Meet the scientists!

My CV

Councillor for:

Eleven years

Party:

I am not a party member; I’m an independent councillor!

Council job:

Vice Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee

Profession:

I was a shipbroker for The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company…..

Photo:

Jane Maitland

You are way ahead of me with questions! Will do as many as possible now.

Favourite Thing: Today, my favourite thing about D&G? Paul Jones fresh bread – especially the GI brown.

Me and my council work

My job is to make sure that the Council treats you and your family fairly.

Hello everyone.

That’s the short answer. The long one would send you to sleep unless you are excited by supervising things like:

Licensing Taxis, Pubs, Chippies and Sex Shops (but we haven’t got one in D&G yet)

Buses

Waste Management ie Bins, Recycling and the EcoDeco plant in Dumfries

Tourism, Arts, the local Economy

Environmental Health – eg have Butchers’ Shops got E-Coli?

Performance Management right across the council (that’s a showstopper)

Checking on Schools, Libraries and Museums

Roads, bridges and pavements – Keeping them good

Social Work – the Council helps families and older people, often well but sometimes not.

Police and Fire Services

Show less

My Typical Day

There’s no such thing, but I’ll do a daily diary extract to give you an idea – see below

Wednesday (today) More Desk: including answering a worry from the public about how a community council is working, considering a planning application (may have to go to Kirkcudbright to research) and looking over Police Fire and Rescue Committee papers as there are proposals to reduce staff.

Tuesday a desk bound day plus a trip to Auchencairn to speak to MarineScotland about windfarm plans. Lots of questions from BigVoters

Monday up at about 6.45 and drive with husband, son and dog to Dumfries.

Meetings with councillors and officials in morning about Social Work and the savings we need to make, and if it’s like last week, deal with about 24 e-mails.

Afternoon, discuss Crannog, which is an organisation that provides lessons and support for pupils who cannot hack school. Plot world domination with fellow independent councillor George Prentice – this is not true, i am just checking anyone reads this.

Zoom back to Kirkcudbright to hear what people have to say about extending the windfarm at Robin Rigg and in Wigtown Bay. Home about 9 o’clock i should think.

Show less

What I'd do as "Youth Champion"

It’s a no-brainer – I’m a politician: the first thing I would do would be to brag about it to the newspapers. Then, see below

After that i would

1. look at the issues you have raised during these two weeks

2. work out what should (and could) be done in the short, medium and long term about them

3 talk to the other councillors who represent the wards you live in, and work with you and them to achieve as near as possible what you are looking for

Show less