Where are the Thurso Councillors?

[Cattach]

Where are the Thurso Councillors?

As someone who has lived and work in both Wick and Thurso I have no interest in getting involved in inter-town rivalry but one has to ask what are our Thurso councillors and CASE doing due alleviate the run down in work on the west side of the county.

The councillors have done nothing and indeed their impact has been thoroughly negative at the time of the Asda application and since then silence and in activity.

CASE have succeeded in going as long way to finance a move by Ashley Ann from Thurso to Wick. Inner investment to an established company rather than a new business. And from what I heard little chance of new employment locally. Indeed it is very likely it will make the unemployment situation worse as I know that quite a number of the Ashley ann employees from Thurso are going to be unable to travel for the long term.

CASE should be encouraged new business both locally and from outside and not financing a private individual with a sound business though monetary and premises incentives.

Nothing against Wick developments – far from it - great to see. Just a pity the West Side councillors are not proactive and that CASE is proactive in the wrong business direction.

[tenabowla]

Fraid they are maybe too busy looking after other interests.

[jaykay]

Where are the Thurso Councillors?

As someone who has lived and work in both Wick and Thurso I have no interest in getting involved in inter-town rivalry but one has to ask what are our Thurso councillors and CASE doing due alleviate the run down in work on the west side of the county.

The councillors have done nothing and indeed their impact has been thoroughly negative at the time of the Asda application and since then silence and in activity.

CASE have succeeded in going as long way to finance a move by Ashley Ann from Thurso to Wick. Inner investment to an established company rather than a new business. And from what I heard little chance of new employment locally. Indeed it is very likely it will make the unemployment situation worse as I know that quite a number of the Ashley ann employees from Thurso are going to be unable to travel for the long term.

CASE should be encouraged new business both locally and from outside and not financing a private individual with a sound business though monetary and premises incentives.

Nothing against Wick developments – far from it - great to see. Just a pity the West Side councillors are not proactive and that CASE is proactive in the wrong business direction.

Hopefully we will have three new Thurso councillors after the May elections who will represent the interests of Thurso!!

[concerned resident]

Jaykay
Hopefully we will have three new Thurso councillors after the May elections who will represent the interests of Thurso!!

I hope you are right , but with the apathy usually shown by Thurso residents,
i expect they will all be Re-elected.

[jaykay]

Jaykay
Hopefully we will have three new Thurso councillors after the May elections who will represent the interests of Thurso!!

I hope you are right , but with the apathy usually shown by Thurso residents,
i expect they will all be Re-elected.

The Wickers will really be rubbing their hands if that happens!! There will be nothing to prevent them continuing to get everything.
A vote for the existing Thurso councillors is a vote for Wick!!

[KitKat]

I think Thurso is now in the position that Wick was a few years ago, boarded up shops and dying on its feet with councillors who had got so used to being unchallenged in elections that they had forgotten they were there to serve the community. Then two things happened: a few new, brave people decided to not only stand for the council but also to work TOGETHER for the good of the town instead of indulging in petty rivalries and having a 'my way or no way' mentality. At the same time, the community council with some fresh blood on board started saying to Highland Council and CASE, 'Hoi, what about Wick? Don't you DARE overlook us'. They didn't just sit around and moan either but got together to improve the town with projects like new Christmas lights, hanging baskets, street events etc. The formation of the Pultenetown People's Project was also a real breakthrough for the town. I see Thurso Community Council now doing the same with Christmas lights etc. The next step is for the townsfolk to encourage a few folk to stand for council with fresh thinking and a desire to stand united for the good of the town. Thurso will come through too but it needs everyone to fight for it. It doesn't ever have to be a battle between the two towns... in fact when ALL the Caithness councillors stand together instead of shooting each other down, the whole of Caithness prospers.
Good luck Thurso!

[plutonio]

it seems such a shame that people aren't pleased for their neighbours, all i hear from Caithness people is we should have got that, it's not fair they have that, the Wickers will be rubbing their hands etc. I have worked all over the world and the people back home are the worst for trying to bring people down and complain about things if it does not go their way, a well balanced community- a chip on both shoulders!

[jay]

do you not think this thread is just a touch unfair? generalisations are being made without any real knowledge by the sound of it - the Thurso councillors put in a great deal of work and time for the good of the whole of Caithness, not just Thurso - they only thing they did was to stand up for their belief's in the Asda debate and don't forget that is exactly what we elected them for! an just in case you are wondering - I don't necessarily agree with what they did but I did take the time to ask questions and listen to their replies, given the flak they took it really took some guts to stick to their principles. I cannot really in fairness comment on Councillor Mackay but I know from first hand experience just how much work COuncillors Saxon and Jackson do in the community and why they do it and believe me it's not for personal gratification - so why not give them a break? or is their an alterior motive going on here? it's the second thread of this nature recently - is someone planning on standing for election and preparing the way perhaps? just a thought.

Incidentally re christmas lights - this committee has been working away for years - long before Wick and it's nothing to do with the community council - it's all part of Thurso Town Improvements which Councillor Saxon was an active member of for several years.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please if you are going to make your opinion public then let's be fair about it.

[Cattach]

do you not think this thread is just a touch unfair? generalisations are being made without any real knowledge by the sound of it - the Thurso councillors put in a great deal of work and time for the good of the whole of Caithness, not just Thurso - they only thing they did was to stand up for their belief's in the Asda debate and don't forget that is exactly what we elected them for! an just in case you are wondering - I don't necessarily agree with what they did but I did take the time to ask questions and listen to their replies, given the flak they took it really took some guts to stick to their principles. I cannot really in fairness comment on Councillor Mackay but I know from first hand experience just how much work COuncillors Saxon and Jackson do in the community and why they do it and believe me it's not for personal gratification - so why not give them a break? or is their an alterior motive going on here? it's the second thread of this nature recently - is someone planning on standing for election and preparing the way perhaps? just a thought.

Incidentally re christmas lights - this committee has been working away for years - long before Wick and it's nothing to do with the community council - it's all part of Thurso Town Improvements which Councillor Saxon was an active member of for several years.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please if you are going to make your opinion public then let's be fair about it.

My views are honestly held, informed and meant to be a factual account of the situation as I see it. Unfairness does not come in to it and I do, in fact, know all three councillors personally and this not a person attack but a statement of fact regarding their position on a particular area of development. I have no doubt they do good work in other areas. I made no refernce to Christmas lights so not sure where that came from.

[jaykay]

do you not think this thread is just a touch unfair? generalisations are being made without any real knowledge by the sound of it - the Thurso councillors put in a great deal of work and time for the good of the whole of Caithness, not just Thurso - they only thing they did was to stand up for their belief's in the Asda debate and don't forget that is exactly what we elected them for! an just in case you are wondering - I don't necessarily agree with what they did but I did take the time to ask questions and listen to their replies, given the flak they took it really took some guts to stick to their principles. I cannot really in fairness comment on Councillor Mackay but I know from first hand experience just how much work COuncillors Saxon and Jackson do in the community and why they do it and believe me it's not for personal gratification - so why not give them a break? or is their an alterior motive going on here? it's the second thread of this nature recently - is someone planning on standing for election and preparing the way perhaps? just a thought.


Incidentally re christmas lights - this committee has been working away for years - long before Wick and it's nothing to do with the community council - it's all part of Thurso Town Improvements which Councillor Saxon was an active member of for several years.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please if you are going to make your opinion public then let's be fair about it.

I suppose the fact that the Thurso councillors have been "a touch unfair" to the people of Thurso has nothing to do with it?
I'm afraid that a few Christmas lights just does not do it for me. Jobs and better ammenities is what we need and that does not seem very high up the list of priorities with our present councillors unlike their colleagues in Wick.
I also do not have an alterior motive nor do I wish to stand for election. I am merely telling it as it appears to me.

[Pepsix]

I have to defend the Thurso councillors they do a lot behind the scenes not just for Thurso but for the good of the whole county.
In Wick there was one area of deprivation in the national statistics last year, this year there is three. There is only three areas of deprivation in the whole of Caithness and Sutherland. The statistics are measured using housing, employment, education, benefits etc and then they are scored. The ones that are in the lowest 15% are 'targets of need' and the agencies like CASE are expected to target these areas. This I assume has assisted with the development of the business park, passport office, dental clinic etc.
As a councillor I certainly dont have a lot of contact with CASE and here about most of the developments in the press like the rest of Caithness.
I think it is a bit unfair to blame the councillor in Thurso for things not coming to Thurso. We all work together for the whole of Caithness.
For example Caithness was seen as an area within the council in need of sports provision. Rather than fight with each other where it was situated we agreed the best thing for Caithness would be to offer complimentary sports facilites at each High School which would benefit the pupils during the day and the community at night. Thurso High will have an Arts Venue. Halkirk Sports Centre then came on the scene and working together the proposal is over the next few years there will be three complimentary sports facilities for the people of Caithness. Previous councillors would have fought with each other and landed up with nothing. Wick All Weather Pitch was an example of that. It is not about Wick or Thurso because what happens with Lybster, Halkirk or John O Groats. It is about getting the best for the county. We may not always get everything right but it is not often every resident wants the same thing so you tend to keep the majority happy who go away and say nothing and the minority moan because things never went there way. Like I said before it is a pretty thankless job.

[Royster1911]

It was (and still is) my belief that the caithness councillors were voted in to work for the community in general and their ward specifically. We have covered all this ground before and we still come to the same conclusion. That is that they did not vote for what the majority wanted (how many people were canvassed?) but voted for what the minority wanted (and got). I have been in contact with Mr Jackson many times and indeed invited him to post his reasons on .org. Still waiting Tom.

[tenabowla]

I have to say that Jay's quote "not just Thurso - they only thing they did was to stand up for their belief's in the Asda debate " of the local councillers is correct, unfortunately they should however be dealing with the wishes of the consensus of those who elected them, not their own self interest and what they did not want in their OWN back yard.

[Mr P Cannop]

there is going to be a public meeting about Asda on the 19th feb @ 6pm in the pentland hotel Thurso open to all who wishes to be there

[tenabowla]

Who is running the meeting? Is it planning or a intersted local group?

[Humerous Vegetable]

It's the Inquiry Reporters Unit of the Scottish Exec who are running the inquiry. The meeting is to decide when the inquiry will be held, where, and who will be called to give evidence. BTW, I found an online poll for Asda coming to Thurso on the John O' Groat Journal website but it doesn't seem to have attracted many votes either way so far.

[Mr P Cannop]

any 1 planning in going to the meeting on the 19th feb @ 6pm ??

[crustyroll]

CASE have succeeded in going as long way to finance a move by Ashley Ann from Thurso to Wick. Inner investment to an established company rather than a new business. And from what I heard little chance of new employment locally. Indeed it is very likely it will make the unemployment situation worse as I know that quite a number of the Ashley ann employees from Thurso are going to be unable to travel for the long term.

CASE should be encouraged new business both locally and from outside and not financing a private individual with a sound business though monetary and premises incentives.


Could you please divulge your source of knowledge as to the above??? I know for a fact that there are just a FEW who wont be able/or don't want to go to Wick but that's because they don't have a driving licence etc..not because they can't actually travel. There won't be any loss of jobs and in fact more employees are needed, whether they are local or not depends on who applies for the jobs!!!!

The majority of Ashley Anne's work is based in the south and it would probably make more financial sense for them to be based in Inverness or south of there. However, they are staying in our local area and do employ quite a few local people already and pay a little better than some other local companies based here.

If the company was to move south they would get even bigger financial incentives from other enterprise companies so shouldn't we want to keep them here and employ local people, keeping the money in our local area?

The Grampian Records building wasn't being utilised properly and could have lain empty for even longer than it has already at least this way it's being used, no more land is being used to put up a new building that could be surplus. Ashley Anne was interested in erecting a new purpose built factory but this way they have recycled and possibly saved a lot of resources and money.

Can you tell me what the difference is between ALL the people that commute from Wick, Lybster, Latheron, Dunbeath and even further up to Dounreay every day? Lots of people travel for work between Wick and Thurso, myself included at one time, and I can tell you it's no more hassle than it was to travel to Dounreay.

Ashley Anne recently advertised for a machinist and within the first two days they had more than 30 private applicants and not all were based in Thurso. Quite a few already travel from further afield than Thurso and they don't complain about travelling to their work.

[tenabowla]

The point I think is that it is not new business but throwing money at an established business. People do travel long distances but where possible surely the logic is to look after the environment and reduce the number of people chuntering across the county.

[clash67]

I have to say that Jay's quote "not just Thurso - they only thing they did was to stand up for their belief's in the Asda debate " of the local councillers is correct, unfortunately they should however be dealing with the wishes of the consensus of those who elected them, not their own self interest and what they did not want in their OWN back yard.

I agree totally. I emailed Greame Smith at the time of the Asda debate and gave him a piece of my mind, unfortunately all complaints fell on deaf ears because they really were serving their own interests.