Aberdeen's SNP-led council has been branded an ‘embarrassment’ after spending cash raised from fining drivers on ‘urban bees’.

The city is putting £60,000 from penalties slapped on drivers in a low-emission zone (LEZ) to get the city centre ‘greening, growing and buzzing’.

Planning is underway on ‘reinstating urban bees into the city centre’ with the help of ‘floral enhancement via provision of year-round hanging baskets’.

The council is also investigating ‘green bus shelters’ topped with stonecrop, a plant that grows with hardly any soil.

In contrast, money raised by fining drivers for straying into bus lanes is being dedicated to road and infrastructure works. 

Douglas Lumsden, the Scottish Conservative candidate for next week’s Aberdeen South Westminster by-election, said: ‘This pitiful excuse for a council is using LEZs and bus gates as a cash cow to claw back millions of pounds from drivers that it has wasted on botched projects.

‘At a time when businesses are closing and footfall has plummeted from these draconian measures, this SNP-Lib Dem administration would rather focus on bees in our city centre.

‘The only people buzzing at the moment are the council, who are collecting millions of pounds by hammering hard-pressed motorists to pay for these ridiculous projects.

‘It’s embarrassing the council is more interested in net zero penny-pinching than helping make our city centre great again.

‘Voters in Aberdeen South now have the chance to send a clear message to the SNP that these LEZs and bus gates are not welcome here.’

The council, run by an SNP-LibDem coalition dominated by the Nationalists, has amassed a £4.5million pot from LEZ, bus lane, and bus gate fines. 

As well as the £60,000 for bees, the city aims to spend £61,000 on a ‘temporary tactical urbanism approach’ involving ‘new planting and seating’ and £200,000 backing an electric bike rental scheme.

LibDem council co-leader Ian Yuill said: ‘Mr Lumsden seems to have forgotten that it was his Conservative colleagues on Aberdeen City Council who signed off on the Aberdeen LEZ in early 2022.

‘The LEZ funds have to be used to improve air quality, reduce pollution, or support transition to greener transport. These initiatives will enhance the city centre and make it an even better place to live, work, do business, and invest.’

The SNP was asked for comment.