'My priority now is to get out there and listen' new Inverness Lib Dem councillor Colin Aitken sets out his stall
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It’s been a hectic period for new Inverness councillor Colin Aitken.
The Liberal Democrat member was elected to Highland Council to represent Inverness West in a by-election on August 12.
Yet the trials and triumphs of local democracy are not entirely new to him.
In fact, Councillor Aitken traces his political aspirations back to his Canadian roots. “I’ve always wanted to get involved in local government,” he said. “I did an internship at Edmonton County Council and my mum did six years in the council, so I’ve seen it at its most basic, day-to-day level.
“It’s more localised in Canada though. There are 6500 people in my town and it had its own council.”
The two nations may have different political landscapes, but it is the natural landscape that brought Cllr Aitken here permanently in October 2015. “My grandparents are from the UK, so I was able to visit in 2014 on an ancestry visa,” he said.
“I just fell in love with it here. The natural beauty of the landscape mixed with the history. In Canada we have the landscape but not the history. Also, everything is so much closer here.
“Transport gets a bad rep but in the Highlands you’re far more connected than in Canada. You can get on the train and visit Edinburgh and London. I’ve been to every corner in the time I’ve lived here.”
While Cllr Aitken has praise for the transport infrastructure, he knows it falls far short of what his constituents expect.
It is one of the issues that was pressed upon him on the doorsteps of the campaign trail. Many of the issues people raised, he said, were the basic elements of everyday life.
“The state of the roads was one of the big issues,” he said. “Improvements to footpaths, lowering the speed limit to 20mph and improving bus services were others.”
With less than a year left of the current political term, Cllr Aitken is keen to roll his sleeves up.
“I had planned to run in the election in May next year but when I was given this opportunity I decided to jump for it,” he said. “My priority now is to get out there and listen.”
