The candidates for a vacated seat on Moray Council clashed over the area’s teacher shortages and school capacity woes during a lively debate last night.
The upcoming by-election was called after Independent Sandy Cooper quit his job only four days after being elected to the Elgin City North ward last month.
Two candidates who Mr Cooper defeated at the polls in May – the SNP’s Patsy Gowans and Labour’s Nick Taylor – have seized a second chance to gain a place on the authority.
Independent Terry Monaghan and Tory Maria McLean are also standing in the ward, though the Conservative hopeful was unable to attend last night’s hustings due to illness.
When quizzed on how best to relieve the pressure on Elgin’s overcrowded schools, the three aspirants in attendance put forward divergent arguments.
Mr Taylor said shutting small, rural schools was an “easy decision” as it would free up money to improve buildings in busier areas and help to reduce the 37 vacancies presently advertised at Moray’s schools.
Mrs Gowans argued retaining rural schools was pivotal to keeping parts of the countryside alive, but claimed more work needed to be done to attract young teachers to Moray.
Mr Monaghan suggested ex-servicemen should be drafted into schools to teach children “discipline”, and indicated Moray’s roads “only being good for horses and carts” were deterring applicants.
Meanwhile, Mrs Gowans vowed to improve Elgin’s bus system if elected, by pushing for a “complete review of transport services”.
Mr Taylor pledged to prioritise education, and said local politics needed to be “reclaimed” from national issues.
Mr Monaghan delivered a memorable speech which mentioned his experiences with apes abroad and concluded with an impression of a confused German tourist – as he bemoaned a lack of helpful signage.
But, despite his tendency to veer into tangents earning some bemused looks, the former Royal Engineer promised to be a “hands on” councillor if elected.
He said: “If my constituents have a problem with their house, I will visit with a hard hat and a ladder and inspect it myself.
“And I have the guts and gumption to bang the table about the problems in the council.”
Last night’s event was arranged by Elgin Community Council, and the vote will take place on Thursday, July 13.
