HELENSBURGH and Lomond’s newest councillor says she is “over the moon” to have been chosen by voters to represent the area.
Conservative Gemma Penfold was named on Friday as the winner of the Helensburgh and Lomond South by-election for Argyll and Bute Council.
Ms Penfold was declared the winner at the first stage of counting after she received more than 50 per cent of all the 'first preference' votes cast under the Single Transferable Vote system.
The by-election was held after the death in October of the area's long-serving Liberal Democrat councillor, Ellen Morton.
Ms Penfold, who runs a dance school in Helensburgh, won’t need to wait long for her first experience of council business, as she will be involved at the virtual meeting of Helensburgh and Lomond area committee on Thursday, March 25.
She said: “I’m over the moon. It’s been a bit overwhelming as this is the first time I’ve run.
READ MORE: The six candidates who fought Helensburgh and Lomond South by-election
“As it was during Covid, we haven’t been able to get from door to door, so I didn’t know what we were going into.
“I was only going by people I had spoken to on the phone, so to win by such a big margin, I can’t quite get my head around it.
“I run a local dance school and my family and I live locally. We have a 10-month-old baby, so when the position came up I thought it would be nice for the council to have somebody with that background.
“While I’ve got my own business, I’ve got time to do other things as well, so I thought ‘Why not just go for it and see if I can make a difference?’.”
Addressing her main priorities as a councillor, Ms Penfold said: “We are coming out of Covid, so for me it is important that we help the town rebuild and help businesses rebuild.
“That’s the main priority right now – trying to get people back into jobs and restoring the stability businesses had before Covid.
“For me, early education is important and mental health is a huge issue, especially coming out of Covid. I work with children and I know some are anxious about going back to school, so we must ensure help is available.
“Then you have all the roads and potholes, which definitely need sorted.”
Despite her new position, Ms Penfold insists that the dance school will continue, adding: “I will make it work and fit it around all the meetings.
“I’m starting to grow the school, which I’ve had for four years, and we are now in a position where I can hire new teachers. I have two working with me and hopefully a third after the summer holidays.
“I’m not a politician so I’ve got a lot to learn. I’ve got a huge folder home with me, but I’m a quick learner so I’ll take the weekend to process everything.
“I’ve got the details for the area committee on Thursday so I will be involved in that.”
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