SCP Leader fights Inverness South Ward by-election

15 October 2011

Dr Donald Boyd, the Leader of the SCP, will fight a by-election announced for 3rd November 2011 in Inverness.

Dr Boyd has been at the centre of the fight to have the voices of the local Community Councils heard in the debate about traffic management at the access to the new Campus for the new University of the Highlands and Islands.

The development of the UHI Campus, which expects the first stage to be operational by 2015, is one of the largest developments in Inverness and will shape the city for many decades into the future.  It is a land-locked site with the A9, the A96 and the main railway line to the south directly impinging on its development, making access a thorny issue.  Discussion is hampered by the unpublished plans being developed by Transport Scotland in pursuance of the A96-A9 link as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review published in October 2009.

Seven Inverness Community Councils felt that they were being ignored in the interim planning solution and Westhill Community Council, within whose area this development is, spearheaded and co-ordinated the community action.  Dr Boyd, who is a Westhill Community Councillor, drew up the discussion document on behalf of the Councils, and this was considered by a plenary meeting of the seven Community Councils with Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Transport Scotland on 10/10/2011.

The outcome is still in balance, and Dr Boyd has put himself forward as a voice to represent the communities of Inverness South Ward, within which most of the Community Councils are located.

The by-election is caused by the resignation of a Labour councillor in the ward.

This is the second by-election fought by the SCP in Inverness.  The previous one in 2009 was the Inverness West Ward where we were cutting our teeth in local politics.  Our recent annual conference addressed the issue of fighting in more local council elections in May 2012.

Dr Boyd’s election leaflet is available here.

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