WITH AN announcement about the name of the new Kincardine bridge expected soon, a Fife councillor has claimed that calling it the Clackmannanshire Bridge would be an “injustice”.

Councillor Willie Ferguson, who represents Kincardine, has gained the support of colleagues on Fife Council in campaigning for the upper Forth crossing to be called the Kingdom Bridge.

He also has the backing of the Lord Lieutenant of Fife, Margaret Dean. But he is worried Clackmannanshire Council’s high-profile campaign will “steal” the bridge from Fife.

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson was inundated with emails and postcards in favouring a Clackmannanshire Bridge. Among those backing the name were the Alexander Brothers and football pundit Alan Hansen.

The bridge should lead to a dramatic fall in traffic congestion in and around the village of Kincardine.

With the late Labour MP Rachel Squire and late councillor Barbara Stocks, Mr Ferguson was an early campaigner for the bridge, now well under way and set to open in November.

Back in 1998 Mr Ferguson, Ms Squire and Helen Eadie MSP—who then chaired Fife Council’s transport committee—and two local pupils went to London to lobby Henry McLeish, then Scottish transport minister, for a new bridge.

Mr Ferguson said the public consultation closed months ago, but it was not too late to let Mr Stewart know how important the crossing was to Fifers.

He said, “He has not made a decision yet on naming the bridge and Clackmannanshire is still pushing for it to be called the Clackmannanshire Bridge.

“We have been a bit slow getting our campaign off the ground, but most people are happy just to see the bridge being built. People were more concerned about getting traffic diverted from the village than starting a naming campaign.”