Could you tell readers about yourself, and why you’ve chosen to try and represent this ward?
We need a local Councillor with a track record of fighting for their community. I will put the cost of living crisis at the very centre of every decision I make. I will fight for improvements to our roads, I will work to get our schools the support they need to help our children recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and I pledge to listen to the views of parents & teachers before agreeing to any proposals that change the way our schools are run. I will work to get better services for our area, to confront the climate emergency – and most of all, I will work for and be accountable to you.
What do you think are the three key issues in the future for the ward, and how close is your relationship with it?
The biggest issues in our ward for most people right now are undoubtedly the cost-of-living crisis , recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and connected issues such our roads and the price of fuel. Being able to afford to travel, being able to heat their homes, being able put food on the table, they’re the big issues right now for our many in our community, with wider concerns such as recovering from the after-effects of the pandemic, its affect on our children’s education & our economy. A lot of those issues are far bigger than the local council level, but we need councillors ready and willing to do what they can to confront these problems at the local level. We must also have an eye to the future with issues like climate change, the need to rebuild our economy to be fairer & greener. I am the first to admit, I am not a local; I wasn’t born and bred here. I chose to move here to raise my family and now I want to help support the community that has welcomed me home, and represent our interests in the Council.
Currently Argyll and Bute Council is run by TALIG – the Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Group, a coalition of Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and some independent councillors. If elected, would you join this group?
I think talk of coalitions is premature. Every party goes into an election with the intention of winning. We want to form an administration – that may be with a variety of others. The only people we cannot work with are Boris Johnson’s Conservatives, because we do not believe that their policies are in the best interests of our communities.
Currently the council is considering a ‘collectives’ system, which would see several schools share a headteacher and management team. Do you support this policy?
I think it’s more important to know whether parents & teachers support the proposals. Their views are the most important, and we must listen to them. I will not vote to back these proposals if they don’t have their support.