Election - Questions to candidates.

[Ship called Dignity]

As part of this site and the www.visitkintyre.info site I was thinking of sending a range of questions to candidates standing in the South Kintyre ward asking for their answers which will be posted as news.

So, has anyone got any questions for our potential new councillors?

[Buzz Lightyear]

I think we should ask;

What will they do for the area if they are voted in?

[Dunc]

And will they resign if they dont do it.???

Dunc

[WC1]

To all candidates, including those for Holyrood, "Will you fight to have the A83 raised to trunk road status from Kennacraig to Campbeltown?".

[mrn]

All, education is important to many with families. "What will you do to secure a new secondary school for Campbeltown?"

[Beachcomber]

Would any of the prospective candidates give us their assurance that they would oppose the introduction of fortnightly collections of household refuse on Kintyre?

[Ship called Dignity]

Would any of the prospective candidates give us their assurance that they would oppose the introduction of fortnightly collections of household refuse on Kintyre?

Beachcomber good question. Which reminded me to post this as a debate. Please see

http://www.kintyreforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3595

On another note, as you are now in Kintyre and The Islands , do you know anyone who is standing in this area?

[iceblue]

I think the prospective councillors should be asked what would they do to improve the state of the roads in Campbeltown. Driving around town today it felt like dodge the pothole!

[KERTERSKID]

I think the prospective councillors should be asked what would they do to improve the state of the roads in Campbeltown. Driving around town today it felt like dodge the pothole!

To improve our roads the Cooncil are laying new pavements throughout the Toon. Have they solved the chewing gum problem or do they just have their priorities all wrong?

[John S]

What councillors say they will do before an election, and what they can do after it, are two very different things all dependent on the result of the election. The party that runs the council will decide what policies and priorities of the council will be. So unless your councillor is part of the ruling group that runs the council, their influence will be significantly reduced.

Likewise, the influence Argyll & Bute Council has within Scotland will be largely dependent on the influence the councils ruling group has with the Scottish Executive.

Any of the named candidates might make”good” councillors. However their effectiveness will depend on their power to influence.

I am confident that Argyll & Bute SNP is now in a position to lead Argyll and Bute Council and for Alex Salmond to be the next first minister of an SNP Scottish Executive.

Argyll & Bute SNP will publish its manifesto on how it will run Argyll & Bute Council within the next few weeks. I will post the link and answer any questions you have on it then.

John Semple

[Beachcomber]

I think the prospective councillors should be asked what would they do to improve the state of the roads in Campbeltown. Driving around town today it felt like dodge the pothole!

You should try commuting betwixt Carradale and Tarbert on a daily basis as my wife has does. The state of that road is a disgrace.

[John S]

The roads are a disgrace, but again, unless we can influence the Scottish Executive to restructure the funding, which Argyll & Bute Council attracts, long-term maintenance and upgrade issues like roads repairs will always be the budget to suffer from plundering for pet projects.

A good example is the Oban airport - 9 million of public funding, much of it council, spent on an airstrip which will get you no quicker from Oban town centre to George Square, Glasgow than by driving in a car.

What influence did our opposition councillors have over the decision to pour money into tarmack on a field in Oban rather than tarmac on the roads?

[jdcarra]

You should try commuting betwixt Carradale and Tarbert on a daily basis as my wife has does. The state of that road is a disgrace.

The roads are a disgrace, but again, unless we can influence the Scottish Executive to restructure the funding, which Argyll & Bute Council attracts, long-term maintenance and upgrade issues like roads repairs will always be the budget to suffer from plundering for pet projects.

A good example is the Oban airport - 9 million of public funding, much of it council, spent on an airstrip which will get you no quicker from Oban town centre to George Square, Glasgow than by driving in a car.

What influence did our opposition councillors have over the decision to pour money into tarmack on a field in Oban rather than tarmac on the roads?

And as another like many using the back road on a daily basis, it is a disgrace, riddled with potholes, cracked tarmac and broken verges.

John, you say unless we can influence the Scottish Executive to restructure the funding, which Argyll & Bute Council attracts, well you tell me how? I'm sure that if our Scottish Executive members were to drive in these conditions, would anything be done. May'be we'll send them a few pictures.

[Beachcomber]

I dread to think the damage it's doing to the car's suspension, and woe betide any motorcyclist who puts a wheel down one of those water-filled holes.

Presumably as the council are aware of the state of the road they would be legally liable in the event of serious damage or an accident?

Just thought I'd post this photograph, taken in Norwich, to show just how bad some holes can get before anything is done about them

[John S]

John, you say unless we can influence the Scottish Executive to restructure the funding, which Argyll & Bute Council attracts, well you tell me how? I'm sure that if our Scottish Executive members were to drive in these conditions, would anything be done. May'be we'll send them a few pictures.

How? On May 3rd, change the Council and change the Executive. For a lot of people this will mean changing the habits of a lifetime when they come to vote, but the roads didn’t get in the state they are overnight. It has taken years of neglect to get things to where they are today didn’t some of those currently elected promise to improve them last time around? Over the next few weeks every politician will promise you that they will improve the roads, only those who win the majority will be in a position to fulfil that promise.