Neil Bibby MSP has criticised the long-term effects of John Swinney’s decision to scrap the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.
At First Minister’s Questions after it was revealed that drop-off charges are rising.
The announcement was made this week that the cost of using the drop-off facilities was increasing from £6 to £7 for using the service for up to 15 minutes.
This is another setback for passengers who use the airport. John Swinney as Finance Secretary in 2009 scrapped plans for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link which would have significantly improved access to the airport for thousands of passengers and staff.
Constituents have also been in touch with Mr Bibby complaining about congestion in their streets near the airport as holidaymakers try to avoid the charges.
Neil Bibby MSP said: “Glasgow is one of the busiest airports in the country yet the region is being treated as an afterthought with people paying the price of SNP inaction.
“Holidaymakers are now having to pay £7 for a drop-off which could take less than a minute which is another sting in the tail for those using the biggest airport in the West of Scotland.
“This is also affecting nearby residents however as several constituents have complained to me about congestion in their streets due to drivers trying to avoid the exorbitant charges.
“I asked the First Minister about these concerns and part of his answer referenced the Borders railway. If that isn’t a sign that he doesn’t prioritise our area then I don’t know what is.
“John Swinney’s fingerprints are all over this. He was the person who scrapped the Airport Rail Link in 2009 as Finance Secretary and 17 years later he still has no solution to fixing the problem he created.
“This SNP Government have proved that they have no answers and that is why it’s time for a change of direction with a Scottish Labour Government.”
Neil Bibby’s question to the First Minister:
“Earlier this week, operators at Glasgow airport announced that they are increasing their passenger drop-off charges from £6 to £7 for just 15 minutes. Those exorbitant charges will not just hit working people, their friends and their family who are trying to go on holiday; they will affect residents in the nearby streets north of Paisley, who say that their streets are being congested by airport traffic. When the First Minister stands up to respond, he will be standing in the same spot that he stood in in 2009, when he cancelled the Glasgow airport rail link. Does he finally regret his decision to cancel that project, given the detrimental impact that it has had on our economy, residents and passengers?”
First Minister’s response:
“The Government faces hard political and financial choices at times, and we take them—that is what responsible Government is all about. The hard reality in the aftermath of the financial crash, during which Anas Sarwar’s ‘old friend’ Peter Mandelson was leaking information to Jeffrey Epstein, was that we faced hard choices about our capital budget and I, as the minister responsible for finance, had to make them.
The decisions about charges at Glasgow airport have been taken by a private company. However, people can rely on this Scottish Government taking the wise and considered decisions to invest in our economy, as we have done through countless rail links around the country—the Levenmouth railway, the Airdrie to Bathgate railway and the Borders railway were all delivered by this Government, and we are determined to carry on with that record.”
