It’s all change for the Black Isle, as all three of its incumbent councillors stand down.
Gordon Adam, Craig Fraser and Jennifer Barclay have all decided to call it a day.
But it seems local democracy is alive and well in that neck of the woods, with eight new candidates vying for three seats.
Will fresh blood deliver fresh ideas? Outgoing area chairman Gordon Adam believes the time is right to seize more local power.
“The Black Isle has a real sense of identity,” he says.
“For the past two years, the local community has embraced the opportunities provided by the new Black Isle area committee, with its additional funding and the promise of more local decision making to come.”
Black Isle brain drain
There certainly seems to be appetite for it.
SNP candidate Lyndsey Johnston wants to ensure that all the diverse communities within the Black Isle are represented at council.
“The more connected the population is to the decision makers, the more likely they are to get involved and have their say,” she says.
Ms Johnston is heavily involved in youth work.
“I gave up the guides and moved to the scouts when I had two sons,” she laughs.
She wants more housing, jobs and public transport to avoid what she calls the “brain drain” away from rural areas.
Conservative candidate Theo Stratton also wants a higher profile for the Black Isle.
“Highland Council has not given the Black Isle the attention it deserves,” he states on his website.
Mr Stratton wants improvements to the roads network and the A9/Munlochy Junction in particular. His election priorities also include support for local businesses, improved community facilities and greener heating systems.
Education and environment
While Mr Stratton is among a number of young Conservatives standing for election, one of his election rivals is the self-styled ‘Greeny Granny‘.
Anne Thomas is promising to deliver an improved active travel network and community growing facilities.
The speech and language therapist also highlights the challenges for children with additional support needs, and says she wants to “leave a world worth living in for my two granddaughters.”
Independent candidate Sarah Atkin also has a background in education and served on her local parent council and community council.
Ms Atkin says school attainment is a big issue on the doorsteps.
“Even people who don’t have kids are asking me, what on earth has happened?” she says.
Ms Atkin wants council to go ‘back to basics’ with primary school literacy and says she will work closely with local schools if elected. At the same time, she wants to see more facilities in the community, especially for young people.
“We can’t keep using Covid as an excuse,” she says.
Beyond education, roads and rural transport continue to dominate the election debate, and Ms Atkin believes Black Isle has some of the worst roads in Scotland.
Eight candidates contest three seats
Ms Atkin is standing against two other independent candidates for the Black Isle: Bev Smith and Okain John McLennan.
The Labour Party has nominated Margaret Bryant, while author Morven-May MacCallum is standing for the Liberal Democrats.
The full list of Black Isle candidates is as follows:
Sarah Atkin, Independent
Margaret Bryant, Labour
Lyndsey Johnston, SNP
Morven-May MacCallum, Liberal Democrat
Okain John McLennan, Independent
Bev Smith, Independent
Theo Stratton, Conservative
Anne Thomas, Green
The P&J attempted to contact all candidates for input to this article.
