A message from the Chairman

Since taking over as Chairman of the Orkney Branch of the party very recently efforts have been concentrated on the elections to the Scottish Parliament and we were extremely fortunate in having Helen Gardiner as our candidate.

For the first time, thanks to a most generous benefactor, we were able to secure a campaign headquarters in the centre of Kirkwall, which provided us with a high profile and also acted as a focal point for the campaign, initiated by Helen, to seek to obtain a better deal for Orkney through the distribution of the Local Government Block Grant when compared with the other island areas of Shetland and the Western Isles.

This campaign certainly caught the public imagination and it was noticeable that this issue was at the forefront of many of those seeking election to the local council. Helen can take great credit from this and whilst the result of the election was a disappointment to us all this in no way detracts from the excellent work done by Helen.

I am looking forward to an exciting future as the campaign attracted a good number of new activists along with the faithful few and therefore I feel we now have a platform on which we can build for the future.

My aim for the foreseeable future is to build on this goodwill, unite the party and attempt to put in place a structure which will be relevant to the Highlands and Islands region in general, and Orkney in particular.

Ronnie Johnson
Chairman

Contact details: Tel: 01856 870616
e-mail: rdsdj@yahoo.com

50% Council Tax Discount for all Pensioner Households in Orkney

Helen Gardiner, Scottish Conservative candidate for Orkney, has spoken out about the proposed 3% rise in Council tax, especially the impact it will inevitably have on hard pressed pensioner households.

Orcadians learned of the likely 3% rise in Council tax when members of the OIC agreed the figure on 29th January during a special meeting of the Council's Policy and Resources Committee.

Helen Gardiner said "The Council Tax is already like a second mortgage and this 3% rise makes it all the harder to accept. However I am particularly concerned about the way it will impact on pensioner households. This is why the Scottish Conservatives pledge to introduce a statutory council tax discount for ALL pensioner households aged 65 or over in Scotland."

Helen explained, “This will be a key pledge in the Conservative manifesto for this year’s Scottish Parliament Elections because we believe that people who have worked hard all their lives and saved for retirement should live in dignity and security in old age.”

“The discount will be centrally funded and will be additional to any discounts that the pensioner is currently entitled to, such as the 25% single household discount and any council tax benefit.”

Helen explained “The discount will apply to people aged 65 or over, who live alone, or who live with other adults aged 65 or over. No one will be made worse off. No group will be charged higher council taxes to finance the discount.”

She added "The discount will not be means tested and will include halving the bills of those on council tax benefit. A typical pensioner in Orkney in a band D property will see a saving of £378 a year, and a typical couple a saving of £504 a year."

Underfunding Shame of the Lib/Lab Pact at Holyrood - Orkney Starts to Feel the Bite

Orkney Tory Scottish Parliamentary Candidate Helen Gardiner is calling for the Lib/Lab Scottish Executive to account over the shame of underfunding of Orkney Islands Council.

Helen is urging people in Orkney to "make a clear link between the issue of underfunding and the current crisis in the provision of care for the elderly," saying that "it time to demand that underfunding be brought to an end."

Helen said "We all know that Orkney has been under funded to the tune of £600 per person in comparison with comparable council areas like Shetland and the Western Isles. That has been the case for 10 years now but it's continuously glossed over.

It's blatantly unfair - no ifs and no buts. Lib Dem representation of Orkney in Edinburgh has failed to reverse it which is shameful as it should be the priority. Any MSP worth his salt should push the issue of underfunding of Orkney to top of the agenda, not just an excuse to have another working lunch in Edinburgh or write another letter."

Helen added "We hear time and time again that care for the elderly is not working with many elderly people being fleeced of their capital when they go into care."

"We especially know about the plight of some elderly people placed in care homes in Caithness because there isn't the service available on the island. We also know about respite care costs being reformulated with many now facing big bills. 3,500 people signed a petition protesting about this and asking the Council to spend its reserve money to sort it out."

"Of course, the Council says it cannot spend its reserve money on providing statutory services, that those services should instead be funded by money it gets from the Scottish Executive Capital Programme and that there just isn't enough in that SE allocated pot. We all know the reserve fund is not for statutory services, rather for Orcadian development."

"While I fully appreciate this distinction, I think it's time that Orkney took a bold step in sorting this out. Elderly folk need help now, not 3-4 years down the line. The agreement that brought about underfunding 10 years ago must be revisited as it is clearly unfair.

"I propose to take the issue of underfunding a priority issue because Orkney's elderly are feeling the effects now. It's 10 years since the formula was agreed and times have changed. Orkney needs strong political support to enable the Council to release its oil reserve fund to deal with the care home issue now on the basis that this is an exceptional case. However the trick is to do this solely on the basis of informing the Scottish Executive in very clear terms that it has 2-3 years to revisit the funding formula viz a viz Orkney."