Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘I hope I can be an inspiration’: Inverurie mum Judy Whyte on becoming Aberdeenshire’s second female provost

The new provost of Aberdeenshire, Judy Whyte, tells us about the "honour and surprise" of taking on the new role.
The new provost of Aberdeenshire, Judy Whyte, tells us about the "honour and surprise" of taking on the new role.

Working behind the counter of Inverurie institution Mitchells Dairy, Judy Whyte became one of the most well-kent faces in town.

Visitors to the tearoom and grocery shop would regularly ask Judy about the latest developments while popping in for a cup of tea.

The mum would often have to tell her customers that, despite being something of a font of local knowledge, she was “nothing to do with the council”.

The reply she often got was: “I wish you were”.

Judy told us how that “triggered a thought” that would change her life…

In 2017 she was voted in as an independent councillor for Inverurie.

And after being re-elected a fortnight ago, today Judy became the region’s second female provost in decades.

Judy Whyte at Mitchells Dairy, Market Place, Inverurie in 2015. Picture by Kami Thomson in 2015.

‘It’s a real honour – and very much a surprise!’

A chartered surveyor by trade, she moved back to her hometown from Aberdeen to run the family business alongside husband Keith and her dad, Patrick Mitchell.

And as someone with an avid interest in local democracy, she always held the local provost “in very high esteem” over the years.

But she never dreamed she would one day end up wearing the ceremonial gold chains herself.

New provost Judy Whyte and deputy provost Ron McKail at Woodhill House.

“It never even crossed my mind I would end up being provost,” she told us outside the council’s Woodhill House headquarters.

“It is a real honour – and very much a surprise!

“Being a figurehead for Aberdeenshire at events is something I have always admired.”

Judy won Businesswoman Award at the Pride of Inverurie in 2017. Picture by Kenny Elrick.

Judy Whyte becoming provost could help redress gender imbalance

Much has been said about the lack of women in local politics, with men representing 66% of councillors serving between 2017 and 2022.

Earlier this month, Nicola Sturgeon spoke about the difficulties in getting women to stand for election.

Judy hopes being the second provost since Aberdeenshire Council was formed in 1996 could make help spur some change.

“I hope that me being in this position may be inspirational for some other people,” she said.

“I do think the council has got broader, more diverse representation, but there is always room for improvement.

“And maybe me being in this role will help with that.”

Mitchells The Dairy painted their cow Muriel gold to honour local swimmer Hannah Miley’s gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Picture by Chris Sumner in 2014.

New provost Judy Whyte on keeping party politics out of the council

Judy is also hoping to act as a role model for people looking to enter local democracy purely to stand up for their communities.

She added: “You don’t have to be out there looking for a career in politics.

“I didn’t stand for any political party, and I’m not a member of any.

“My motivation was to do what I could for Inverurie, for Aberdeenshire… And to help people.”

Judy as a guest speaker at Garioch Heritage Society as guest speaker along with David Leslie, Nora Radcliffe and Albert Thompson. Picture by Jim Irvine in 2017.

Mitchells Dairy closed after 90 years in the heart of Inverurie in October 2017.

The family blamed the economic downturn and “changing shopping habits” of consumers.

‘Love of community is in my blood’

Much in the same way she joined the family firm, the Inverurie mum followed in her father’s footsteps by getting involved in community life.

Judy said: “I have grown up being very involved in community life, my family has always been part of local groups and carried out fundraising.

“My dad was an inspiration in that respect, he was founder and president of the rugby and swimming clubs.

“When we had our children, my husband and I joined parent groups, and through work we got involved with the Inverurie Business Association.

“It was just in my blood to be involved in the community.”

As provost, Judy will act as the “ceremonial head” of the local authority – meeting visiting dignitaries, hosting functions and attending external events.

Conservative councillor for Westhill, Ron McKail, was elected as deputy provost.

Learn more about the role here.

Council withdraws plans to revamp Inverurie Town Hall after hundreds object to ‘desecration’ of historic building