Local Government By-Election 2022 (Shetland West) / Mark Robinson
Name: Mark Robinson Electoral Ward: Shetland West
Having narrowly missed out on being elected back in May I am keen to stand again. If elected I will work to bring the improvements to services and infrastructure that are needed. I appreciate that in a time of fiscal instability this will require some smart thinking but I’m sure that by working with the communities and officials improvements can be made.
I am an Independent candidate and I firmly believe that Party Politics do not have any place in Local Government. I am answerable only to the electorate and will be an un-biased and un-yielding representative for the residents of the Shetland West ward.
As I have said previously Shetland has seen great improvements in its infrastructure. Sadly the West has not seen much of this investment. The road network is in a shameful state of repair, promised improvements are constantly being pushed down the list in favour of other projects. Existing social housing is inadequate and in need of upgrading. Very little new housing has been built in the last 40 years. Young families are being forced out of the area. With improvements to the roads and affordable housing the West will benefit from an economic boost.
Any parent will tell you that they want the best for their children. I am no different, providing the right education in the right place is very important. Movement in population is causing some schools to have quite low rolls whilst others are close to capacity. I do not think that closing schools is beneficial to rural communities. Instead we need to consider why some are struggling and look to even out the disparity that has occurred. Again this is best achieved through community involvement not heavy handed Council reviews.
As with most things in Shetland, what suits the Central Belt of Scotland doesn’t usually work for Shetland. The proposed National Care Service is yet another example of this. The West Ward along with the rest of Shetland has a good care network. We need to stand up and protect this from the centralised “one size fits all” approach that the Scottish Government wants to force upon us.
The recent failure of the subsea cable causing total communication blackout for most of Shetland has highlighted the fragility of our network. This needs to be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency. There are areas on the West Mainland which suffer from poor connectivity every day, improvements are being made in some areas but sadly the worst affected are not currently in line for any upgrade. The Westminster Government funded scheme should be extended to give all Shetland addresses a fast, reliable broadband connection.
These are a few of the issues which I am aware of, there are bound to be many more.
Fell free to contact me.
Find me on FaceBook: @Mark Robinson for Shetland West
Home phone: 01595 830220
Mobile Phone: 07810 518530
Email: mark_robinson1@me.com
By Letter:
Stroma,
Olligarth
Whiteness,
Shetland
ZE2 9GJ
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