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Perth and Kinross Council run by a bunch of ignorant, stupid morons with double standards. The Council’s stupidity has resulted in the ‘vandalism’ of an historic Roman road…….
Perth and Kinross Provost Mr Scott doesn’t want to part with the private number plate on the fancy gas guzzler he swans around in claiming that the license plate is a piece of history and yet his council is responsible for the vandalism of an historic Roman road in Perthshire.
On the one hand - from North Tonight
02/08/2005 17:50
Perth and Kinross Provost Bob Scott is refusing to bow to public pressure to sell the private number plate on his official council car. He's rejecting claims it could fetch up to two hundred thousand pounds at auction, saying the unique registration means more to the city than money.
Often seen outside the council's headquarters, the Perth Provost's car was a notable absentee today. Nor could it be found in the building's car park round the back - it seems to have gone into hiding, perhaps fearful of having it's most valuable asset stripped from it.
The Fair City's Civic Leaders have long enjoyed their luxury cars - but few have realised the registration they've all shared - is a license to print money.
ES1 was the first license plate ever issued in Perthshire - and it's more valuable than the vehicle itself. This was the moment, GS1, another historic Perthshire number, fetched two hundred and twenty thousand pounds at auction last month.
The figure shocked the public, who are now piling pressure on the Provost to release the council's vehicle registration and put the money back into Perth. No-one from the council, including the provost, was prepared to talk on camera today on an issue they're clearly trying to play down.
But on the streets of Perth, the public had plenty to say. But the Provost is refusing to cave in, Bob Scott says the license plate is a piece of history - and believes there would be uproar among the public if it was sold off.
So what about the piece of history below that your council destroyed out at Braco?
Roman road rage at blunder
Part of Scotland’s and Europe’s Roman heritage may have been lost due to a mistake by the planning department of Perth and Kinross Council, The Courier can exclusively reveal.
Despite advice from Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, they allowed a planning application to improve drainage and build a shed next to Kaims Cottage near Braco, to go ahead without an archaeological survey.
The site near Kaims Castle, a Roman fortlet, and a Roman road runs through it, so the trust gave their view that, as it was inevitable part of an important historical monument was going to be damaged, any consent should include a condition that an archaeological survey should be carried out in advance.
The recommendation came after the department asked for the views of the heritage trust but when they issued the planning consent they forgot to add the essential condition.
Despite that it is understood the occupants of Kaims Cottage contacted planning officials several times to alert them to the date work was starting and ask if anyone was coming to examine the site but nothing happened.
Now a leading expert on the Roman occupation of Scotland, Dr John Woolliscroft has hit out at the councils carelessness.
Dr John Woolliscroft, of Liverpool University, said as a result one of the few surviving undamaged sections of Roman road, one of the most northerly in Europe, has now been destroyed, totally unrecorded.
The road runs from the Roman camp at Ardoch on the outskirts of Braco to the Gask Ridge, a unique defensive line of signal posts, fortlets and camps, built around AD70-80 which makes if part of the first Roman frontier anywhere.
The Courier Saturday 6th August by Ken Bell
