Baird wins appeal to get on ballot paper

Mossend and Holytown councillor David Baird has won his appeal to represent the SNP in next month's North Lanarkshire Council elections.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Apr 2017, 10:39 BST
Updated 8th Apr 2017, 22:19 BST
Councillor David BairdCouncillor David Baird
Councillor David Baird

In February, Councillor Baird was left off an approved list to stand after failing the party’s vetting procedure.

Now though he is looking forward to getting on the campaign trail and defending the seat he won in 2012.

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Councillor Baird said: “I am delighted to have won my appeal and I think this validates my position that there was never any wrongdoing on my part.

“I am now looking forward to getting out there and campaigning for the SNP ahead of the polls opening on May 4.

“I will be doing all I can to ensure we return two SNP members for the Mossend and Holytown ward.

“This task could be made a little easier by Labour’s Jimmy Coyle standing down after so many years, but we will not be taking a single vote for granted.

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“Hopefully across North Lanarkshire we can build on the results from the General and Scottish Elections and perhaps take control of the council for the first time.”

Also standing in Mossend and Holytown, which will return three councillors, will be fellow SNP candidate Michael Clarkson, Labour’s Frank McNally and Jim Reddin, and the Conservative’s Carol Cunningham.

Meanwhile, community activist John Devlin is to stand as an Independent candidate in Bellshill ward which for the first time will return four councillors.

He said: “I am an active member of Bellshill Community Council and have raised many issues that elected members seem to have missed.

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“I have my community’s best interests an heart and think I can do even more to represent those interests by being elected as a councillor.”

Also standing in Bellshill are Labour’s Harry Curran and Angela Campbell, the SNP’s Marina Lyle and Jordan Linden, the Conservatives’ Colin Cameron and UKIP’s William Brown.

Six candidates will contest the South Lanarkshire Council ward of Uddingston and Bothwell which will return three councillors. They are — Labour’s Maureen Devlin, the SNP’s Jim McGuigan and Phil Sykes, the Conservatives’ Kenny McCreary, the Liberal Democrats’ Colin Robb and the Greens’ James Ferguson.

Related topics:SNPNorth Lanarkshire CouncilLabour