New councillor standing for Lanark's Westminster seat

The new Scottish Conservative and Unionist member for the Clydesdale West ward on South Lanarkshire Council has been named as her party’s candidate for the Lanark and Hamilton Westminster constituency at June 8’s general election.

And she told the Gazette this week that, should she unseat the Scottish National Party’s Angela Crawley in a fortnight’s time, she intends to keep doing both jobs.

“It’s manageable,” said the Rosebank resident of 35 years’ standing given the task of boosting the third-placed Conservatives’ 8,772 votes at the 2015 general election to overturn the SNP’s 10,100 majority over second-placed Labour’s 16,876.

A finance and human resources manager with her family’s electronics firm, she stated: “I am relishing the prospect of this General Election and it is clear following the local council elections, it is only the Scottish Conservatives who can defeat the SNP here and oppose their plans for another divisive referendum. If elected I will be a strong voice for attracting jobs and investment to this area, pushing for better transport links and working with operators to deliver improvements in broadband and mobile reception.”

UKIP has announced that its candidate in the constituency will be Donald Mackay, and the Scottish Liberal Democrats will be fielding Colin Robb. They join the SNP’s Angela Crawley and Labour’s Andrew Hilland on the Lanark and Hamilton East ballot paper on Thursday, June 8.

All are being invited to Lanark Greyfriars Church on Tuesday, May 30, at 7pm to take part in what will be the second election hustings meeting held there in little over a month, following on from one before May 4’s council election. As on that occasion, the meeting will be organised by Lanark Community Council and will have the kirk’s minister, the Rev Bryan Kerr, in the chair.