Alastair Gossip

1 week ago | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alastair Gossip

Aberdeen’s world-first hydrogen bus fleet has been off the road for almost a year – and the council might have no way of fuelling them for months yet. A multi-million-pound parade of H-powered buses are stacked up at First Bus’ King Street depot – as they have been since July. The Wrightbus vehicles were the first hydrogen-fuelled double decker buses to operate anywhere in the world when they launched on the Peterculter to Tillydrone number 19 route in early 2021. Each cost around £500,000.

1 month ago | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alastair Gossip

A new £300 million “mega-project” – being compared to the planned redevelopment of Old Trafford – has been unveiled for Aberdeen beach. Labour councillors are today expected to lift the curtain on a plan to pump money into the stalling seafront regeneration, including a new stadium for Aberdeen FC and new public leisure facilities. It would also take in work to revive George Street, if it were ever to come to fruition.

1 month ago | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alastair Gossip

Cracks are appearing in the SNP’s resolve – as an eleventh hour, multi-million-pound plan to avert strikes set to cripple public services emerges. Nationalist council co-leader Christian Allard is facing calls from within his own party to blink first in the row with Aberdeen workers over the threat of fire and rehire. It comes as councillors will hear calls to undo a £5 million staff reorganisation which prompted the dispute in the first place.

1 month ago | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alastair Gossip

Bins could be left overflowing, nurseries could be left bereft of staff and vital support services for the most vulnerable could grind to a halt under a promise to unleash strike “chaos” across Aberdeen within weeks. Unions are racing to ballot members on strikes as the council over contentious changes. There are fears some of the city’s lowest-paid employees could be plunged further into poverty by plans to cut their working week down to 35 hours.

2 months ago | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alastair Gossip

Strings of emails going back almost two years have revealed the calamitous scramble to save the William Wallace fountain at Union Terrace Gardens from “solid green gunge”. The plinth surrounding the B-listed statue was installed as part of the overbudget £32.2 million refurbishment of the Victorian park. But the water feature has been dry for many months, as Aberdeen City Council shambled to get staff trained to run and maintain it while fearing it could be a Petri dish of serious disease.