ELECTION: Black Isle candidates stake claim for votes in this week's Highland Council election – the ward will be represented by three new councillors as all sitting members are standing down
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Sarah Atkin – Independent
My priorities are:
Every Child a Reader: Highland has the lowest primary attainment in Scotland. Let’s get back to basics with reading. A volunteer programme to support our teachers and struggling readers will help reverse this decline but I’d like to see less ‘top down’ bureaucracy and a more localised collaborative ‘model’ established between secondary and feeder primaries. School leaders and teachers need the autonomy to exercise professional judgement around how best to raise school standards.
Invest in Black Isle schools: Fortrose Academy needs investment. It’s overlooked.
Making better use of the facilities and spaces: many are underutilised. A focus on creating more social and cultural opportunities for teenagers and the isolated elderly.
Buses matter: buses are a lifeline and a route to opportunity. They don’t get enough political attention. We need smarter, bus-based solutions for our rural travel challenges. I’d favour an audit of bus use and an intelligent approach to timetables with working people in mind. Bus services need to be reliable, cheap, clean and safe.
Transparency: we need to know how Highland Council decisions are made and how money is being spent – at every level. Transparency is vital in a democracy.
Margaret Bryant – Scottish Labour
We live in difficult times. There is a cost of living crisis affecting all of Scotland and felt very keenly here in the rural north. Council budgets are insufficient for the needs of our communities and are underfunded by the relentlessly centralising SNP government.
As a Scottish Labour candidate my priority is the needs of people within our community. We need better and cheaper public transport and well maintained roads- and good, plentiful cycle-paths and footpaths. Scottish Labour proposes a freeze on rail fares and water rates. A windfall tax on oil and tax giants to fund reductions in energy bills makes sense.
We need excellent social care and we must support the workers who work so hard in this sector. It is time that social care services are recognised for how crucial they are with the prioritisation, resources and fair pay they need.
We want everyone in our communities to be supported to live healthy and happy lives. It is time to invest in and be ambitious in plans for local wind, wave and hydro power. Finally, I feel very strongly that we need a local visitor tax to ensure our services and amenities can maintain high standards for locals and visitors alike.
Morven-May MacCallum – Scottish Liberal Democrats
Having spent my life on the Black Isle, I’m incredibly excited to be running for councillor and to have the opportunity to give back to the communities I grew up in.
I’m eager to build upon the incredible community spirit we have in the Black Isle by supporting community groups and initiatives, by encouraging active travel and environmental changes, it’s important to me to promote and support our local businesses and to make our roads safer for all who use them.
I’m keen to carry on my work raising awareness for Lyme disease in our area - so that people are able to enjoy the outdoors in a safe way. As an author, education is a huge passion of mine and ensuring there are opportunities for people, of all ages, to learn and develop their skills and knowledge is vitally important.
For me, our communities are the heart and soul of our area and it would be wonderful to give back to an area which has given so much to me.
Okain John McLennan– Independent
(All efforts were made to reach each if of the candidates but some chose to not take part, did not submit anything or were not contactable)
Lyndsey Johnston – Scottish National Party (SNP)
I have been active in the SNP since 2014 and I am a passionate supporter of Independence for Scotland. I believe I have a strong moral core and I am passionate about social equality, fairness and tolerance.
If elected, I plan to use the platform to ensure that the issues which matter most are addressed. I will work with other councillors to ensure we can achieve the most for the local area within the budget we have. Like many who live and work on the Black Isle I am concerned about the condition and safety of local roads. With two children in school, I am concerned about the fabric of the building of Fortrose Academy and the effect such a poor estate has on the ability of children to learn and take pride in their school.
I would like to have an impact on the availability of public transport in the Black Isle, not only does this aid getting about but has an impact on the environment. If elected, I will be joining a strong SNP team and will work closely with other councillors, MSPs and MPs to ensure the voice of everyone in the Black Isle is heard.
Bev Smith – Independent
Simply put, I want to represent the interests of the vibrant Black Isle Community with passion.
The Black Isle deserves to be more than just a commuter development; retaining its identity whilst growing the community will be one of the biggest challenges, but a challenge I relish.
Our needs are diverse, a local respite day care centre is top priority for me as is a community swimming pool; ensuring that younger people can afford to live and work here whilst proving a safe environment for the more vulnerable and ageing population is also key.
I will strive to reduce the economic impact of moving towards greener ways of living, particularly on fixed and lower income households. I would ensure that any further development includes truly affordable housing and attractive amenities, whilst also encouraging a better bus service and enforcing a 20mph speed limit in villages.
Tourism must be carefully managed to reduce adverse impact on the community. I would seek to find solutions and champion our interests in strategic planning. Better waste disposal and a robust management plan is key.
Theo Stratton – Conservative and Unionist Party
I believe that the residents of the Black Isle are not being listened to by Highland Council.
This is evident by locally opposed planning applications being granted without a second’s thought to resident’s concerns and how the dangerous A9 Munlochy junction still hasn’t been replaced.
Our schools are at capacity and the roads across the Black Isle are falling apart and unable to cope with tourist traffic. Yet Highland Council demands housing development expansion without answers to how services, schools and roads will cope.
Sensible local judgement for how we improve and expand our villages is needed and that is what I will do if elected.
I’ve previously served as a local councillor and I will use this experience to properly support local residents and force Highland council to listen to what the Black Isle needs.
If elected my key priorities are:
Lower Council Tax;
Improve pothole reporting and repairs;
Repair and improve accessibility of our beaches;
Fund greener heating;
Build a safe alternative to the A9 Munlochy junction.
Anne Thomas – Scottish Greens
I'm a Speech Therapist, Transition Black Isle Trustee and vice chair of North Kessock Residents Association.
My priorities are:
The environment, we are in a climate emergency;
Housing, needs to be warm, affordable, and regulated so locals can buy it, reducing fuel poverty by insulating buildings and installing solar power and low carbon heating, using money agreed by Greens in Government;
Safer active travel, delivering 20mph limits in settlements agreed by Greens, the Avoch to Munlochy path (which I’ve already been working on), and more 50 mile limits including Munlochy junction and Tore;
Building and maintaining pavements, so pedestrians and wheelchair users don’t have to use roads;
Better buses, delivering the frequency and connections people need- community or publicly owned;
More education staff for early years, ASN and mental health, reversing recent cuts;
Fighting the £190 million Longman incinerator polluting the Black Isle, increasing composting, re-use and recycling to build a circular economy instead;
Delivering goods and services locally ‘what you need where you need it,’ building on work with businesses and crofters through community markets.
I’ll listen and consult communities.
