The more I read about the current Aberdeen City Council, the more I’m convinced it’s by far the worst I’ve encountered.
That includes more than 10 years as a municipal reporter when Grampian Region (Tory-ruled) and Aberdeen District (Labour) made a series of dire decisions because of their bampot rivalry.
Yet I’ve never come across a group of councillors like the current ruling SNP and Lib Dems, who appear stone-deaf to the folk of the city.
The major blunder of lack of consultation over the closure of Bucksburn pool, costing the council more than £1million to re-open, illustrated their incompetence to heart-breaking effect.
The farce of the recent full council meeting also made me want to weep with frustration and anger.
A seven-hour ‘debate’ – which was actually a verbal Bannockburn – over something which should have been not in the least controversial – simply a feasibility study into a Roman Catholic secondary school.
However, when education chairman Martin Greig – whom I used to greatly admire – set his face against it at committee and referred it to the council, all hell broke loose.
And what didn’t get debated while this marathon sectarian clash thundered on? Only the wee matter of the bus gates, deferred once already.
By 4.30pm it was curtains for the night and the issue which has been agonising motorists and business people for so long is still up in the air.
Sadly, nae chunce the Common Sense Compromise proposals favoured by so many will be accepted by these dunces, although they might agree to lift the ban on the Union Terrace turn into Rosemount. Big deal. If only the Nats and Lib Dems would come clean and admit they don’t WANT to listen to the people they represent.
Moreen Simpson is a former assistant editor of the Evening Express and The Press and Journal, and started her journalism career in 1970
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