Your County Needs You: Angus community councils in crisis over lack of nominations

By Graham Brown

August 26 2022, 5:55am

Montrose Community Council can form but Edzell and Kirriemuir are struggling for numbers.

Angus faces a community councils’ collapse over a shortage of people putting themselves up for election.

There are 25 community councils in the area.

And the deadline for nominations to serve the next three-year term is looming.

To run successfully they require a combined minimum of 140 community councillors.

But with nominations closing in days, just 16 forms have been lodged with Angus Council.

Not a single candidate has come forward for 15 of the 25 bodies.

And in seven other areas, only a single person has shown an interest.

Aberlemno and Friockheim have folded since the last election.

It has led to a desperate plea from Angus Council for folk to consider the role.

And a rallying call has been made by probably the area’s longest-standing community councillor for people to be the voice of their town or village.

More than 40 years of service

Ivan Laird has served Kirriemuir Landward East for 43 years, the last 23 as chairman.

Now 85, Mr Laird says he has no intention of giving up.

“We are the eyes and ears of main councillors,” said Ivan, a former special constable of almost 30 years.

“We are nearer the ground than they are and more in contact with our local people.”

And he says the mark of a good community council is leaving politics at the door.

“At the start of every new term I stress that we are a non-political body and we’re often told we’re the best run because there’s no in-fighting or back-biting,” he said.

Kirriemuir Landward East community council chairman Ivan Laird with a book of poems published to raise funds for Strathmore Hospice.

“We can put pressure on the council, scrutinise decisions and expenditure and raise our voices if necessary.

“I felt I’d maybe done my bit and might retire. But I lost my wife last year and I decided to stand again – it’s good to be involved and it keeps the grey matter going.”

And he says Kirrie Landward East can be proud of a long record of achievement.

It’s included campaigning for life-saving road safety measures on local roads to raising more than £80,000 in just five weeks for a Polar exploration memorial in Glen Prosen.

More recently, the community council published a book of local poems to raise money for the Strathmore Hospice in Forfar.

“It is very rewarding to do something for your community, but we really need new people to come on board and it seems that way all over Angus,” said Ivan.

How you can put yourself forward

You must be 16 years old or over, on the electoral roll and resident in the relevant community council area.

Request a nomination form from the Returning Officer (Community Council Elections), Elections Office, Digital Reprographics Unit, Sylvie Way, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar, DD8 1AY.

They can also be obtained from elections@angus.gov.uk or via the council’s Community Council Election webpages.

“Time is running out and, with a deadline of 4pm on Wednesday August 31, the window of opportunity is even smaller due to planned Royal Mail postal strikes on Friday 26 and the closing date of Wednesday,” said the council.

“Community Councils can be at their best when the councillors combine to be truly representative of the community they serve – benefitting through both youth and experience.”

The minimum numbers required for the area’s community councils are:

FOUR

Aberlemno

Auchterhouse

Glamis

Inverarity

Lunanhead & District

Newtyle & Eassie

Strathmartine

Tealing

FIVE

Ferryden & Craig