Sunday 29 April 2012

Aberdeen City Council Elections 2012, Lower Deeside Ward: Candidates & Platforms

So I got my ballot through the post for the Aberdeen city council elections a few days ago, and I realised that I have no idea who stands for what. Remedying this situation wasn’t easy, either. Incredibly, none of the candidates seem to have any web presence whatsoever. Since they wouldn’t come to me, I decided to go to the candidates. Over the last few hours I have interviewed four of the seven candidates for the Lower Deeside Ward to get an idea of their platforms. The Independent Andy Anderson and Labour’s Tauqeer Malik are not in the telephone directory. I couldn’t get hold of the Conservative candidate Raymond Murchie either. However, some information is better than none, so I hope this summary of my interviews is useful to anybody similarly confused about who to vote for. Democracy wins again!

MARIE BOULTON (INDEPENDENT)

What motivated you to stand for office?
  • Fed up of arguing about decisions reported in the media – wanted to make a difference herself.
What do you consider to be the main issues in this election?
  • Planning system: developers have more influence than ordinary residents e.g. they can represent themselves in person.
  • Infrastructure e.g. link road from North Deeside Road to Inchgarth Road.
  • Education: Curriculum for Excellence, Pupil Support Assistants.
What are your personal priorities if you succeed?
  • Reforming planning.
  • Funding Mechanism for Union Terrace Gardens: mustn’t come at the cost of services.
Why should we vote for an independent, rather than one of the main parties?
  • There shouldn’t be party politics at this level.
  • Accountable only to voters and nobody else.
  • Coalition looks likely – would sit down with anyone
What have you achieved as a councillor?
  • Defended Pupil Support Assistants: negotiated budget to avoid 1/3 proposed cuts, pushed for impact assessment.
  • Helped numerous individual people e.g. with housing.
  • Speed signs on Countesswells/Kingswells Road – cut accidents by 100%.
  • Student bus fare for 16-18 year olds, who previously had to pay full adult fare.
AILEEN MALONE (SCOTTISH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS)

What do you consider to be the main issues in this election?
  •  It differs from area to area, person to person.
What are your personal priorities if you succeed?
  •  Securing the best education for the city.
  •  Investment and funding for infrastructure.
  •  Lobbying the Scottish government for more funding: social care
Why should we vote for the Liberal Democrats?
  • In a local election, people should vote for individual candidates.
  • Hopes people appreciate the hard work she has put in for the area over the last nine years.
What have you achieved as a councillor?
  • Building ten new schools, including Cults Academy.
  •  Investment in roads, street lights etc.
  •  First new council houses built in ten years.
  •  Putting Aberdeen on an even financial keel, despite receiving only 85% as much central government funding as the average council.
DOROTHY MCCAIG (SNP)

What motivated you to stand for office?
  • Was a lecturer at RGU, wanted to use background in health and education to benefit the community.
What do you consider to be the main issues in this election?
  • How to deal with development in Aberdeen.
  • (Especially youth) unemployment.
  • Protecting the environment and our way of life.
What are your personal priorities if you succeed?
  • Equality of opportunity in education: improving schools across the city.
  • Addressing the pressure on schools from new developments.
  • Dealing with health inequality, especially focusing on prevention.
  • Educating schoolchildren about social responsibility.
Why should we vote for the SNP?
  • Hasn’t always been SNP, considers herself a Socialist.
  • SNP willing to take tough decisions as sympathetically as possible: willing to listen and safeguard frontline services.
How does your previous experience equip you to be a councillor?
  • Used to dealing with people.
  • Good grasp of issues surrounding education and health.
PETER REISS (INDEPENDENT)

What motivated you to stand for office?
  • As Chairman of Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Community Council became frustrated by dealing with City Council.
  • Didn’t have faith in politicians, didn't feel communities were being listened to.
What do you consider to be the main issues in this election?
  • Planning.
  • Infrastructure Management: No coherent, affordable, long term strategy.
  • No strategy for schools.
  • No strategy for public transport: higher fees for worse services
  • Lack of transparency.
What are your personal priorities if you succeed?
  • More transparency in the planning system.
  • Detailed 5 year plan for infrastructure, with signposted milestones.
  • Coherent affordable housing plan based on concrete estimates of what we need.
  • Robust financial plan for roads, parks etc.
  • Review of public transport system.
Why should we vote for an independent, rather than one of the main parties?
  • Too often ideas are supported or opposed just because of who proposed them.
  • Hopefully plenty of independents in the next council: should make things more consensual.
How does your previous experience equip you to be a councillor?
  • Leading mediation with the planning department on behalf of Community Councils: trying to get more influence.
  • Had discussions with housing department: need to be clear about what we have, what we need, and who contributes what.

5 comments:

  1. I'm glad someone else has noticed that there is very little information available on the web. It seems odd that paties don't put their policies online given most of their voters have internet access and are likely to use it to research their candidates.

    Thank you for you post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for this information. Very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had also gone looking for info on the web and was struggling to know who to vote for as I couldn't find anything. Thanks for this. Very useful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for posting this, I feel a lot more equipped to decide who to vote for now. I had assumed that I'd be able to look up the candidates online and was very surprised to find nothing about their policies, so I'm really grateful for this information. Next time there's a local election I'll know to do my homework in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  5. http://www.utgvote.co.uk/#9

    ReplyDelete