On Thursday voters will choose which candidates will represent Inverness Central for the next five years at Highland Council. The election comes at a time local people and businesses are enduring increasing pressures. The decisive vote will see three councillors elected from ten candidates for what is one of the most affluent and one of most poverty stricken wards in the region. We asked each candidate what their priorities would be if they are chosen to represent the heart of Inverness, here is what they told us
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Andrew Barnett – Independent
I don’t have dreams of being First Minister. I don’t have hopes of one day driving down Provost Barnett Street. My only political aspiration is that in five years time I will be able to say that I helped to make life better for everyone in Inverness Central.
I believe I am the only candidate standing in Inverness Central that actually lives and works in the ward, meaning my best interests will always be aligned with your best interests.
While there are families and individuals struggling to survive, I will always vote against reckless spending of public money on vanity projects and will fight to stop the council from selling off any more of our assets.
I will fight vigorously for improved education, equality, more social housing, less AirBNBs, public contracts going to local firms, and I will fight against corruption. I will look to my constituents for their engagement on upcoming votes and I will endeavour to always be transparent.
I will be your guy in the council and I will be here when you need someone to fight your corner.
Most importantly, I am not a Tory.
Michael Cameron Scottish National party (SNP)
I grew up in this community and I am passionate about making this a great place to live and work. From supporting our young people into work, to ensuring we have good quality housing for local families, I will always work to get the best for this community.
As your representative at the Highland Council, I will also work with others to: support families struggling because of the cost of living crisis; create more social housing and affordable homes for local families; and ensure our schools are staffed and equipped to meet the needs of our local communities.
Beyond that I am keen to have participatory budgeting given a higher profile in Inverness and the Highlands and I believe that fits well with the SNP manifesto priorities we have been developing for this election.
There are countless examples where better results are achieved when people have genuine control rather than have solutions designed by others and "done to them".
Donald Mackenzie – Scottish Conservatives and Unionist
(Every effort was made to contact each of the candidates, some did not respond or were unreachable)
Luigi Andrew Mackinnon – Independent
(Every effort was made to contact each of the candidates, some did not respond or were unreachable)
Kate Maclean Scottish National party (SNP)
My aim will always be focused on increasing fairness for everyone. I also have a particular interest in developing community-based housing and care initiatives for all, but in particular for older people.
I have just retired from NHS and Highland Council where I developed services for older people, and before that I coordinated a Scottish Government employability initiative across Highland, called Working for Families.
I have deep roots in the Inverness Central ward I will represent – both parents attended Merkinch school, as did myself and my brother. My great grandfather was the jannie. My dad played for Clach, and led the team that won everything (swept the boards) in 1947.
We lived above Calum’s shop in Lower Kessock Street, and then in a prefab on Wyvis Place.
I intend to continue with some of my favourite community interventions, particularly The Hungry Horse which redistributes donated clothing. I would love to expand this into different locations.
I am also involved with the Openarts project at Inverness Creative Academy, taking art to the community centres with the hope that participants will also use the fabulous building Up Stephen’s Brae which was my secondary school
I look forward to working on the Active Travel initiative, and finding ways to bring funds back into the Highlands, hopefully via green-fuel generation.
Bet McAllister – Scottish Labour Party
I want to see a cleaner, greener, more prosperous Inverness - and I want to continue to try to be the ‘getting things done’ kind of councillor for this ward of 7500 voters. My greatest satisfaction has been from solving people’s problems.
Going round the doors, energy costs and rising prices increasingly concern folk.
I believe that fairness should be hard-wired into all Highland Council does. I’m pressing for one of the new early diagnosis cancer centres to be built in Inverness – as Fife is currently the nearest!
I supported a much-needed Academy Street facelift and want it fast-tracked.
Elderly people’s needs are close to my heart – I’m on the committee of Highland Senior Citizens Network representing 77,000 over 55s. Families, too, deserve a better deal.
Young people need greater opportunity -- I’ve backed the council’s new modern apprenticeship scheme. Working with schools, our college and university, plus the public and private sectors, we can make positive things happen for our youngsters.
I want to encourage new projects for Dalneigh and Merkinch and support a new regional sports facility in Inverness. I back economic recovery via new investment and growth.
A bigger repairs budget, more homes – and fewer potholes!
John William McColl – Scottish Family Party; Pro-Family; Pro-Marriage; Pro-Life
(Every effort was made to contact each of the candidates, some did not respond or were uncontactable)
Michael Rattray – Scottish Liberal Democrats
People should vote for me because I care – I care about people – I care about Inverness.
I want people to know that they have a voice and a contact at Highland Council who they can speak with whether it be by phone , email and of course in person.
If elected I will campaign for more money to be spent on: roads and pavements, an issue that has been raised with me time and time again and we all witness when we go about our daily lives.
The City Centre – I know the Highland Council need to work better with businesses to recognise the challenges they face but must also engage better with the people of Inverness to truly understand what they what they want from the City Centre.
Housing – There is a huge shortage of housing to meet the needs of families as well as suitable housing to meet the needs of our elderly citizens.
Education: Inverness High School has had £15 million invested in it which is fantastic, but the renovations need to be completed – I will campaign to get the money to complete it.
Teachers and teaching staff need the resources to enable them to do their job I will campaign to increase funding for education to ensure our young people have the best education.
Sean Robertson – Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (Scottish TUSC)
The recent Highland Council budget has made it clear that our communities will once again have to pay for the failures of capitalism and the economic disaster precipitated by the pandemic.
Highland Council is making tens of millions more cuts to add to the hundreds of millions they have inflicted upon us over the last decade.
Things in our community don’t need to be this way, however. If we fight, we can change them.
The first step in the fight will be to elect a combative socialist councillor. A councillor who does not accept the need for austerity, which is impoverishing our communities. A councillor who will never vote for budget cuts or council tax rises.
If elected, I will demand concrete measures to improve the lives of workers, families and the poorest in our communities.
This means fighting to end capitalism for good and replacing it with a socialist society in which the economy is planned to ensure everyone has enough to live comfortably, to provide a roof, food, jobs, a future for our kids.
I will be the most available councillor in Highland, with several surgeries a week and will struggle shoulder to shoulder with trade unions, workers and communities to oppose closures of facilities, cuts to public services, council tax rises, attacks on jobs, pay and conditions and benefits.
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