March/April 2025
- Liam Kerr
- Jul 7, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 9, 2025
Welcome to my newsletter, where I set out what I have been doing over the last month. If you want to see more of what I am up to, follow me on social media. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch through the details below.
Many Thanks,
The SNP Government has approved plans for a battery energy storage site next to Robert Gordon’s College playing fields at Countesswells. This is despite Aberdeen City Council rejecting the proposal last year, along with 107 objections submitted by residents.
If a fire were to break out at the site, dangerous smoke and vapours would be released into the air, impacting the nearby playing fields and local residents’ homes. Additionally, pollutants could leach into the ground, posing a long-term risk to the natural environment.
I stand with Robert Gordon’s College as they consider taking this case to court. I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, to ask on what grounds overturning the council’s refusal of the application was deemed acceptable. I await a response.
You can watch my interview with That’s TV Aberdeen here: https://tinyurl.com/2spnn9ck
You can read more about this issue here: https://tinyurl.com/yr5th78s
Click here to read my letter to Gillian Martin MSP: https://tinyurl.com/3h9afkv4
After ignoring RAAC-affected homeowners in Torry and my multiple letters, at the eleventh hour, the Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, has finally plucked up the courage and has agreed to meet with residents in Aberdeen.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen City Council have only offered owners a post-RAAC valuation for their homes, with residents facing, on average, losses of between £35,000 and £55,000. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/4ucc2bs6
The homeowners need their elected representatives to take responsibility and come up with a solution. I propose that the council use the £20 million housing fund promised to Aberdeen by the SNP Government in 2016.
It would take only a portion of that money to top up the existing council offer, then demolition, rebuilding and redeveloping the area.
Developers and the council successfully addressed Orlit in the eighties. I intend to put this proposal to Paul McLennan as a practical use of funds that should already have been invested in Aberdeen.
The north east deserves a fair deal, and the residents of Balnagask should no longer be left behind.
Watch me ask the First Minister if he will support my solution here: https://tinyurl.com/msa7cc8x
You can read more about my solution here: https://tinyurl.com/j7vhs85c
Despite my repeated requests, the SNP have put no money aside to reopen railway stations at Cove and Newtonhill. New stations would create faster, more environmentally friendly travel, reduce congestion on the roads and boost the economy.
For too long, the Scottish Government has favoured Central Belt projects, where we have seen new stations opening.
My petition, https://www.liam-kerr.co.uk/covenewtonhillpetition, to reopen Cove & Newtonhill stations has gathered over 1,600 signatures. I will continue to make sure the north east has a voice for rail infrastructure.
Aberdeen’s LEZ set a record for the most fines issued in a month with over 6,000 fines. It is hammering businesses and our great city centre. The LEZ is disproportionately impacting people with lesser means, a situation also found in Madrid, where a court responded by annulling the scheme. Except in Aberdeen, the council are doing no such analysis.
Aberdeen City Council say there is no published information on whether the LEZ has actually led to a reduction in emissions.
Just like the Aberdeen bus gates, it is a lesson in virtue signalling, ideologically led and unevidenced policy making on the hoof. The sooner the scheme is scrapped, the better for us all.
14 years ago, the SNP government promised to dual the A96. Today, they’re considering cancelling the project altogether.
As we wait for the outcome of the public consultation, the SNP must not forget the accidents and fatalities that have occurred on the road.
That’s why I’m calling on the government to do the right thing. Dual the A96 now!
You can sign the petition to dual the A96 here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxc4vvr
Due to chronic underfunding by the Scottish Government, our superb higher education institutions, Robert Gordon University and now The University of Aberdeen, are facing a financial crisis.
As a result, 130 Robert Gordon University staff departed last year as part of a voluntary severance scheme, and 60 additional staff could be made redundant. The University of Aberdeen will consider voluntary redundancies very soon.
The impact on students in Aberdeen will be immense, as well as causing huge stress for staff at these universities who face redundancy. The SNP government must urgently step up and help.
I was delighted to attend Ferryhill Railway’s 175th anniversary open day on the 16th of March, including an informative talk about the site’s history. The charity’s shed was officially opened following refurbishment works and contains a museum, workshops, and a water tower. It was fantastic to celebrate this cultural asset to the north east.
The NERVS Blood Bike team are always looking for new volunteers. If you are interested, you can contact them via their Facebook page.
The new car, donated by the Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation, now allows NERVS to continue operating when weather conditions prevent motorbike use.
It was a pleasure to meet the dedicated NERVS Blood Bikes volunteers at their base in Torry and present them with a parliamentary motion certificate. NERVS transports various medical supplies and equipment free of charge between hospitals and labs for the NHS.
It was great to attend Peterhead Sailing Club’s ‘back on the water’ day. They are an excellent local club dedicated to changing lives by running sailing activities for people of all ages.
You can learn more about the club here: https://tinyurl.com/289cdy9e
As work continues on the Fraserburgh Harbour Masterplan, I had the opportunity to meet with the dedicated Harbour officers to hear more about their bold, ambitious plans. I also met with Fraserburgh and District Councillor James Adams to discuss the core issues facing locals in Fraserburgh.
Always keen to hear from my constituents, I headed to Hazlehead with a team of volunteers to deliver my resident surveys. I am grateful for the responses received and will always do my utmost to address concerns raised by you.
I asked the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Angela Constance, about the Scottish Government’s response to a Scottish Conservative FOI that shows 506 sex offenders have changed their name in the last 2 years.
Her answer is… she doesn’t think this figure is 506, yet she doesn’t know how many there are. The SNP Government has no plans to adopt England’s strategy to address this problem, and no action is being taken to identify those who have changed their name and disappeared.
This is simply not good enough.
You can watch the exchange here: https://tinyurl.com/mwu53m5r
An FMQ from another MSP was about the £77,000 reported cost of each prisoner in Scotland. I hit the button to ask whether the Scottish Government still plans to release long-term prisoners early to reduce the number of people in our prisons.
The answer? The First Minister of Scotland doesn't know there is not a strategy but does concede that it is a "possibility" they will release long-term prisoners.
Judge for yourselves... https://tinyurl.com/bdvk4959
I wrote to the First Minister requesting that he send me the holistic “strategy” and confirm that he sees the early release of long-term prisoners as a possibility. I await his response.
The chair of the Scottish Police Federation told Justice Secretary Angela Constance that station closures and the stress experienced by serving officers have resulted in communities facing “an almost invisible policing presence, providing an utterly reactive service” and leading to “policing deserts”.
The SNP Government has chosen to ignore warnings about the impact of the decrease in police officer numbers on tackling rising levels of crime.
The Scottish Government should show some common sense by finally providing Police Scotland with the funding it needs to keep communities safe.
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/597kw79m
At the Criminal Justice Committee, where I am Deputy Convener, we have been continuing to consider the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill.
One of the Bill’s proposals is the introduction of a Victims' Commissioner. I believe that there are some safeguards lacking, and the Commissioner's role hasn't been given "teeth".
I proposed four amendments to address this, which you can watch me outline here: https://tinyurl.com/bp52wsa5
Another of the Bill’s proposals is changes to jury sizes. I explained to the committee why I support Sharon Dowey’s amendment.
You can watch my explanation here:
Further to the four amendments above, I also proposed five further amendments. A core issue identified in the legislation is the removal of anonymity for victims of sexual offences after their death.
You can watch my opening and closing statements from the committee’s discussion on this here: https://tinyurl.com/ykmsew7h
The Parliament is considering the Criminal Justice Modernisation & Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Bill.
In our unicameral parliament, after the committee has taken evidence and reports on a Bill to Parliament, there is a “stage 1 debate” where Parliament votes on the principles of the Bill.
I opened for the Scottish Conservatives and emphasised that this Government is more concerned with getting legislation through quickly rather than competently.
You can watch my speech here: https://tinyurl.com/sefzkw4f
In September 2022, Boundaries Scotland began the second review of Scottish Parliament boundaries. The review of Scottish Parliament boundaries is required by the Scotland Act 1998 and must be completed by 1 May 2025. The review included both constituency and regional boundaries.
There have been several changes across Scotland, including the North East. The North East Region has a minor boundary change, as does the Banff & Buchan constituency, and the Moray constituency. The Aberdeen South and North Kincardine constituency has been renamed to Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine.
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