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Greens declare candidate for Black Isle ward for Highland Council elections on May 5


By Hector MacKenzie

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THE Greens have announced Anne Thomas as their candidate to stand for the Black Isle at the forthcoming Highland Council elections.

Ms Thomas has lived near North Kessock since 2006. She has been active for the Scottish Greens for many years and will stand for the Black Isle for the first time in the council elections on May 5.

She said: "I want to leave a world worth living in to my two grand-daughters."

A volunteer director of Transition Black Isle, vice-chair of North Kessock Residents Association and secretary of Highland Cycle Campaign, she has worked to deliver projects to cut the environmental impact of food, travel and energy. She helped set up and run the North Kessock community market and chairs the Avoch, Munlochy Drumderfit Active Travel Link working group.

She said: "Active travel helps in so many ways, less pollution, better fitness and less congestion for those who do need to drive."

She organised the local volunteer response to Covid-19, including setting up and organising the North Kessock food larder which cuts food waste as well as helping those struggling to make ends meet.

She is a speech and language therapist for children with additional support needs (ASN) and says she knows how many people struggle with the lack of support for children with ASN. She believes the extra teachers and support staff won by the Greens' co-operation agreement with the SNP will help do this.

She said: "I'm excited we've managed to make bus travel free for under 22s. This is making a massive difference to young people including enabling them to continue their studies and study subjects not available at their schools at Inverness College.

"Through thousands of conversations I feel I understand Highland concerns. The climate and ecological emergency and the pension motions that we and other campaigners helped Highland Council and its pension scheme accept have both been effective drivers for change. The council has reduced its carbon footprint by a total of about 42 per cent in the three years since the climate emergency declaration was passed, compared with an average 3 per cent in previous years". More elected Greens means more carbon and cost savings.

She said she has been working behind the scenes with campaign groups and councillors, particularly Green councillor Pippa Hadley, "highlighting issues such as the folly of spending £190m on a polluting, incinerator on the Longman, with fumes blowing directly onto the Black Isle, rather than removing the problem by increasing recycling and building a 'circular economy'".

She's also long been campaigning for preventative health care such as improving vitamin D levels.

She has also been volunteering with the Highlands Support Refugees for several years and organised two vigils for Ukraine.

She and her husband live in a carbon neutral house and she has been helping others to benefit from low bills and reduced impact on the planet and says she is particularly pleased about the £1.9 bn in the agreement for energy efficiency. They have three grown-up children and two grand-children.

She says she now wants to be one of the elected Greens making these changes happen.

Related: Independent candidate keen to represent Black Isle ward

Black Isle author to stand for Lib Dems at Highland Council election

Highland Council accepting nominations as election deadline looms


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