How good is your councillor?
Ally McGilvray • Published 14 Feb 2012 09:30
2 Comments
THEY are responsible for speaking up for the people of the Borders.
And influence council decisions on the future of our local schools, police, and health services. But how good is your councillor?
There are currently 34 Councillors serving a number of multi-member wards on Scottish Borders Council, including Galashiels and District, Selkirkshire and Leaderdale and Melrose. They are paid by the taxpayer a basic annual salary of £16,234.
And, with the local government elections looming later this year, we decided to put them to the test.
We phoned and emailed every councillor in the Borders this week, using only the contact details available on the Scottish Borders Council website, to find out how easy it was to get in contact with them and to ask if they planned to stand for re-election on May 3.
It follows complaints that some of them were either too old, out of touch, or just impossible to get ahold of. And the results were very interesting.
While more than half the councillors could not be contacted the first time we called, most of them responded to our emails - which were sent under the pseudonym Paige Turner - within 24 hours.
The first to respond was the Council Convener, Councillor Alasdair Hutton (Conservative), who has previously announced his intention to stand down at the next election.
Scottish Borders Council Leader David Parker (Independent) was also quick off the mark, as were much-maligned Councillors Carolyn Riddell-Carre (Leader of the Conservative Group at SBC, Selkirkshire) and Fiona Lackenby (Conservative, Galashiels and District), who have often been accused of failing to attend community council meetings during their time in office.
And, although he wasn't available on the phone, Hawick and Denholm Councillor Jock Houston, chairman of the local authority's planning committee, responded by email - twice.
However, four councillors - two of them portfolio holders at the council - failed to reply to our emails and phone calls by the end of last week.
They were: East Berwickshire Councillor Jim Fullarton, the council's Executive Member for Roads and Infrastructure, (Conservative), Jedburgh and District Councillor Len Wyse (Conservative), the local authority's Executive Member of Environmental Services, Mid Berwickshire Councillor Frances Renton (Liberal Democrat), and Jedburgh and District Councillor Jim Brown (SNP).
Councillor Fullarton did respond over the weekend, however - three days after we first tried to contact him.
Commenting on our findings this week, Emma Boon, Campaign Director at The TaxPayers' Alliance, a national campaign group committed to forcing politicians to listen to ordinary taxpayers, said: "No one expects councillors to be available at a moment's notice but it is quite shocking that several did not reply at all in the space of three days. Taxpayers who pay for councillors deserve to get a response on the phone or in e-mail if they need help.
"Had Paige Turner been a real resident with a genuine problem it seems she would have been let down by several people who are supposed to represent her and are given taxpayers' money to do so. It is vital that councillors are contactable by phone or e-mail within a matter of days to help local people when required, it is their duty."
The next elections for the Council are due to be held on May 3, 2012. However, a number of senior councillors have already confirmed their intention to stand down.
They include: Kelso and District Councillor Alasdair Hutton, the current Council Convener; Tweeddale West Councillor Neil Calvert, Depute Leader of the Council (Finance); and Carolyn Riddell-Carre, the local authority's Executive Member for Planning and the Environment.
Anyone intending to stand is invited to attend a "Preparing for Elected Office" course running until March 14. For more information contact Scottish Borders Council on 0300 100 1800.
How did your councillor do? We have listed them in order of response below:
1st, Councillor Alasdair Hutton
Ward: Kelso and District
Party: Conservative
2nd, Councillor Stuart Marshall
Ward: Hawick and Denholm
Party: Independent
3rd, Councillor David Parker
Ward: Leaderdale and Melrose
Party: Independent
4th, Councillor Carolyn Riddell-Carre
Ward: Selkirkshire
Party: Conservative
5th, Councillor Sandy Scott
Ward: Jedburgh and District
Party: Conservative
6th, Councillor Alec Nicol
Ward: Kelso and District
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
7th, Councillor Fiona Lackenby
Ward: Galashiels and District
Party: Conservative
8th, Councillor Sandy Aitchison
Ward: Galashiels and District
Party: The Borders Party
9th, Councillor George Turnbull
Ward: Hawick and Hermitage
Party: Conservative
10, Councillor David Raw
Ward: East Berwickshire
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
11, Councillor Nicholas Watson
Ward: Leaderdale and Melrose
Party: The Borders Party
12, Councillor Tom Weatherston
Ward: Kelso and District
Party: Conservative
13, Councillor Zandra Elliot
Ward: Hawick and Denholm
Party: Conservative
14, Councillor Ron Smith
Ward: Hawick and Hermitage
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
15, Councillor Graham Garvie
Ward: Tweeddale East
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
16, Councillor Gavin Logan
Ward: Tweeddale East
Party: Conservative
17, Councillor Willie Archibald
Ward: Tweeddale West
Party: SNP
18, Councillor Neil Calvert
Ward: Tweeddale West
Party: Conservative
19, Councillor John Mitchell
Ward: Galashiels and District
Party: Scottish National Party
20, Councillor Kenneth Gunn
Ward: Selkirkshire
Party: Scottish National Party
21, Councillor Catriona Bhatia
Ward: Tweeddale West
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
22, Councillor Jim Hume
Ward: Galashiels and District
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
23, Councillor Vicky Davidson
Ward: Selkirkshire
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
24, Councillor Jock Houston
Ward: Hawick and Denholm
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
25, Councillor David Paterson
Ward: Hawick and Hermitage
Party: Independent
26, Councillor John Paton-Day
Ward: Leaderdale and Melrose
Party: Scottish Liberal Democrats
27, Councillor Bill Herd
Ward: Tweeddale East
Party: Scottish National Party
28: Councillor Michael Cook
Ward: East Berwickshire
Party: Independent
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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brambles
Unregistered User
Feb 17, 20:41
Report comment -
bill3459
15 posts
Mar 2, 13:53
Report commentWhat a load of Ballocks is this what we buy a peeblesshire for if so thats the last time. As it goes as a news paper would not even make good loo roll
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