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What will the Nairn and Cawdor candidates do for you? Ahead of Thursday's Highland Council election we asked the eight candidates standing in the ward what they would do if elected


By Scott Maclennan

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Kevin Brooks – Independent
Kevin Brooks – Independent

Kevin Brooks – Independent

Why am I worth your vote? I have had to deal with bureaucracy and have learned how to access the right support and I can identify with the difficult situations facing people of all ages.

I understand why you may feel obligated to vote for the candidate aligned to your political party but this election is about our community not the country.

I do not have a political bias and aim to focus on what the communities of Nairn and Cawdor deserve and need.

I outlined in my manifesto that I want to represent the views of our community and put Nairn and Cawdor's voice out there.

The Highland council covers an extensive area with lots of separate communities and I don't want Nairn and Cawdor to get lost, be forgotten and ignored within it.

My desire for a collective voice has really struck a chord with people and I choose to put my fellow members of this diverse and exciting community first.

I am running as an Independent candidate and I will argue our case strongly. I am extremely tenacious and will campaign heavily for what will benefit our communities, as a proud Independent councillor. I plan to do what is best for us.

Laurie Fraser – Independent
Laurie Fraser – Independent

Laurie Fraser – Independent

The old community centre car park is now being developed for a new CAB centre and 12 flats. I personally opposed the choice of location as I believed that the best site would have been where the old police station and social work office is.

This would have rid us of an old derelict building and kept the 28 parking spaces. If there ever was a case to be made for the return of a local council and greater open democracy in Nairn here it is.

There is a strong view throughout the Highlands that Highland Council is not delivering the promised democracy – effectively you are all disenfranchised as individuals due to the lack of democracy at the local level.

I am convinced that reform is needed but it needs to come from the community, not the councillors.

There has been a great movement and interest in the common good fund of Nairn starting firstly with the creation of a register of assets.

The main issue is the requested permission from the council to dispose of the Sandown Fields for housing.

I am personally opposed to the granting of permission for the selling of the land at the present time as I believe it does not offer value for money.

Michael Green – Independent
Michael Green – Independent

Michael Green – Independent

To date, the people of Nairn and Cawdor have not been well served by the Highland Council.

Consequently, a new and improved way of working together, based on mutual respect, must be forged, one where the Highland Council carries out its statutory duties successfully and delivers local services efficiently.

If elected, my focus will be on the Nairn Common Good Fund, Nairn Harbour Redevelopment and the creation of Nairn Waste Busters.

The Nairn Common Good Fund exists to serve you - the people of Nairn - and it is my firm belief that you ought to have a far greater say in the direction and remit of it. Nairn Harbour and Waterfront Redevelopment.

The regeneration of the harbour and waterfront area is required and I will reconvene the Nairn Harbour Development Group and work with stakeholders to agree and implement a suitable plan for it’s rejuvenation. A successful harbour development will act as a catalyst for the renewal of Nairn town centre.

I would take the lead in establishing a Nairn Waste Busters facility in Nairn, drawing inspiration from the success of Moray Waste Busters in Forres, a charity and social enterprise based on Moray Council’s Forres Recycling Centre.

Barbara Jarvie – Conservative and Unionist Party
Barbara Jarvie – Conservative and Unionist Party

Barbara Jarvie – Conservative and Unionist Party

Having worked across Nairnshire for over 30 years, supporting vulnerable children and families, I now want to be your strong voice advocating for what Nairnshire is long overdue.

The Highland Council has taken the area and our tax money for granted for too long.

It is completely unacceptable that despite asbestos being found in Nairn Academy in 2008, we can only get a new school by 2025.

Despite the endless onslaught of new houses, the council’s forecasts say the number of pupils will fall.

We cannot be set up for failure from the start as the new Academy is planned to be smaller than the current one.

Our Common Good Fund is for the people, not the opportunistic council. Local people must have a larger say in what gets decided and the minutes of decisions must be publicly published.

I will also join the efforts of Edward Mountain MSP in getting the vital bypass built ASAP. The dither and delay is just a total let down for a necessity which will make such a difference to road safety, congestion and pollution.

Thriving businesses serving and employing people sustain the economy, not parking meters. I will never let them on our High Street and wreck the Town Centre.

Cal MacLeod – Scottish Family Party: Pro-Family, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Life

(Every effort was made to contact each candidate but some were unreachable or did not respond)

Paul Oldham – Scottish National Party (SNP)
Paul Oldham – Scottish National Party (SNP)

Paul Oldham – Scottish National Party (SNP)

If elected I will work alongside our SNP MSPs to ensure that the Nairn By-Pass is built. I will make sure that the new Nairn Academy provides the best possible education for our young people but I will oppose any proposal to move Nairn Library to the site.

I will ensure that the Nairn Common Good Fund is well managed so that we all benefit in the best possible ways in the years ahead and I will liaise with all our five community councils, and other local groups to ensure that Nairnshire is always a top priority on Highland Council's agenda.

I will work to ensure that residential developments provide the affordable houses we need, not just the houses developers want to build, and that an “infrastructure first” approach is followed to avoid the problems we’ve seen in the past in Nairn.

I will respond promptly when you contact me and will hold regular surgeries for you to bring me your concerns. I will keep you informed of what Highland Council are up to.

Sometimes you may not agree with what is happening but I will at least attempt to ensure that you understand why it is happening.

Kevin Reid – Scottish Liberal Democrats
Kevin Reid – Scottish Liberal Democrats

Kevin Reid – Scottish Liberal Democrat Party

People should vote for Kevin Reid Highland Liberal democrats as the people of Nairn and Cawdor need to have a voice. Local Elections are about local people and local needs.

We can only get that by listening to what the residents of Nairn and Cawdor need and want and also by ensuring residents are kept informed about what Is going on.

What works in Thurso is not necessarily going to work as well in Nairn. There are several priorities in our local Area.

A new Academy is top of the list along with the bypass. We need to be encouraging people back to the High Street supporting local businesses.

We also need some proper planning to ensure that local infrastructure can support future development. As a local resident and someone who is out and about in Nairn daily, I hear many stories of Nairn missing out largely due to lack of communication either from the council or between different groups within Nairn itself. Nairn is a beautiful place to live but if we can work together and share information and local knowledge, we can make it an even better place.

Marjory Smith – Alba Party for Independence
Marjory Smith – Alba Party for Independence

Marjory Smith – Alba Party for Independence

If elected I will scrutinise Highland Council policies in the interests of all constituents. I will work to ensure the Common Good Fund is used for the benefit of the people and that Sandown remains a green space.

I give my full support to the Highland Parents Group and will work with them to ensure the provision of separate single sex toilets in all Highland schools including in the designs for the new Nairn secondary - these kind of issues are why I am standing. Policies have been developed in this and other areas without proper scrutiny or awareness of the electorate regarding what is going on. These policies are reckless and dangerous for children’s mental and physical health.

At council level we can mitigate the more extreme policies that are being brought in by stealth by a government which was elected on a mandate for something else entirely - independence, not self identification of gender.

This particular SNP leadership and government has lost its way and allowed itself to be hijacked by another entirely different agenda from that which it was elected to enact. Scotland deserves much better than this undemocratic arrogance and failure. The electorate must be respected.

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