First published in January 2017:
Highland Greens are pleased to announce the selection of two of their leading candidates for the Highland Council in the forthcoming local elections.
Badenoch and Strathspey will be contested for the Greens by working single mum Pippa Hadley, from Kingussie. Her upbringing and employment within her family’s former business – The Cross at Kingussie – has given her awareness of the challenges faced when operating within the seasonal flow of tourists, and for the last sixteen years she has been a single working parent, raising her daughter and finding employment locally. It is this duality of perspective she believes will make her an effective voice for the community.
She said: “I know what it is like to try and find affordable accommodation to rent, which becomes harder every year due to the increasing strain on our limited council properties, our ever rising house prices and a trend of seasonable employment in average wage sectors.”
“I also understand the frustration of decisions made at a local level being overturned by a national one - I spoke up to protect the amenity of local residents during a planning process for a recent development, gathering views and signatures against proposed cost-cutting measures. Our voices were heard by the CNPA, but their decision was overturned by the Scottish Reporter in favour of the developer, to our frustration.”
“I would like to strengthen our local voice and work on greater community involvement, hopefully improving the conversation in how our local area is run.”
Long standing Green campaigner and activist Anne Thomas will contest the Inverness Millburn Ward for the party. She is a Speech and Language Therapist who works with children with additional support needs and a volunteer community activist who has worked on projects as diverse as setting up community markets, improving cycling facilities, and collecting clothes for refugees. She also organised and spoke at a recent meeting in Inverness against ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Moray Firth.
She said: "I really want to make a difference to the people of this ward and the wider Highlands. Even a single Green Councillor would make sure there is a voice for our environment, and help to stop things local people really don't want, like the risky Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfer in the Moray Firth, and the controversial Ardersier Waste Treatment plant. Instead, I’d make sure things they do want like good education, social care, energy efficient housing people can afford and public transport are protected".
"I have extensive experience of listening to and supporting community campaigning, and I have seen firsthand through my work the effects of shrinking budgets and the impact of council cuts, so my priorities are to make sure the things people care about are properly funded."
On recent news regarding Ship-to-Ship Oil transfers, Anne said: "I'm delighted that due to public pressure and amazing community campaigning the Marine and Coastguard Agency has now told the Cromarty Firth Port Authority that it will not accept a revised application and they will have to start from scratch. I'm really hoping they see sense and don't apply again."
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