Election / Shetland North by-election: what do the candidates think?
Natasha Cornick and Andrew Hall will be the names on the ballot paper in the Shetland North by-election when voting takes place on Thursday
THE PEOPLE of the Shetland North ward will get the chance to go to the ballot box in a couple days as two candidates vie for the vacant seat in the council.
Independent candidates Natasha Cornick and Andrew Hall are competing in the by-election to replace Tom Morton, who stood down as one of the north ward’s three councillors at the end of October.
At the last SIC election in 2022 people in the Shetland North ward did not even get a chance to cast a vote as only three candidates went for the three seats.
When asked what she could bring to the role of councillor, Cornick said she has gained a “wealth of experience” regarding public body governance given that she currently chairs Shetland’s health and social care integration joint board (IJB) and is an NHS Shetland board member.
“Many of those skills can be directly transposable into the role of local authority councillor,” she said.
Cornick, who lives in Mossbank, added she feels she would bring a “little more balance to the make-up of the council”.
“If you look at the current ratio of male to female councillors there are currently 17 male councillors and only five female councillors,” she said.
“It isn’t representative of the Shetland population. So, I think that starting to address that imbalance could really strengthen the council’s decision making.
“I think as a councillor you need to be able to understand that some of the work that you are doing you will see the changes now but to ensure sustainable services for the future that is going to be a long-term strategy.
“I care deeply about my community and want to work for its benefit. I am raising my own family here and I want them to always be proud of their roots.
“I know that any and every vote that is cast for me in this election is an expression of trust that I will perform the role to the best of my ability which I give my assurance that, if elected, I will.”
Hall meanwhile pointed to how he has worked in the SIC’s finance department for nearly 40 years which has given him a “great deal of knowledge and in-depth understanding” of the local authority.
He reiterated that he would immediately resign from my post in finance if he was the successful candidate.
Hall has lived in Brae since moving to Shetland as a school bairn in 1980, and lives with his wife on her family croft, where their two sons grew up.
“This has led me to helping with the administration of Shetland agricultural community groups, including the Shetland Abattoir Cooperative Ltd, Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society and the Delting and Lunnasting Cattle Compensation Society,” he added.
“On our croft we have diversified, installing two wigwam cabins and planting over 13,000 trees and bushes, which local school bairns have enjoyed coming to see.
“As the boys were growing up, I helped with Delting Football Club training and was treasurer of the Delting Dolphins. This progressed to the Delting Marina Users Association, Brae Men’s Night and Delting Up Helly Aa treasurer.
“I think it is fair to say I have gained the reputation of being a safe pair of hands with the finances I have been trusted to administer.
“Being a community councillor and an active member of the community means I appreciate issues in the area.”
For Cornick, some of the key topics on her mind during the campaign include social care, childcare and transport.
When it comes to social care, demand is rising and resources are “stretched in terms of both staffing and money”.
“A lot of work requires to be done in this area to ensure that Shetland has a clear strategy on how we can sustainably meet the needs of those who require care,” Cornick said.
“This is an area that I feel that I could support well, if elected, bringing my skills and knowledge that I have gained during my time on the IJB.”
She also believes there is “scope for SIC to make further investment in childcare within Shetland”, while for transport Cornick said she would like to see more transparency around how data collected during public consultations is used in the planning of the bus network.
The candidate also mentioned finance – with “difficult decisions” potentially on the horizon for the SIC regarding its spending.
She also said council reserves should be “protected as much as possible” to benefit future generations – “but I think there is scope about how we can use our reserves in more imaginative ways to serve us better now”.
For Hall, education, school transport, housing, speed limits and finance are among the topics on his radar.
He said he believes it is “essential” for a new Brae campus to be built – while also retaining rural primary schools.
Hall also said that primary bairns having to walk “unreasonable distances to school is often raised as an issue, which for some could be sorted with a bit of tweaking to the bus timetable”.
The candidate added it is imperative for the SIC to work with Sullom Voe Terminal partners in the transition away from oil and gas and ensure that the site remains an “important local employer”.
Regarding finance, Hall said: “I appreciate there are many, many high priority services that the council must maintain or indeed increase. It goes without saying that I am not one for cutting essential services.
“However, I am deeply concerned that the current use of council reserves for day-to-day services will mean the pot will be empty before my grandbairns are adults.
“Most would say an impossible situation to solve, but council finances must be sustainable. A task similar to planting trees, but not enjoyable – you act now not for yourself but for future generations.”
The Shetland North ward covers a large spread of land, from North Roe down to South Nesting.
It is also home to Sullom Voe Terminal and the former Scatsta Airport, with both sites potentially in line to host hydrogen production in the future in the transition away from fossil fuels.
As previously mentioned, there are also plans for a new £42.5 million Brae school, with its main contractor announced last week.
The Scottish Government has offered funding to the project, but at this moment in time the final go-ahead has yet to be approved by councillors.
Cornick said she feels the new school project needs to continue “at speed” so that it not lose momentum.
“I think though that it is important not to lose sight that Brae is only one of seven schools in the ward and that we must protect and invest in all of the school’s estate to ensure parity for all the children attending school throughout Shetland,” she said.
“With regard to other challenges affecting North Mainland I think that we need to be very careful that any developments planned/brought to fruition do not have any unintended knock-on effects to the community.
“Regard also needs to be given to ensure that any possible benefit to the community is secured at an early stage.”
Hall said the North Mainland will have a “bright future” if the new Brae school becomes a reality and the Sullom Voe Terminal site diversifies.
“However, financing the new school campus will be extremely challenging – I can’t think of many large capital projects built to budget and on time,” he added.
“With regard to future energy developments, I appreciate commercially sensitive discussions are taking place with the council, but at the same time, whenever possible, the local community must remain informed of developments, especially when it may impact our local environment.”
On a wider level, one topic regularly brought up when talking about the SIC and the future is fixed links – for example tunnels to islands such as Yell, Unst and Whalsay.
Cornick said previous disruption to the ferry timetable has had “real impact on the way that islanders can go about their daily life and has had negative financial impact on businesses, and I’m sure delivery of core services to the outer isles”.
“If not addressed this could have long term impacts on the likes of tourism and also lead to depopulation of these communities,” she added.
“Whilst it’s crucial to address the ferry issues in the meantime because fixed links will take time, I think that ultimately fixed links are the way forward to ensure reliability of inter-island connectivity.”
On the topic of future renewable energy projects in Shetland, Cornick said she feels any potential development “needs to be looked at on an individual basis with benefits and harms to the Shetland landscape and community thoroughly explored in consultation with the Shetland public”.
Hall said in the long term fixed links would make “financial sense, whilst at the same time improving connectivity for the islands”.
“With regard to future renewable, the council must take a firm stance to secure a deal that is in Shetland’s interest – environmentally and financially – and if not, do whatever to put the brakes on developments,” he added.
Meanwhile a motion from Shetland South councillor Alex Armitage to get the SIC to explore the viability of a trial of free bus fares for all narrowly lost out in a vote 10-9 in December.
Cornick said she felt the motion was an “interesting one” and recognised the positives free bus fares could bring.
However, she said she would have voted against the motion at December’s meeting.
“I think that at this point in time we should be prioritising making sure that the bus network meets the needs of the Shetland population first,” Cornick said.
“During my time canvassing when the subject of the bus network has been discussed I haven’t had any concern raised about cost of using the bus, but a number of concerns raised about the timing and frequency of the buses.”
Hall, meanwhile, said he would have supported the motion to explore the viability of a trial for free bus fares.
Voting will take place in the Shetland North by-election on Thursday (23 January), with the result due to be announced the following morning.
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