Gerry McLaughlan SNP

The Labour Party and the Conservative Party in Stirling operate as one Group . They always vote together.
They deny that they are in coalition but all the evidence and their actions confirm that they are.
This latest example just highlights their agreement.
Tory Provost reported by two staff members making racist comments and Labour protect him .

Conservative and Labour councillors in Stirling have been accused of "closing ranks" to protect a former Tory Lord Provost facing allegations of racism, bullying and misconduct.

“Once again, Labour and the Tories have closed ranks to protect one of their own"

🥳 Blustery weather put us off having a full stall but members of Yes Stirling were in the town centre today distributing leaflets on Scotlands NHS, a wellbeing pension and Scotlands economy.
There are lots of Catalans visiting Stirling today who came over to say hi and a few got their picture taken with our lovely new BIS banner 🥰
😃🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Stirling Council March meeting

All of which I report on below can be verified by checking Stirling Council You Tube Channel.

Key Points:

The Labour Council Leader Cllr Kane spoke of potential bankruptcy of the Council if they did not achieve their Budget this year.

He would not rule Compulsory Redundancies for Staff.

He refused to deny that he had meet with the Tory Leader Cllr Benny to discuss the racist allegations against the ex provost .
Later in the meeting both Tory and Labour Groups combined to stop Council referring the racists claims against the ex Tory Provost to an independent enquiry.

What is to happen the Christie clock has been deferred for more information , possibly to the end of this year. Cllr Kane was insistent that cheaper options had to be considered. This in the end was supported by Council.

Work is progressing on the proposal for a new Council Building , cost around £31m . An amendment tabled by the SNP that any final proposal should be self finance was ruled not competent and rejected from the agenda.

The Green Cllr agreed to join the Planning Committee and Children and Young People’s Committee. Cllr Kane welcomed him to his new posts.

Council welcomed the work supported by the Scottish and Uk governments to house Ukraine refugees.

That’s about it.

To be candid it was a bad tempered meeting from beginning to end . At one stage the Chief Executive walk out when the authority of senior officers was questions by a Tory Councillor.

As said at the beginning of this post , this can all be verified on the Council you tube channel.

I have 2 surgeries this week, both on Wednesday :
10-11am Hillpark Community Centre and 6-7 pm at Mayfield Centre.

Any questions about this post or on other Council issues contact me on

[email protected]

Stirling Council Labour and Tories join forces to reject Council referring alledged racist comments by ex Tory Provost to the Standards Commision.

This was not a good day for everyone associated with Stirling Council.

They blamed everyone but themselves by. refusing to accept any responsiblity. The Provost is elected by the Councillors . The Councillors were asked to take responsibility for this and to take this challenge on .

Under a Freedom of Information Request it was uncovered that two employees had given written statements that they had witnessed the ex Provost making racist comments. Despite this Labour and Tories combined to reject the opportunity to refer the allegations to the Standards Commision.

Before Labour and Tory supporters doubt this it can all be viewed on the Council YouTube channel.
By their lack of action , whatever are they suggesting about their concern for employees of Stirling Council ! Stirling Observer The Herald

📚💻 Children at all schools & nurseries in Stirling are now able to access a wide range of eBooks & audiobooks for free through their school devices.

Young readers can download & read or listen to a fantastic selection of books through BorrowBox.

Any Stirling resident who would like their child to take part should contact their school and sign them up for a library card if they do not already have one.

More: https://www.stirling.gov.uk/news/young-bookworms-in-stirling-receive-access-to-online-reading-platform/

Ally Walker a long standing member of Bannockburn SNP passed away in his sleep last Thursday.

Ally was a member of the SNP since 1954! He was for a long time the heart beat of the branch .

His funeral will be next Monday , the 11th, 10am at Bannockburn Crematorium.

Stirling `24 Labour and Tory Don`t even hide it Now !

Thursday this week was the Stirling Council Budget meeting. It was not a good meeting by any measure.

Labour came clean and admitted it was a joint budget with the Tories, to be fair it was obvious from the direction of the cuts that the Tories were clearly involved.

The Tory leader boasted that he had crafted the budget for Labour, the Labour leader as is so often the case, said little and blamed the SNP.
Apparently in his eyes it’s the SNP fault that Labour have become little more than a front for the Tories in Stirling.

It was not a good meeting for the people of Stirling, because the cuts they are implementing are targeted at the young:

Cuts in Nursery Teachers

Ending swimming tuition for P5 kids

Removing Early Years Support to schools

Reducing Community based youth provision

Not satisfied with attacking the young, they also attacked the poorest in our community with cuts to;

Removing special uplifts to the over60`s

Reducing Grants to numerous community organisations throughout Stirling

And just when the City and the area is calling out for investment to attract visitors in the are they cut funding to all the cultural events.

They also decided to take more money out of our fast-dwindling reserves to balance the budget.

So, everyone who lives in the Stirling area will see a petty and mean-spirited impact on their daily lives.

They also tried to spin a totally misleading picture of the financial situation that the Council is in.

In the world of the Tory /Lab cabal that runs Stirling, everything is that is wrong is the SNP` fault. The solution is straightforward, give them more and it will be fine.

This from a Group that has offered no changes on how the Council operates, who has reduced cooperation with other organisations to reduce costs.

This is from a Group that waste £1/2million earlier this year on decided that a shop unit was suitable for new Council Offices.

The list goes on, everyone knows that this cabal would struggle to organise the proverbial 😊event in a brewery.

Finally, it was not a good meeting for the people who work for the Council and their families.

Despite being challenged twice by myself, both Labour and the Tories failed to rule out compulsory redundancies this year.
This was a disastrous budget for Stirling.

Oh, and for the record, The SNP budget contained NO library closures.
That was a lie peddled by both Lab and Tory to hide their attacks on local services.

In fact, I believe their lack of decision making on library provision makes it more likely under their proposals that some libraries will be closed by them within the next 18 months.

We also proposed to maintain full funding to all the local organisations that provided services especially to the poorest areas of our community.

Stirling deserves better than this shambolic Administration.

The back room deals between Labour and Tory are proving disastrous.

Crisp morning out and about Braehead, alongside our cracking local Councillors.

Real anger on the doorsteps at Labour-Tory budget cuts and the ongoing fiasco of Westminster. But Team Stirling SNP are at our post, fighting for all of Stirling’s communities.

Today was Stirling Council Budget day and later on I will post some detail of what happened at the meeting.
However in the midst of the meeting I received the sad news that a dear,dear friend had died.

Ally Walker, for many years the beating heart of Bannockburn SNP pass away quietly in his sleep last night.
He was one of those crucial people who through their efforts in the early years lay the foundations for the modern SNP.
He was also above else a good decent man.

When I have any further details about arrangements I will post them here.

✋ Stirling SNP Councillors will fight proposals for the mass closure of Stirling’s libraries.

❌ We’re deeply disappointed the current Labour minority-administration even considered this an option - but could believe their Tory partners were ready to give their full-support.

💷 Budgets everywhere have been battered by 14 years of UK Tory austerity. But here in Stirling, the Labour administration has made a tough situation worse through dither and delay. They have relied on Tory votes to pass policies and budgets, and both parties have failed to provide the leadership Stirling needs.

📚 We oppose the closure of Stirling’s libraries, and instead propose a comprehensive review of library services and the exploration of co-location with other community facilities.

✏️ Our alternative budget will safeguard Stirling’s community libraries - and we urge fellow Stirling Councillors to back it.

I'm delighted to be the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate for the Stirling and Strathallan seat in the upcoming Westminster election. I'll fight every day for our communities - but we'll need your support to get our positive message heard.

https://buff.ly/49a2KlX

Club Statement We’re disappointed, yet again, that the younger element who purport to support the team have behaved in a way that damages the club both reputationally and financially. Yesterday’s incident, where flares were thrown onto the pitch at Alloa, will see the club being presented with a substantial bi...

The deadline to apply for Best Start Grant School Age Payment is midnight on 29 February 2024.

Your child could be eligible if they were born between 1 March 2018 and 28 February 2019 and your family receives Universal Credit, tax credits or other qualifying benefits.

If you get Scottish Child Payment then there's no need to apply. Your School Age Payment will arrive automatically. But there are some people who don't get Scottish Child Payment who might still be able to get School Age Payment - for example those who get housing benefit.

If you think you could be eligible, please visit our website and apply before 29 February 2024: bit.ly/BestStartSchoolAgePayment

Applying for Childcare | Stirling Council Apply for childcare in Stirling

I know it’s a bit short notice , but I have an open surgery , this evening , Wednesday 31st Jan.

At the Mayfield Centre 6-7pm.

A full calendar of my surgeries will be out shortly.
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Thanks to everyone who turned up tonight, I will be back in touch shortly.

That’s me back doing open surgeries , last Wednesday in the month , 10am -11am at Hillpark Community Centre, 6-7pm Mayfield Centre.
If you have an issue pop along .

Nice weather for ducks and activists in Dunblane out for Team Stirling SNP Ahsan Khan SNP in the Dunblane and Bridge of Allan Council by election, polls open till 2200 today 🗳️

A pleasure to welcome our First Minister Humza Yousaf to Dunblane today, alongside Alyn Smith MP, Evelyn Tweed MSP and our Stirling SNP Council Group - all in support of our Council by-election candidate Ahsan Khan SNP! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Did you make a new year's resolution to help others? Do more for the local community? We can help you succeed!
We are looking for donations of tins, meat, pasta and tomatoes. These will be used in our crisis food parcels and will support those living in hardship in the Stirling council area.

For your nearest donation station please check out our link
https://startupstirling.org.uk/how-to-help/where-to-donate

January can feel like a long, dark month so why not pop along to your local library and try one of our light lamps?

Many of us don’t get enough sunlight during the winter months but light lamps mimic summer sunlight. It is thought that using light therapy for 20-30 minutes a day can help boost your mood and make you feel more energised. You can sit and relax with a coffee or good book and enjoy the warm glow. Most of our branches now have one, just ask a member of staff for more information.

If you suffer from low mood please contact your GP. You can read more about Seasonal Affective Disorder here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/overview/

Winter Heating Payments of £55.05 are being issued from this week to low-income households, with most people due to receive them before the end of January 2024.

The Winter Heating Payments are the Scottish Government's better alternative to the DWP’s Cold Weather Payment, which is only paid when temperatures are sufficiently low over a set period of time, and have no bureaucratic application process.

This follows the Scottish Government’s announcement of an additional £6.3 billion allocated to social security benefits and payments – over a billion more than 2022-23 – in the Scottish Budget.

Those eligible for Winter Heating Payments will receive it automatically from Social Security Scotland. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/news/winter-heating-payments-begin/

Please see the attached flyer offering FREE rugby sessions at Bannockburn Rugby Club for P4-7 children 🏉

Did you know – many clients who come to us about energy bills, also get help on other issues while they’re here? No judgement, just free, confidential, impartial advice.
Double-check your local bureaus' festive opening times.
👉https://www.cas.org.uk/worried

Our first Soup & Sandwich lunch of 2024 will be next Saturday, 13th January, from 12:00pm - 1:30pm in the Parish Halls.

All welcome. Come along for a warming bowl of soup and some company.

https://x.com/msm_monitor/status/1590651562535579649?s=46&t=GLtthzjJfFJdoCuEQoHXKg