Local input 'crucial to getting Stirling cycle paths right', says deputy council leader
Jen Preston told The Courier the ongoing public consultation for the next phase of Stirling's active travel network was 'crucial to getting it right'.
The Labour Stirling West councillor said she keen to hear more ideas from locals and cyclists.
Ms Preston was speaking on Thursday (April 24) at the official launch of the active travel path that runs from Stirling railway station, through Causewayhead Road, to the University of Stirling.
The walking and cycling path is part of the £11 million Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling project.
Ms Preston's comments come after responses to a recently launched online consultation highlighted local concern over the proposed Bridge of Allan to Dunblane cycle and walking path – the next phase of the project.
Some residents feel the B8033 road between Keir Roundabout and the Dunblane Centre roundabout is too busy to be a single carriageway, and argue the change would be dangerous.
Others say there are better nearby routes to develop into a path for bikes and pedestrians.
Ms Preston told The Courier the existing active travel route is already well used, adding: 'I speak to a lot of the regular Stirling cyclists who use it often and they are really enjoying it.
'That says to me we are getting something right.'
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop also attended Thursday's ceremony at Wallace High School to cut the ribbon and mark the official opening of the active travel route.
She said: 'Now that we have this fantastic facility, I hope more and more people will use it.
'Stirling should be very proud.
'Stirling has been a real leader with what it has done addressing climate change and the cycle path infrastructure.'
Three Wallace High School pupils present at the launch event said they thought the cycle and walking path offered several benefits.
Nora, Parth and Hayden, all in S3, said they felt safer riding their bikes on the path compared to the road.
Parth added that he felt much happier cycling 'away from the bad drivers'.
They all also said cycling to school is now more fun and social.
Hayden said: 'One of my friends, at least one day a week, will come and cycle to school with me.'
The Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling project is funded by several bodies.
The majority of the investment comes from Sustrans Scotland, on behalf of Transport Scotland and via Places for Everyone.
The rest is provided by the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, with a smaller portion from Stirling Council's developer contributions allocation.
The project is part of the council's Climate and Nature Emergency Plan, which hopes to make the area carbon neutral by 2035.
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Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Teacher, 56, who was dubbed 'Islamophobic' after labelling Lucy Connolly's prison sentence as 'two-tier policing' hits out and says he is fighting to clear his name
A teacher who was branded 'Islamophobic' has revealed it is now 'very difficult to find another job' after two Facebook friends reported him for a post criticising Lucy Connolly's prison sentence. Simon Pearson, a former employee of Preston College, was subject to an internal investigation following his comment that Connolly 'should not have been jailed'. Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor, had been handed a 31-month sentence in October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred in a social media post following last year's Southport riots. The post, which the 42-year-old later deleted, said: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it.' In his online comment, Mr Pearson described Connolly's words as 'obviously wrong', but said he believed her prison sentence was a 'two tier policy from the top down'. Speaking to GB News, the 56-year-old this evening said he 'very much' agreed his free speech had been 'violated'. Mr Pearson explained: 'I've served at Preston College for 20 years - I've served my students faithfully, I've been defending their rights as well from whatever race, from whatever religion. 'I've demonstrated to the college as well that they have no basis in their actions and unfortunately they dismissed me.' Pictured: Mr Pearson's Facebook post that eventually resulted in his dismissal. Preston College's investigation deemed the post a violation of its policies, damaging of professional relationships and likely to bring the college's reputation into disrepute The teacher said he had stated Connolly's post was 'appalling' and 'indefensible' - but also that she had deleted it soon after and 'obviously didn't mean what she said'. Mr Pearson added: 'Policing social media is awful for our country - it has been for me; being labelled Islamophobic has made it very difficult for me to find another job. And it's not true. 'You should be able to express what you really believe - what is of concern in society - without fear of recrimination.' He clarified it had not been his Union that made the report but in fact 'two people who were on my Facebook friends (list)'. 'They were the ones who'd told the Union what I'd written and through the Union they brought that to the college,' he said. Mr Pearson concluded: 'It's a travesty really and that's why I'm fighting to clear my name.' An internal investigation was launched following a complaint submitted by a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the school who alleged that the post was 'Islamophobic' and 'racially discriminatory'. Mr Pearson said that following the concern, he apologised and also claimed to have provided evidence of his support for both Muslim students and asylum seekers. Simon Pearson, a teacher at Preston College, has said he fell victim to an unfair 'witch hunt' which resulted in his dismissal from his position at Preston College after he publicly criticised Lucy Connolly's (pictured) prison sentence However, the college's investigation deemed the posts a violation of its policies, damaging of professional relationships and likely to bring the college's reputation into disrepute. Mr Pearson previously said he had been left 'appalled' by the decision, particularly given his long-standing commitment to helping support and educate students 'from all walks of life'. Describing his dismissal as a 'grave injustice', he told The Telegraph: 'As soon as I was branded "Islamophobic" for expressing concern about violent crime, I became a marked man. 'It was clear that I had to be found guilty by the college, it became a witch hunt, and I had to be eliminated no matter what.' Mr Pearson, who has now launched legal action at an employment tribunal, has claimed wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Lord Young of Acton, founder of the Free Speech Union, told the Daily Mail he was 'shocked' by the decision to sack Mr Pearson, criticising the NEU (National Education Union) for 'siding with the bosses rather than the workers when it comes to breaches of workplace speech codes'. It comes after Connolly, of Northampton, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in October and imprisoned at HMP Drake Hall, Staffordshire after admitting to making her 'racist' post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The 42-year-old former childminder, wife of Conservative councillor Ray Connolly, lost her 19-month-old son, Harry, in 2011. With around 9,000 followers on X at the time, Connolly's message was reposted 940 times and viewed 310,000 times before she deleted it around three and a half hours later. The mother-of-one was arrested on August 6 last year, by which point she had deleted her social media account. But other messages which included other condemning remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone. Her X post was made just hours after killer Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, sparking nationwide unrest. A number of public figures and politicians have spoken out since Connolly was handed her sentence, claiming that she is a victim of 'two-tier justice'. Connolly's husband, Raymond, a former West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, said on the day she lost her appeal: 'Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she will release 40,000 prisoners, some of them dangerous men on tag. 'Lucy has not been allowed out on tag and she has been denied leave to see our child who is struggling. 'The court had the opportunity to reduce her cruelly long and disproportionate sentence, but they refused. That feels like two-tier justice.' Adelle Healy, 42, who has been friends with Connolly for nine years, previously told the Daily Mail: 'Lucy was horrified and heartbroken that three little girls had been murdered. She let her emotions take over and wrote something that she definitely shouldn't have done but she has paid a very dear price. 'She should not be behind bars for a tweet. I think it's ludicrous that it's got to this point.' In May, Connolly lost an appeal to shorten her 31-month sentence despite telling the Court of Appeal in London she 'never' intended to incite violence and did not realise that pleading guilty would mean she accepted that she had. Meanwhile, earlier this week, The Daily Mail revealed a friend of Connolly had shared a post to X saying she believed the convict would be 'with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand' this time next month. It is understood Connolly will be released on August 21. The National Education Union said in a statement: 'The management of Preston College reached a decision to dismiss the teacher following disciplinary procedures. 'The NEU was not directly involved in these processes and it will be for the Employment Tribunal to consider the fairness of the dismissal if and when the claim reaches a hearing.' Preston College added: 'Upon receipt of complaints from a number of our staff, an internal investigation was undertaken into whether some of Mr Pearson's social media posts were a breach of the College's Staff Behaviour Code and Values. 'Following an investigation and subsequent disciplinary process, Mr Pearson was dismissed from his employment at the College.'
Telegraph
20 hours ago
- Telegraph
Simon Pearson's sacking is a stark warning to censorship Britain
With a teacher being fired from his role after saying that Lucy Connolly's prison sentence was a case of two-tier justice, there are growing fears of what the impact of a new 'Islamophobia' definition could have on freedom of expression in modern Britain. In a post on social media, 56-year-old Simon Pearson, a teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) at Preston College, said Connolly's unquestionably inflammatory comments were 'obviously wrong' but she 'should not have been jailed'. Pearson was subsequently dismissed after an internal investigation – prompted by a complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the college – concluded that his online posts had the potential to bring it into disrepute. If truth be told, I have found much of the online Right's lionisation of the imprisoned Lucy Connolly – who has been depicted as some kind of persecuted free-speech heroine – totally bizarre. But surely Pearson, living in a supposedly free and democratic society, has the right to express his opinion that her prison sentence was harsh, when compared to the lenient sentences provided to others for offences considered to be more serious in nature? In another post on the Manchester Airport incident, over which Mohammed Fahir Amaaz has now been found guilty of assaulting two female police officers, Pearson claimed that 'if these people have no respect for the police and UK laws, they need deporting back to their ancestral home'. There is no evidence that Pearson made these comments on the grounds of Amaaz's specific racial and religious background, and he may well have made them if the two brothers involved in the fracas were white Christian men originating from the Balkans. Pearson, as an Esol teacher in Preston, is likely to have provided support to Muslim students and asylum seekers whilst serving in this role. This certainly does not strike me as the choice of profession by an anti-Muslim racist bigot. Some may find his opinions disagreeable, perhaps even offensive – but no one has the right to be protected from views which they may find uncomfortable but are causing them no direct harm. His sacking also serves as a warning – a new 'Islamophobia' definition could be used as an instrument of censorship by tribal activists to threaten the livelihoods of those expressing political views which are not even directly anti-Muslim in nature. Such a development will only further undermine Britain's previous reputation for being the home of free speech.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Teacher who was called 'Islamophobic' and sacked after describing Lucy Connolly's prison sentence as two-tier policing says he has been victim of 'witch hunt'
A teacher branded 'Islamophobic' has been sacked after describing Lucy Connolly's prison sentence as an example of two-tier policing. Simon Pearson, a teacher at Preston College, has said he fell victim to an unfair 'witch hunt' which resulted in his dismissal from his position at Preston College. The 56-year-old, working as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher at the higher education institution, was removed following an internal investigation. Connolly, wife of a Tory councillor, was given a 31-month sentence in October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred in a social media post following last year's Southport riots. The post, which she later deleted, said: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it.' In a Facebook post, Mr Pearson described Connolly's online comments as 'obviously wrong', but said that he believed her prison sentence was a 'two tier policy from the top down' and that she 'should not have been jailed', The Telegraph has reported. An internal investigation was launched following a complaint submitted by a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the school who alleged that the post was 'Islamophobic' and 'racially discriminatory'. Mr Pearson said that following the raised concern, he apologised and also claimed to have provided evidence of his support for both Muslim students and asylum seekers. Pictured: Mr Pearson's Facebook post that eventually resulted in his dismissal. Preston College's investigation deemed the posts a violation of its policies, damaging of professional relationships and likely to bring the college's reputation into disrepute However, the college's investigation deemed the posts a violation of its policies, damaging of professional relationships and likely to bring the college's reputation into disrepute. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Pearson said he had been left 'appalled' by the decision, particularly given his life-long commitment to helping to support and educate students 'from all walks of life'. Describing his dismissal as a 'grave injustice', he added: 'As soon as I was branded 'Islamophobic' for expressing concern about violent crime, I became a marked man. 'It was clear that I had to be found guilty by the college, it became a witch hunt, and I had to be eliminated no matter what.' Mr Pearson, who has now launched legal action at an employment tribunal, has claimed wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination under the Equality Act of 2010. Lord Young of Acton, founder of the Free Speech Union, told The Telegraph that the decision to sack Mr Pearson was 'striking', criticising the NEU for 'siding with management and actively trying to get workers sacked'. A spokesperson for The Christian Legal Centre, supporting Mr Pearson, described the case as an indication of the 'dangerous consequences of the vague and weaponised use of the term 'Islamophobia'. They added: 'In a free and democratic society, we must be able to discuss public events and express concern about violence and injustice without fear of losing our livelihoods. 'The definition of Islamophobia is being used to silence legitimate speech and punish those who dare to speak out. We stand firmly behind this teacher and his right to freedom of expression.' Connolly, of Northampton, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in October and imprisoned at HMP Drake Hall, Staffordshire after admitting to making her 'racist' post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The 42-year-old former childminder, wife of Tory councillor Ray Connolly, lost her 19-month-old son, Harry, in 2011. With around 9,000 followers on X at the time, Connolly's message was reposted 940 times and viewed 310,000 times before she deleted it around three and a half hours later. The mother-of-one was arrested on August 6 last year, by which point she had deleted her social media account. But other messages which included other condemning remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone. Her X post was made just hours after killer Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, sparking nationwide unrest. A number of public figures and politicians have spoken out since Connolly was handed her sentence, claiming that she is a victim of 'two-tier justice'. Connolly's husband, Raymond, a former West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, said on the day she lost her appeal: 'Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she will release 40,000 prisoners, some of them dangerous men on tag. 'Lucy has not been allowed out on tag and she has been denied leave to see our child who is struggling. 'Today, the court had the opportunity to reduce her cruelly long and disproportionate sentence, but they refused. That feels like two-tier justice. 'The British people know all this is not right. They have given an amazing £81,000 so far to Lucy's crowd-funder. Despite today's upsetting setback, Lucy gets courage from everyone's kind support.' Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire district councillor but lost his seat in May. He remains on the town council. Connolly's supporters, including the Free Speech Union, argue that – as a woman with significant mitigating factors including the lack of previous convictions, a young daughter at home and the death of her baby son – Connolly's 285 days in custody already represent punishment enough. Adelle Healy, 42, who has been friends with Connolly for nine years, previously told the Daily Mail: 'Lucy was horrified and heartbroken that three little girls had been murdered. She let her emotions take over and wrote something that she definitely shouldn't have done but she has paid a very dear price. 'She should not be behind bars for a tweet. I think it's ludicrous that it's got to this point.' In May, Connolly lost an appeal to shorten her 31-month sentence despite telling the Court of Appeal in London that she 'never' intended to incite violence and did not realise that pleading guilty would mean she accepted that she had. Meanwhile, earlier this week, a friend of Connolly shared a post to X saying that she believed Connolly would be 'with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand' this time next month, it expected that she could be released as early as August 21. The pal, who describes herself as a '"conspiracy" blonde', said: 'Missed a call whilst working today and not spoke to her for 2 weeks now... *HOWEVER* Happy to say that this time next month Lucy will be with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand - And more importantly her family AT HOME.' She concluded the post with, 'What a year it's been...' The Southport atrocity sparked nationwide unrest, with several people - including Connolly - jailed as a result. Connolly's case received international interest with the White House saying in May it was ' monitoring' Connolly's case. The length of her sentence, which has seen her locked up alongside career crooks, has drawn bitter criticism from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, as well as a raft of free speech advocates for being unduly harsh. Reform's Richard Tice even previously proposed a bill - named 'Lucy's Bill' - which would allow people to mount mass appeals against punishments they deem to be too severe or lenient. A spokesperson for the NEU said: 'The management of Preston College reached a decision to dismiss the teacher following disciplinary procedures. 'The NEU was not directly involved in these processes and it will be for the Employment Tribunal to consider the fairness of the dismissal if and when the claim reaches a hearing.' Preston College and the Christian Legal Centre have both been approached for comment.
