Moray seagull ‘menace’ in the spotlight at Holyrood as Ross urges Scottish Government action

The menace posed by gulls in Moray is set to take centre stage in a Scottish Parliament debate tomorrow (Wednesday).

Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross has revealed he will challenge SNP ministers on the “menace” of seagulls wreaking havoc across Moray.

He is set to use rural affairs questions to ask ministers if they believe seagulls should continue to be protected in law.

The Conservative MSP went on to state that constituents are regularly getting in contact to report incidents of seagulls being a nuisance and attacking them in towns such as Elgin and elsewhere in the region.

Moray Council leader Kathleen Robertson wrote to SNP rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon asking for measures to help control numbers, but Mr Ross said the problem is only continuing to grow.

He also previously received a “disappointing” response from the SNP government in 2021 in which they offered no support and said the matter was one for local authorities to deal with.

Speaking before tomorrow’s debate, Mr Ross stated that he hoped NP ministers will have “changed their tune” since then and recognise that seagulls are continuing to pose a “serious danger” to local residents who want urgent action to be taken.

He continued: “Constituents continue to frequently contact me about the real menace of seagulls in many parts of Moray.

“SNP ministers cannot continue to ignore those concerns and I hope ministers will outline a more positive response than they have previously done on this issue when I challenge them in Holyrood this week.

“They cannot continue to pass the buck to local authorities like Moray who are already bearing the brunt of the SNP underfunding council budgets for years.

“I hope SNP ministers will have changed their tune. Seagulls are a nuisance at best, and a real danger at worst and this problem has only escalated in towns across Moray in recent years.

“I am determined to find a way in which robust measures can be put in place to avoid local people living in fear of being attacked by seagulls in their local community but that requires support from the SNP government if we are to achieve this.”