Election: Candidates running in the Leven ward share their manifestos

This week, the Reporter is featuring the second in our series of election specials, which will introduce readers to each of the candidates standing in the local area wards.

Standing in the Leven Ward are: Ian Dickson (SNP); Caroline McAllister (SNP); Michelle McGinty (Scottish Labour); John Millar (Scottish Labour); Jim Bollan (Community Party); George Drummond (Lib Dem); Sean Quinn (Green Party); and Peter Parlane (Conservative).

Voting will be by the ‘single transferable vote’ system, in which you rank each candidate in order of preference, with 1 your first choice, 2 your second and so on – though you don’t need to rank every candidate on the ballot paper.

Voters go to the polls on Thursday, May 4 and your polling card indicates which polling station you should attend to vote.

Candidates will be arranged in alphabetical order via surname.

Jim Bollan, Community Party

I WAS born in Alexandria and grew up in Bonhill before moving to Renton where I was lucky enough to meet my future wife, Anne Campbell.

I have worked locally in light/heavy engineering and the whiskey industry.

I have been an activist all my adult life, arguing for Socialist change for the working class, based on equality and justice.

The Community Party, with public support, can be a breath of fresh air locally.

We will work with local people to identify their local issues and collectively come up with solutions.

The Community Party only operate in West Dunbartonshire with no hierarchies in London or Edinburgh to dictate our policies which are developed by local people.

We are governed by local members and will be held to account locally.

If in a position to do so after the elections on May 4 we want to return democracy to the council where the councillors, not officers, make the decisions.

We want to empower local residents by giving them places on council committees with full voting rights.

We will work to abolish Means Testing for our elderly care home residents, and scrap Zero Hour Contracts for council employees.

We will campaign to reverse and stop the privatisation of public services and build a real partnership with the council unions, including the EIS and parents, to develop our education and other public services.

The Community Party will step up the campaign to reverse all the cuts made at the Vale Hospital, by both Labour and SNP governments.

If you want progressive change to start locally give your Community Party candidate your vote on May 4.

Ian Dickson, SNP

I HAVE lived in West Dunbartonshire for almost 30 years and currently live in Bonhill. Starting my education in Highdykes Primary I completed it with a degree in computing from Glasgow Caledonian University.

Over the last 18 years I have worked in a number of hospitality businesses, hotels and restaurants as a manager and I am currently a business readiness manager for a national restaurant group.

Growing up in Bonhill and Balloch I have seen my fair share of changes. However, I’m not afraid of change because making positive business changes happen is what I do in my job.

People have good ideas, and all too often these don’t get heard. If elected I will ensure that these ideas are considered seriously.

I have looked at the council’s finances and I think there is much which could be improved to make sure that every penny is being spent wisely. We all have a right to know exactly how our money is being used and what plans the council are making before they happen. I will bring more accountability and transparency to the council’s financial management through real public consultation.

I have volunteered, worked and campaigned in the Leven ward and across West Dunbartonshire. This has helped to build a strong knowledge of what is important to the folk who live here.

Using votes one and two for Ian Dickson and Caroline McAllister will help elect a community focused SNP council; a stronger team working together for West Dunbartonshire and one that works for you.

George Drummond, Liberal Democrats

I AM delighted to have been selected as the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for the Leven Ward for the local government elections on Thursday, May 4.

I know the constituency well having been born in the Vale of Level Hospital and lived most of my life in Bellsmyre.

I am 32 years old and went to Dumbarton Academy and Aitkenbar Primary. My six-year-old son attends Braehead Primary.

Having gained an interest in social care in my youth, I am now a full-time care officer specialising in senior citizens.

I have been very active in the campaign to save services at the Vale of Leven Hospital. In particular, I am committed to fighting the proposal being considered by the Labour and SNP controlled Health and Social Care Partnership, to permanently close the GP Out of Hours service at the Vale.

I believe that, as young people are our future, much more requires to be done by the SNP government and the Labour controlled council to ensure that the educational attainment gap in West Dunbartonshire doesn’t widen even further.

I am standing for the Scottish Liberal Democrats because Lib Dems believe in devolving power to local people, not centralising it in Edinburgh as the SNP does or as Labour does here in West Dunbartonshire.

As a parent, I strongly believe in the expansion of early years education which Lib Dems have actively promoted for years.

I believe I offer a fresh, new approach to local government in West Dunbartonshire.

Caroline McAllister, SNP

Working for many years throughout the area as an Independent Advocate for people with mental health issues has informed me of many issues people face in Leven Ward, from attacks on social security, to the demonisation of folk who require support, by the UK government.

Becoming politically active during the Independence referendum campaign taught me that politics doesn’t have to be something that’s ‘done’ to people.

People can make a difference and if elected I will listen and be guided by them.

I believe passionately in self determination, whether that be at a local or national level.

The people who live in the area are best placed to identify and address the issues of their communities.

Post referendum I joined the SNP as I knew I wanted, needed to do more. They most closely reflect my values and are the only party in power who have fought for what is best for Scotland.

West Dunbartonshire is a great area to bring up my daughters but it has the potential to be so much more.

I believe the time has come to elect people who have a positive vision and the determination to realise that potential.

I want to see local politicians work together for the benefit of all in our communities and will work across parties to ensure communities get the response they require to address local issues.

This is what motivates me to stand for election, alongside Ian Dickson as an SNP candidate in Leven Ward.

Michelle McGinty, Labour

MY priority since election in 2012 is ensuring children in the Vale of Leven and Dumbarton get the best possible start. As a mum-of-six, I know nothing is more important than investing in the future of young people.

It has been a privilege to work with families as Labour’s education spokesperson.

Brand new school buildings at Aitkenbar, St Peter’s, Bonhill and Lennox primaries mean more and more local children are being taught in state-of-the-art surroundings.

When the new Our Lady and St Patrick’s opens later this year it will complete the full regeneration of our secondary schools.

This £25 million is a major step forward for the transformation of Bellsmyre and the whole community will benefit from new facilities and sports pitches.

If re-elected on May 4, I will work to secure a further £40 million to finish the job and refurbish or rebuild every primary school across West Dunbartonshire.

Closing the gap between the richest and the rest in our schools means we need to tackle the root causes of inequality. I am proud the Labour administration has doubled the back-to-school clothing grant, making it the most generous in Scotland, and extended free school meals to more low-income families.

With prices rising in the supermarkets and so many local families struggling to kit out the kids for going back to school, we promise to protect these vital benefits despite the SNP cuts.

John Millar, Labour

IT has been a huge honour to serve the people of Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven as Deputy Provost but my main focus has always been on my role as a local councillor for Leven ward.

Over these past five years I have fought alongside residents and community councils to deliver new swing parks and play facilities for local children and extra investment to improve roads and paths.

I meet lots of local people at my surgeries who tell me their biggest local concern is the future of services at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

This election is so important because the local councillors we elect will have more powers than ever before on local health services.

The new health and social care partnership has a bigger role to play in shaping the future of our NHS and the health board is showing no signs of halting the cuts at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

There are 33 members on the health board and the vast majority of them are directly appointed by the SNP government in Edinburgh.

West Dunbartonshire Council only gets the opportunity to send one representative so we need to elect local councillors who will stand up and fight for the Vale of Leven Hospital and our local NHS services.

The Scottish Government wants an SNP-run council because they will roll over and accept the cuts.

You can always count on Labour to vote against the cuts at the Vale.

Sean Quinn, Green party

The council elections on the May 4 give you the chance to have your say on local issues that really matter to you.

Some other parties may try to convince you that this is yet another vote about independence, but let me assure you – it is not. Labour and the Conservatives are using this as a tactic to distract from their woeful records in local councils, including the Labour majority administration here in West Dunbartonshire.

The Scottish Greens are different. Our main priority is listening to the people we represent. From my time over the past year as a community councillor in Bonhill and Dalmonach, I know how vital it is to listen to people, especially when they feel their concerns aren’t being taken seriously.

Just one Green councillor can make a world of difference. Instead of being confrontational, our representatives take politics as seriously as it should be, and rather than shouting across the council chamber, Greens find common ground with other parties for the benefit of their communities.

Our single councillor in Midlothian has protected free music tuition in schools. In Aberdeenshire, our councillor has secured council support for reopening the railway from Dyce to Ellon.

The Green group in Edinburgh introduced Scotland’s first community budgeting scheme, which is now being copied in the rest of the country. All over Scotland, Greens have and can be a force for good in council chambers, and it’s no different here.

Vote Sean Quinn 1 on the May 4 to put power in your hands.

Sally Page is a Conservative candidate for the Lomond ward.

GARTOCHARN resident, Sally Page, has been selected as the Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Lomond Ward.

Sally was brought up on a family farm in Perthshire. She is married with four sons.

Lomond Ward contains a mix of rural and urban populations.

Sally promises to work hard and be a strong local voice on the issues that matter to everyone in Lomond Ward.

The Vale of Leven Hospital serves a vast geographical area, it is vital that these services are maintained and expanded. We must extol the services of the hospital to the community in order to encourage retention and recruitment of staff.

In an area of outstanding natural beauty our offer to tourists is very important. We must keep our wonderful surroundings as pristine as possible in order to offer a high standard of attractions to tourists and holidaymakers.

Sally welcomes the new school campus in Balloch, an exciting new development in the shaping of youngsters education in the community.

Sally worked as part of the Better Together team in 2014 across West Dunbartonshire and is in strong opposition to the idea of a second referendum, as she believes it is divisive and creates uncertainty for local people and businesses.

Scotland’s place within the UK secures nearly 8,000 defence related jobs at Faslane and Coulport which directly provides a boost to the local economy.

Sally believes that job creation and retention are essential and lend will lend her support to projects that encourage job creation