Tricky council business

Your two recent articles on EV charge points and housing construction do not seem to bode well for the new councillors.

SIC director proposes construction industry meeting as local capacity affects house building

Officers Symon and Grant, respectively, seem to be bringing problems to members, why rather than solutions?

It is for the politicians to decide on the tricky decisions like funding, where one hopes the politicians will know the value of everything and price of nothing, unlike the opposite it seems with officers.

Collaborate with supermarkets on electric vehicle chargers, councillor suggests

Both issues are long-term strategic issues, just the thing for politicians to get their teeth into, looking hopefully beyond the next five years and re-election.

Bringing really stupid issues like workforce on emergency calls taking work vans home and needing charging and journey anxiety are just so much nonsense and easily solved.

Leave the work vehicles at work! Commuting to and from home should not be a public expense!

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Will Viking Energy really make SSE generation at Gremista obsolete? Shetland’s electricity needs are not their priority, never were. The electricity is for export and profit maximisation. Read the small print of the SSE Generation so called ‘deal’ with the SIC. With such a small stake in VE (Shetland Charitable Trust, not SIC) it really should revert to being called SSE Generation. Let’s called a spade a spade, it’s certainly not a tushkar!

Regarding the overheating of the housing/construction industry. This has always been an issue in Shetland since oil came and many new houses had to be built. Maybe let’s just slow down the build, and don’t be taken for a ride by local or external contractors.

And perhaps face up to the real reasons for a housing shortage even with a now smaller population? Try for example trebling, or more, the council tax on second homes and see what that does to the local housing market? Homes for tourists or locals first?

Tricky this council business, isn’t it?

James J Paton
Lerwick