Local elections are important for everyone
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The turnout for council elections is normally low but given councillors can influence the services we receive – housing, social care, roads, schools, bin collections etc – it is of utmost importance people vote.
The Highland Labour Party, following its recent Highland conference, has published its own manifesto.
I am glad key pledges focus on the young and old. Young people need a good start in life if they are to reach their full potential. Their opportunities should not be curtailed by where they are born or brought up, or their family circumstances.
It is now widely recognised that support and security in their early years allows children to thrive. They need a good education in order to achieve.
We also need to ensure young people leaving education have access to jobs. During these difficult times young people have suffered disproportionately from a lack of jobs so it is important the new council does all in its power to make sure young people can access these opportunities.
We need to look after older people. I am glad Labour’s manifesto has respect, support and dignity in later years as the cornerstone of its policies for older people. We owe the generation that brought us up this level of dignity and care, and especially for those who are also carers themselves.
Many people believe that because local government has taken the brunt of the SNP Government spending cuts, councils have very little wriggle room. However, they can use their powers to make a real difference even at these times. I am proud my Labour colleagues who are standing for the council have pledged to look at their procurement policy to make sure those who subcontract to the council must pay the living wage and that employment and other benefits from contracts, is kept as local as possible. They have also pledged to encourage other employers in the Highlands to pay the living wage.
They can also encourage business in their local communities. I was really pleased to see local companies are looking to open up in some of the vacant properties in the centre of Wick. The town centre will get a real boost from this and I hope it is the start of better things to come.
Devolution is important and that is why I supported the setting up of the Scottish Parliament. However, devolution isn’t a one-off event – it is a process that doesn’t end in Edinburgh. Councils need the power to make a real difference to their areas and they must also devolve decision making to communities.
I know this has a resonance in the North – sometimes Inverness can appear as distant as Edinburgh and London. However, this should not be. The economies of scale that can be gained in a larger council need to make the difference to local communities and it is only right and proper they should also make these communities have real power in that decision making.
