Do Not Close the Veterinary Services Disease Surveillance and Post Mortem facility in Inverness
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· petition starter
11 years ago
Highland MSP asks for constituents to make their views known to SRUC re : Inverness closure
25 June 2015
Highlands & Islands (including Moray) (Labour) MSP, David Stewart, had a meeting yesterday afternoon (24/6/15) with the A/CEO of the Scottish Rural College, (SRUC) Janet Swadling and Mike Wijnberg, Managing Director of SAC Consulting, with regard to the potential closure of the Inverness facility.
Mr. Stewart was contacted by constituents in early June about this matter and as a result he wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs seeking reassurances about the consultation process and also requesting other information with regards to the logistics if the only facilities in the North were based at Perth, Thurso and Aberdeenshire.
He also made contact with key users of the facility such as the Police, RSPB and others and learned that they had not had any direct input into the consultation process.
Speaking this morning about yesterday’s meeting, David Stewart said, “ I have a fairly thick dossier of issues in relation to this whole matter and raised the many concerns from constituents, staff and organisations with regards to the potential closure of the Inverness site, with Janet Swadling and Mike Wijnberg.
“ It seems part of the facility will move to the new Inverness campus, but not anything related to the post-mortem side of the organisation.
“At the meeting I was at pains to make clear that I had real concerns about the consultation process and after discussion it would be fair to say I am reassured that there has not been a final decision made yet.
“This is why it is important that all who use the facility, be they crofters or farmers or the Police or RSPB or any other organisation, that they contribute to the consultation process immediately, to make their views know as they only have until the 10 July when the consultation period closes.
“ For me this is all about a centralisation agenda and obviously a cost cutting exercise.
“It appea
Highland MSP asks for constituents to make their views known to SRUC re : Inverness closure 25 June 2015 Highlands & Islands (including Moray) (Labour) MSP, David Stewart, had a meeting yesterday afternoon (24/6/15) with the A/CEO of the Scottish Rural College, (SRUC) Janet Swadling and Mike Wijnberg, Managing Director of SAC Consulting, with regard to the potential closure of the Inverness facility. Mr. Stewart was contacted by constituents in early June about this matter and as a result he wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs seeking reassurances about the consultation process and also requesting other information with regards to the logistics if the only facilities in the North were based at Perth, Thurso and Aberdeenshire. He also made contact with key users of the facility such as the Police, RSPB and others and learned that they had not had any direct input into the consultation process. Speaking this morning about yesterday’s meeting, David Stewart said, “ I have a fairly thick dossier of issues in relation to this whole matter and raised the many concerns from constituents, staff and organisations with regards to the potential closure of the Inverness site, with Janet Swadling and Mike Wijnberg. “ It seems part of the facility will move to the new Inverness campus, but not anything related to the post-mortem side of the organisation. “At the meeting I was at pains to make clear that I had real concerns about the consultation process and after discussion it would be fair to say I am reassured that there has not been a final decision made yet. “This is why it is important that all who use the facility, be they crofters or farmers or the Police or RSPB or any other organisation, that they contribute to the consultation process immediately, to make their views know as they only have until the 10 July when the consultation period closes. “ For me this is all about a centralisation agenda and obviously a cost cutting exercise. “It appea