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Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Perth and Kinross Council to begin £2.2 million project to tackle ash dieback disease
While some funding is already in place, further budget decisions will need to be agreed to complete the full five-year programme Perth and Kinross councillors have unanimously agreed to begin a £2.2 million project to tackle ash dieback. Perhaps surprisingly the council responsible for Big Tree Country does not have its own tree surgeons and proposes to spend £1.9m on contractors removing at-risk trees. While a budget of £125,000 has been allocated from the council's revenue budget for 2025/26, further budget decisions will need to be approved to complete the five-year programme. Ash is the third most common broadleaf tree in the UK and a paper - put before councillors this week - reported current estimates are that "up to 90% of ash trees will die from the disease". On Wednesday, April 30 PKC's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee approved a strategy which will prioritise the highest risk trees first. The committee's convener SNP councillor Richard Watters described it as being an "efficient and effective method of pro-actively dealing with the problem". Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) has a legal responsibility to take action to prevent or minimise the risk of personal injury or property damage from trees on council-owned land. The local authority currently manages around 30,000 trees on its land - 1900 of which are ash. It is also estimated around 7,500 roadside trees may be affected. It was agreed PKC will work with landowners to take appropriate action, where required, to maintain road safety. Ash dieback is an airborne fungal disease, which - as it progresses - causes the wood to become brittle resulting in branches falling from the tree. In the most severe cases, the trees will die. On Wednesday, councillors were asked to approve a strategy which would see the council employ two surveyors for a year (£110,000) and an assistant trees and woodlands officer for three years (£150,000), as well as forking out £4000 on vehicle hire for a year for survey work and £5000 on GIS Survey software and equipment. The biggest outlay would be £1.9 million on contractors to remove priority dangerous trees on council land. As well as tree removal, a £41,000 replanting programme is planned. Where possible, the trees removed will be replaced with alder, sycamore, field maple and Norway maple trees at a ratio of around 3:1. Independent councillor Dave Cuthbert asked if there was value in the timber from trees which could offset the cost. Calum Bachell from the Community Greenspace team explained: "As part of our tree contractor's contract, the costs are reduced by them being able to take the timber for commercial use. The issue with trees with significantly progressed ash dieback is the timber becomes so brittle it's not particularly useful for commercial purposes." He added there were biodiversity benefits to leaving such timber on site and "where possible" the council will do that too. Conservative councillor Angus Forbes questioned why PKC - responsible for an area famed for its trees - does not have its own tree surgeons when other neighbouring councils do. The Carse of Gowrie councillor said: "One thing that has always confused me is that we don't actually employ our own tree surgeons. I know Dundee and Angus councils do, and with Dundee City Council you can rock up and buy timber to use as fuel in your house. Did we ever look at the opportunity to employ our own tree surgeons or perhaps use Angus Council's or Dundee City Council's tree surgeons to do this on our behalf?" Convener Richard Watters said he would "hope" it was something the council could look at going forward. Community Greenspace manager Andy Clegg said: "We're looking at a number of options for procurement at the moment. Traditionally all of our tree management, going back many years, has been through private contractors." "Certainly if there's an option for collaborative working in some areas or across a whole area with other councils, we'll certainly look at that." Independent councillor Dave Cuthbert suggested approaching Tayside Contracts - the collaborative and commercial trading arm of Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross councils. The Kinross-shire ward councillor - who represents PKC on the Tayside Contracts Joint Committee - said: "Obviously Angus and Dundee will have the same problem at some point. It would seem sensible to look to share that service with Tayside Contracts." Earlier this year the council's depute chief executive Clare Mailer said PKC was exploring "where there are opportunities for us to work more collaboratively across the Tayside Contracts model" after questions were raised over whether all three councils were using Tayside Contracts services as much as they should. Mr Clegg told councillors on Wednesday: "We've actually just had very recent contact with Tayside Contracts offering a number of services across the council area so we're in detailed discussions with them. And certainly that would be part of the procurement option, along with a number of other services we're considering too." Moving the ash dieback strategy for approval, the committee's convener SNP Kinross-shire councillor Richard Watters said: "This ash dieback strategy proposes an efficient and effective method of pro-actively dealing with the problem across Perth and Kinross in a prioritised and time-scaled way. "Significant additional funding will be needed to fully deliver the strategy and will be the subject of subsequent budget decisions outwith this committee. In the meantime, I'm pleased to say funding was set aside in this year's budget for this year and next year to allow a start to be made on surveying and recording the trees and developing a tender package for dealing with the highest risk trees first." Following the meeting a PKC spokesperson said: "A budget of £125,000 has been allocated from the council's revenue budget for 2025/26 and works will commence to identify and effectively deal with diseased trees on council managed land, and those affecting the adopted road network, in a prioritised way over a five-year period.
The Courier
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Kinross Farmers' Market 'shocked by the vitriol' in row over farm selling steak pies
Volunteers from Kinross Farmers' Market have been left 'shocked by the vitriol' after a local farm claimed businesses had complained about its steak pies. Despite Saturday's drab weather, shoppers arrived in large numbers as the market made its long-awaited first appearance of the year at the High Street. But the successful event was soured by claims made by the owners of Arngask Home Farm, a 10-acre smallholding near Glenfarg. At 10am they posted on Facebook: 'The last 12 hours have been extremely difficult. 'The simple information we need to share is that we will not be at Kinross Farmers Market today.' The farm, which is owned and run by Eilidh and Lloyd Verstage, continued in the post: 'Two businesses, who we will not name, have objected in the strongest manner to us being there with our steak pies, lamb and eggs. 'With just hours of notice, we are now sitting with huge quantities of steak pies that were earmarked and agreed by and for Kinross. 'We will have lost our earnings. However, more worryingly, we have been subject to awful behaviour. 'So, we won't be there. Sorry. 'Our horse box is filled with steak pies. If you can get along to buy one, we'd be so grateful. 'We're both headed to Rosemains Market today in Pathhead to hopefully have a good day there if you live locally. 'We're upset but we're not broken. What has happened is beyond madness. It's not okay.' Kinross Farmers' Market's website says it attracts more than 25 producers selling their goods. It takes place on the fourth Saturday of the month, from April to October. It was launched at the end of 2015 by Kinross-shire Local Events Organisation (KLEO), supported by the Holyrood-financed Community Food Fund. KLEO is chaired by local councillor Dave Cuthbert, who released a statement from the group's volunteer committee responding to the fallout from Arngask Home Farm's post. It said: 'We are shocked and saddened by the vitriol, misinformation and accusations that have been levelled towards KLEO by fellow Kinross-shire residents, none of whom have the full facts. 'KLEO would like to make it very clear that we have never in the past, or today, banned any stallholder from the market. 'But, somehow, that is the myth that is growing virtual arms and legs. 'We have to address that. And we will do so. 'We are now investigating what happened in this case and we will respond accordingly and directly with the parties involved/affected. 'If we have made mistakes, we will own them. 'If our processes are not fit for purpose, we will fix them and if our communications have been less than the standard we want to uphold, we will also get that sorted. 'We must rely on support from the community, and we would hope that this support would continue if, or when, we sometimes might not get it quite right.' Arngask Home Farm did not respond to The Courier's request for comment. But later on Saturday it posted an update on Facebook saying customers had flocked to the farm after the earlier message. It said: 'What an amazing bunch of people you are. 'We have sold out of steak pies until 2pm when we'll have another restock. 'We're very aware that the horse box is super busy. 'It's your kindness that is incredible and our horsebox/road is struggling a bit. 'So please come in the next few days instead. 'We love you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'
