News / Crofters’ election reminder
ELIGIBLE candidates wanted to stand at the forthcoming Crofting Commission election are reminded that the deadline for returning nomination papers is 4pm on Thursday 26 January.
Six people will be elected by crofters to represent their interests on the new Crofting Commission, which will replace the Crofters Commission as of 1 April.
Another three commissioners, Susan Walker, William Swann and Sandy Cross, have been appointed by the Scottish Government.
The electoral area is divided into six constituencies, each returning one member.The constituencies are: Shetland; Orkney and Caithness; East Highlands (East Sutherland, Easter Ross, East Inverness and Moray); Western Isles; West Highlands (West Sutherland, Wester Ross, Skye and Lochalsh); and South West Highlands (Lochaber, Argyll and Bute, Arran and Cumbrae, Small Isles).
Elected commissioners will receive remuneration of £7,440 per annum and are expected to devote a minimum of four days each month to Commission work.
To be eligible, candidates must be aged 16 years or over and either have their name entered on the Register of Crofts as a crofter or owner-occupier crofter or have been nominated by an elector.
Nomination forms and other documents relating to the election can be downloaded from the Highland Council website; obtained on request by email to elections@highland.gov.uk or by phoning the elections helpdesk on 01349 886657.
The elections will be conducted using a postal ballot. The count will take place in Inverness at The Highland Council headquarters on Friday March 16.
Voting is restricted to one vote per croft and to one vote per crofter: a multiple occupancy croft must nominate one voter, and a crofter with multiple crofts is only eligible for one vote.
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