Latest news with #CommonSenseCompromise
Press and Journal
17-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Finnies 'doesn't need as much staff' as boss claims Aberdeen bus gates leave shop 'quieter than ever'
'This is the quietest the shop has ever been,' Dominique Dawson tells me as she gestures at the handful of customers browsing the shiny jewels on display. There was a time when the showroom at Finnies would have been bustling with shoppers, each perusing the glossy cabinets in search of that perfect present. The family-owned business has been a George Street staple for more than 65 years, and is known for its collections of luxury items – from engagement rings to classy silverware. But this hasn't really been the case in the last two years… As a manager – and now director of Finnies – Dominique spends most of her days behind the counter and has seen the change firsthand. She recalls the busy spell they had after the pandemic, later boosted by the expansion of the store in March 2023, which aimed to offer shoppers a 'truly luxurious experience' . All of this, however, took a turn when the bus gates were installed in August that year. Two years on, she says Finnies continues to bear the brunt of the traffic system, blamed for deterring potential customers from the city centre and surrounding areas. 'Our biggest challenge has been getting people through the door,' Dominique says. 'There are obviously a lot of factors involved in that – post-Covid recovery, the move to online shopping, the LEZ, the main thoroughfare being closed, the cost-of-living crisis… 'But then you throw in the bus gates and the uncertainty of how to get into town. 'We lost six staff members last year – some retired, some moved country – and I haven't replaced them. I just don't need to with the footfall that's coming in.' Dominique and her family were among the first to back The Press and Journal's Common Sense Compromise campaign last summer. Along with dozens of other city traders, she called for the local authority to 'listen to exacerbated business owners' cry for help' and tweak the bus priority route. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, however, and they are now – led by veteran retailer Norman Esslemont – on the verge of suing the council over the traffic measures. Dominique says the issue has only got worse in the past year as more and more people ended up being slapped with a fine after being caught up in a bus gate. And she argues that people are still as confused driving in the city centre as they were the day the bus gates were first put in place. 'The council might say that we'll get used to it but what if outsiders can't get used to it?' Dominique fumes. 'You wouldn't believe the number of account managers I have that have come to see us and have been fined – it's a nightmare, and it just leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. 'People are not coming in daily, so they still don't have the confidence to navigate them. 'Would I risk it? Would I give it a go or would I just go around that area?…These are still questions we hear every day.' The Finnies team has now pledged an extra £2,000 to the crowdfunder, launched in January to raise the thousands needed for the looming court battle. Hundreds of business owners and residents have since donated, raising more than £55,000 towards the cause. Dominique says the most frustrating part has been the ignorance city leaders have shown to their concerns and 'their refusal to listen to them'. She adds: 'At no point did the council stop to think: 'The city is on its knees. Should we really do this right now? Or maybe at least wait until we are in a better place? 'It's just disappointing that they still haven't come back to the table to find a compromise and listen to us and our cry for help. 'There are some great businesses in Aberdeen, and we are all keen – and desperate – to support and grow the commercial success of the city. 'And this wouldn't be so difficult if we were all moving in the same direction. The businesses are, the people are – but the council is just going the opposite way.' And despite all the setbacks they have experienced, Dominique is confident traders will prevail in their fight against the condemned city centre restrictions. Traders have put their faith into lawyer Alasdair Sutherland, who forced Highland Council into a humiliating climbdown on traffic bans in Inverness a few years ago. And Dominique believes his expertise combined with the support from the business community in Aberdeen will get their battle over the line. She adds: 'We've now created enough noise for the council to understand that we're not just moaning – this is a genuine concern that is affecting all of us. 'We are at a point where we are going to court and that's an achievement in itself. 'I'm very confident that we can win this.' More details on the bus gate court battle can be found on the crowdfunder page.
Press and Journal
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Press and Journal
Norman Esslemont: Together we can scrap Aberdeen's bus gates once and for all - with final £25k push to fight court battle
We're going back to court – and this time, we're going all the way. For nearly two years, traders and residents across Aberdeen have been forced to live with the damaging consequences of the so-called 'bus priority' scheme – a system that has choked off trade, punished motorists, and turned large parts of our once-bustling city centre into a ghost town. I've walked Union Street almost every day of my adult life. I've run businesses here, hired local people, and helped serve generations of Aberdonians. I've seen it thrive – and I've seen it struggle. But I have never seen it like this. This street was once the beating heart of our city. Now, it's on life support. And for what? For a half-baked traffic experiment that was never properly consulted on and never fairly assessed. The people of Aberdeen didn't ask for this. We weren't given a vote. And yet we've all been made to pay the price – quite literally – as footfall dried up and thousands of unsuspecting drivers were slapped with fines. But now, after months of legal preparation, our day in court is coming. We've secured a procedural hearing for June, with the full appeal likely to follow in the autumn. And thanks to the strength of our legal team – led by the brilliant Alasdair Sutherland, of Burness Paull – we're more confident than ever that we will prevail. But we can't do it alone. That's why I'm asking today for your help to raise a fresh £25,000 to take this legal battle across the finish line. This is no longer just about bus gates. It's about accountability. It's about transparency. And it's about standing up to a council that has, time and again, refused to listen, even when the Common Sense Compromise presented a chance to change route. Our case is built on solid ground. Mr Sutherland has already dismantled Highland Council's flawed plans for Academy Street in Inverness. Now he's turning his attention to Aberdeen – and his legal assessment is clear: the council's decision to make the bus gates permanent was, in his view, legally flawed on multiple grounds. We've seen internal emails showing council officials lobbying bus firms for glowing reviews to justify a decision they had already made. That's not consultation — that's spin. We've seen the council admit they pushed the scheme through to avoid repaying funding. But financial fear is not a legally valid reason to lock down a city centre and crush its economy. And crucially, if the court agrees that the council got it wrong – on any of these points – the entire scheme could be struck down. Gone. Ripped out. Reset. That also means every driver fined since January 2025 could be entitled to a full refund. This is not a hypothetical. This is a real, credible, and winnable legal case – one that could reshape Aberdeen's future for the better. The last time we launched a crowdfunder, the public raised more than £35,000 in just weeks. That incredible show of belief and defiance allowed us to commission expert legal advice and force the council to finally answer to someone other than themselves. Now, we need one last push. The council will try to hide behind legal jargon. They'll try to paint this as a noisy few making trouble. But this fight is so much bigger than that. It's about every small business owner who's watched their takings collapse. Every pensioner confused by poor signage. Every motorist stung with a £50 fine for a turn they'd been making for decades. It's about protecting the soul of our city centre before it's too late. We believe the court will listen. We believe the case is strong. And we believe that, with your help, we can strike this failed experiment from the record, and rebuild a city centre that's fairer, busier, and open to all. This is our moment. Let's take it. Bus gates lawyer: 'I'm bolder than ever about scrapping Aberdeen traffic ban – AND making council cough up refunds to fined drivers' 'Unaccountable' lawyers would only show councillors secret bus gate legal advice 'on a distant screen that kept cutting out'
