessor at the University of Dundee during the rectorships of Sir Clement Freud and Lord Mackie of Benshie (1974-83), Kathleen was a long-standing elder of Meadowside St Paul’s Church.

My thoughts are with Kathleen’s family at this sad time.

Presentation to Blackness Primary School pupil

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:16:06 +0000

Yesterday, Frances Tait, Chair of the Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden, and I had the pleasure of presenting prizes to Blackness Primary School pupil Gary Scott, age 10, winner of the West End Christmas Week children’s window spotting competition.

Gary correctly spotted where the letters of C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S were located in Perth Road shops and wins a year’s Family Membership of the Botanic Garden and a book token.

On Wave 102 news …

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:04:52 +0000

I was on the Wave 102 news yesterday speaking about my concerns over a likely hike in street lighting costs – click ‘play’ to listen:

Getting things done … Benvie Steps

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:27:20 +0000

Residents have contacted me regarding the damaged fencing art the Benvie Steps that lead from Lochee Road to Benvie Road - see right. Residents are concerned about the access to the former garage site and also to an adjacent tenement’s back garden

I contacted the City Council about this and the City Engineer has advised :

“An order has been raised for the repair of two linear metres of fence on the east side at the top of the Benvie Road steps.

The work has yet to be programmed but the Road Maintenance Partnership will update you once this information becomes available.”

Perth Road pavement improvements

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:09:17 +0000

It was good to see the Perth Road pavement improvements work start yesterday that will see resurfacing on the south side between Step Row and Shepherd’s Loan in the shopping area - see right.

I spoke with the council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership yesterday about issues raised by local shops. I am grateful to the Roads Maintenance Partnership for the very prompt response to these matters.

Tonight’s City Council meetings

Cllr Fraser Macpherson — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:24:45 +0000

Tonight, after my weekly surgeries at Harris Academy and the Mitchell Street Centre, I attended City Council committee meetings at which:

* At the Education Committee, I welcomed the recommendation not to progress a 33 period model in Dundee’s secondary schools. I also queried why the council did not have the foresight to build the new Kingspark School large enough to accommodate the proposed additional four classrooms, now being proposed at a cost of an additional £1.1 million. Of course, if the school needs the additional rooms, they must be provided, but it is a real pity that a school that opened as recently as August 2010 is already requiring expansion. It would have been less expensive to build the bigger school in the first place.

* At Policy and Resources Committee, I criticised the waste of public money and loss of accountability in the SNP’s centralisation of police and fire services. I also queried the robustness of land sales estimates in the five year Housing Capital Budget, but recognised the efforts made by the department to scale down likely land receipts in the current financial climate. For the first time in a very long time, the SNP administration proposed sending no councillors to a conference at a cost to the council tax payer. My goodness – anyone might have thought there was an election in the air. The rest of us have opposed such expenditure for years!

* At the Development Management Committee, I spoke in favour of Section 75 agreements to limit Houses in Multiple Occupation. The report before committee was the latest episode in a long running saga about properties in Larch Street.