Perthfm News 22/11/10

Perth Man in Mine Explosion

The Scottish National Party's Perth parliamentarians, Mr Pete Wishart MP, Member of Parliament for Perth & North Perthshire and Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Perth constituency, have expressed their concern for the safety of Mr Pete Rodgers, originally from Perth, one of the miners involved in the New Zealand mine explosion. Speaking today Ms Cunningham said: "I was shocked to learn that one of the miners trapped in the New Zealand mine explosion was from Perth. News like that brings an incident on the other side of the world right onto your own doorstep. My prayers are with Mr Rodgers and his friends and family at this very anxious time."

Council Employees 40% Salary Increase

It would appear that, despite the recession, Perth and Kinross Council parking attendants had benefited from an amazing 40% salary increase. Figures obtained show that the publicly-funded wage bill for the local authoritys 16 attendants has risen from just under £184 thousand in 2007/08 to just over £257 thousand in 2009/10.
The amount of income generated from parking over the same period has fallen by almost £100,000. This reduction in revenue means that for the first time in 3 years it has cost more to employ the parking attendants than they have collected.

Bridge Design Approval

The preferred design for the Connect2 Bridge over the River Tay will be approved by a meeting of the Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee this Wednesday. The Sustrans Connect2 project will include a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Tay as well as improvements to a range of footpaths and cycleways throughout the Perth area, linking them to the bridge. Earlier this year members of the public were asked to vote on two different designs for the bridge - a three arch design or a flat bridge. The results show that the three-arch design was preferred by the majority of the 700 people who responded, and members of the Committee will be asked to approve that choice.