IN just over two weeks' time, Helensburgh and Lomond South voters will head to the polls.
Six candidates are standing in the Argyll and Bute Council by-election on March 18 - and we've profiled each person to help inform your decision...
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Henry Boswell - Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrat candidate Henry Boswell is hoping to succeed the party’s long-serving, and much-admired, councillor Ellen Morton, whose death in October prompted this month’s by-election.
He grew up in Ruchill in the north of Glasgow, studied chemistry at the University of Glasgow and now lives in Cardross.
He spent 25 years in product innovation with Procter & Gamble, working in the UK and latterly the USA with teams all over the world on familiar brand names like Clairol, Wella, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, and Olay.
He says: “The time has never been more important to take the actions needed to solve the challenges facing this ward, but also go after the many opportunities that exist to improve life in Helensburgh and Lomond South.”
Describing his three big “umbrella priorities”, he said: “In thanking sincerely all who have worked in the NHS and care sector, we need to make sure that we are using all the tools and services the council has to help those, like local small businesses, that have been hit hardest by Covid-19.
“We have a cycle path to get completed between Cardross and Helensburgh, we have a new swimming pool to complete, and we have a waterfront that deserves the investment needed for it to be an amazing asset to the community and so much more to invest it.
"We need a vision and strategy to create the brightest possible green and prosperous future for our ward.
“Vision and plans are not enough: we need to work on the everyday important stuff too. Health, education, parking, refuse, speeding, transport, maintenance of dangerous buildings, maintenance of our green spaces, safety of our pavements and roads in icy conditions, and so on.”
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Paul Burrows - Workers Party
Paul Burrows is making a little bit of history by being the first candidate to stand for the Workers Party in a UK election at any level.
Founded in December 2019, its leader is former Labour and Respect MP George Galloway; the party’s 10-point programme includes withdrawal from NATO, public laundries, creches and dining facilities that enable women to take part in work and public life without prejudice or physical barriers, and universal access to cheap or free public transport.
Paul himself says: “I have worked in the building trade and latterly as a bus driver, and enjoy spending time with my family on walks in the local area. My two daughters attend a marvellous primary school here.
“Local issues are close to my heart and, with the pandemic creating a great deal of uncertainty about what the future holds, I have decided to try to get involved in how our community is run.
“I may not seem like your run of the mill politician – this is my first time standing as a candidate – but that is what makes me and the Workers Party different. This is not about personal prestige, but about making a difference to the lives of local people.
“Services for children and the elderly, mental health, supporting key workers and defending the rights of all workers – these are issues that are especially dear to me, and they are crucial to us on a local level.
“There needs to be a shift in politics, and I want to represent the workers and encourage more working-class involvement in politics.
"I will be approachable and make local politics accessible to all – our voice needs to be heard on the issues that affect us."
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Math Campbell-Sturgess - Scottish National Party
Math Campbell-Sturgess, the SNP’s candidate, moved to the Helensburgh area in 2016 with his partner to start a family.
The 38-year-old was an SNP councillor for Inverclyde North from 2012-2017, and was in the running to be the party’s candidate in the Dumbarton constituency for this May’s Scottish Parliament election before party members chose Toni Giugliano.
Originally from Cambridge, he’s a graduate of the University of Paisley – now UWS – and founded the pro-independence English Scots for Yes campaign group during the 2014 referendum.
He said: “By voting for me and the SNP on March 18, you’ll be electing an experienced councillor – but you’ll also be getting a councillor who will be part of the SNP team, working to stop the Tory and Lib-Dem councillors in Argyll and Bute who keep making the wrong decisions for our community.
“As we see the impacts of Brexit - which our area and Scotland did not vote for - being inflicted on us by a Tory Government in Westminster, their colleagues here in Argyll have no intention of mitigating those effects.
“We need a local councillor with a track record of fighting for their community. If you elect me, I will fight hard for improvements to our roads - and for better enforcement of the speed limits which so many see fit to break with devastating consequences.
“I will work to ensure our schools get the support they need to help our children recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the months they have spent with no face-to-face schooling.
"I will work with my SNP colleagues across Argyll and Bute to get better services for our area - and most of all, I will work for and be accountable to you.”
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Mike Crowe - Scottish Green Party
Scottish Green candidate Mike Crowe, 64, stood as an independent in Helensburgh and Lomond South in 2017 and is currently vice-convener of Cardross Community Council.
He worked in local authority transport management for 27 years before taking early retirement, and now runs a pet care service in Cardross.
He said: “The destruction of our planet deeply concerns me and must be stopped before it is too late.
“If climate change is not addressed, the rising tides in the Helensburgh and Lomond South area will result in many waterfront buildings and land being lost by 2050.
“Research group Climate Central published a paper in the scientific journal Nature Communications mapping global warming, which will have a significant impact locally and worldwide.
“The Scottish Greens are the only party that puts climate action at the top of their agenda.
“I have lived locally for over 55 years, so I am very aware of most of the frustrations felt by the local population, which have mainly been caused by a lack of investment in the area – issues like roads maintenance, street lighting, street cleaning, grass cutting, flower beds, no dog warden to help combat dog fouling, a cycle path that has been ongoing for ten years and shown little progress.
“I will make sure all of these important issues remain at the top of my agenda until they have been addressed.”
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Gemma Penfold - Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Conservative candidate Gemma Penfold is well-known in the Helensburgh and Lomond area through running the LCI Dance Centre – something she has continued to run online during the Covid pandemic, in order to allow children and adults an escape from the lockdown restrictions.
Gemma says she is particularly passionate about early education and mental health services and has welcomed the new service now available at the Vale of Leven hospital, supporting military veterans, which was led by local Conservative MSP Maurice Corry, who is fully supportive of Gemma’s campaign.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been selected to fight this seat for the Scottish Conservative and Unionists.
“While campaigning right now will undoubtedly be different, I am keen to engage with as many residents as possible to find out what issues they are concerned about.
“I am proud to live in this ward with my family and want to make a difference on the council by being a strong voice for these communities.
“As a local business owner, I have been acutely aware of the challenges that have been faced with lockdown restrictions and we need to see a greater sense of urgency from the SNP Government to get vital funding to businesses who need it most.
“The UK Government have put measures in place to support businesses like mine and we need to see the SNP do the same for businesses in this area.
“I believe the lockdown has also brought issues surrounding mental health to the fore, particularly among our young people and we need to invest more in getting those who require it the support they need.
“A vote for me is a vote for someone who resides in the area and understands the day to day concerns of people living here. It is also a vote for a strong voice on the council to help our communities build back better after the pandemic.”
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Jane Kelly - Scottish Labour
Originally from Glasgow, Scottish Labour candidate Jane Kelly moved to Argyll and Bute in 2011 after a long career as a secondary school teacher.
She previously stood as the party’s candidate in the Mid Argyll ward at the 2017 local authority elections, but her 132 first preference votes weren’t enough to secure one of the three seats up for grabs.
Speaking to the Advertiser, Jane said education is her key priority and that, if elected, she looks forward to working with the new Scottish Labour leader, when the winner of the contest is announced this weekend, on this and other issues that affect the people of Helensburgh and Lomond South.
Jane, who lives in Tarbert in Kintyre, said: “I have been living in Argyll and Bute since 2011. I am originally from Glasgow and have lived in a number of rural areas in England, mainly in Kent and Staffordshire, before deciding on Argyll and Bute as my permanent home.
“Before retiring I was a teacher of business studies and maths in a secondary school. I also worked on the pastoral side of education as a head of year.
“I have retained a strong interest in education and am very concerned with the problems of education in a pandemic.
"I hope that following the return to school we can use the opportunity to re-examine our schooling and examination system.
“I have been a member of the Scottish Labour party for a number of years and look forward to working with the new Scottish Labour leader.”
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