A question for those candidates standing under a political label for Nairn and Cawdor ward. "If your party asks you to vote for something that is not in the best interests of Nairn, what will you do?"

Update, three responses now

Two of the candidates standing for a political party have been asked this question in the popular Facebook group "Nairn out Town" already, where they are regulars. If you are one of the three other candidates standing for a political party, then please let us know the answer to that question via e-mail at info@gurnnurn.com or on that facebook group.  

The responses so far - simply in the order they arrive or were posted on social media: 

Paul Oldham SNP

I said I wouldn't post about the campaign here but the simple answer is that I would vote in the interests of Nairn.

In general the party allows for this, and indeed it's happened in the past in 2014 when our two SNP cllrs for Nairn voted against the party and council (which was then SNP lead!) to get a refund of £187,000 to the Common Good Fund.

More generally I recommend anyone who wants to know more about me and my views to read my Substack blog which you can find here https://paul.nairn.scot and also, if you wish, sign up to get it delivered to you via email.

If elected I intend to continue to use that to keep the people of the ward informed as to what's going on with Highland Council.

 

Kevin Reid LibDem

 

 I have to say i would vote for Nairn everytime. Lib Dems also allow for this. This is why i have created my own page and i am trying to make it easier for people to get in touch. The more feedback we can recieve the easier it is to represent the overall view of Nairn.

Marjory Smith Alba

Thanks for the question. I would always vote with my conscience and principles on any given matter and would not place a vote that was detrimental to the people I'd been elected to represent in Nairn and Cawdor, in the unlikely eventuality that the party attempted to instruct me to do so. 

8 contestants for 4 seats in Nairn and Cawdor ward

 Here are your prospective councillors for the election on May 5th. 

Nairn's new Community Orchard - a huge thank you to everyone who made it possible!

Thanks to everyone who made this possible. 78 fruit trees planted on Saturday!

Kirsty Ellen who did so much behind the scenes progressing it all with Highland Council; Mick Haymer the amenities manager for his suggestions and advice, Hamish and Veronica of NRCC who first mooted this idea three years ago. All the folks in the orchard group who worked so hard up to and including the day itself, likewise Green Hive and Keeping Nairnshire Colourful. Michael Green for letting us loose on his mountain of wood chip mulch. Mags Nicholson of Househill Farm for the donation of seaweed fertiliser and further funds for trees. Mary Heggie for three trees from Tom's plot. Nairn BID too who made a substantial donation to increase the number of trees. Mandy Murray for bringing along the Nairn Festival flags and adding a touch of fabulous colour to the day. All those who purchased a tree and brought it along, we had originally planned to plant 20 (a figure that had been constantly revised upwards to 50) but the final total speaks for itself and the generosity of folk in Nairn..

On the day so many individuals and groups who worked hard to get through the very tough turf, great to see Comann nam Pàrant and NRCC personnel too on the day.

There were others who had to go elsewhere after massive logistical efforts early in the morning. Huge thank you to Gordy Milne, Mike Bray and Dave Thoules who got another source of mulch and a lot of trees and materials to the site. Thank you all for your hard work and positive vibes during the planting – it was a fantastic morning and looking forward to doing similar stuff with everyone in the future. Nairn rocks!

If anyone thinks I’ve forgotten someone please PM me and I’ll put them in. If you would like to go on the Nairn Orchard Network mailing list for future events, workshops etc, then please PM or e-mail info@gurnnurn.com

 

Michael Green, Independent Candidate for the Nairn and Cawdor ward has a project he'd like to pursue if elected to Highland Council on May the 5th - A Nairn Waste Busters?

NWSCC - Another "physical" meeting - Monday 28th of March at 6.30 pm in the Community & Arts Centre

Nairn West & Suburban Community Council

Monthly meeting, 6.30 pm Mon 28 Mar 2022, Nairn Community & Arts Centre***

PROCEDURAL NOTE: following the interim elections held on 3 March to fill vacancies on the existing NW&SCC, Highland Council (Ward Manager Lewis Hannah) proposes to chair the initial stages of this regular monthly meeting (which they are describing as an “inaugural” or “establishment” meeting).

This is to oversee the appointment of office-bearers to the three (or four) formal committee positions which – following the resignations of the previous incumbents – have been filled on an interim basis with effect from 29 November 2021 in accordance with Standing Order 2.1(e).

The appointed Chair will then take over and preside for the regular business meeting on the basis of this proposed draft agenda.

DRAFT AGENDA

1. Introduction and Apologies

2. Minutes of previous meeting (24 Jan 2022 – copies already circulated)

3. Matters Arising (not otherwise listed as separate items)

4. Financial Report

5. Sandown Common Good: the further consultation

6. HLH fees, leisure & rec spend, CG maintenance

7. Maggot waste disposal/Harbour St toilets

8. Tourism Strategy/Visitor Management planning

9. Port of Ardersier – implications of redevelopment

10. New Nairn Academy and future of Library

11. Dialogue with other Highland CCs

12. IMFLDP and local sites (Nairn East, Nairn South, Delnies)

13. Place-Based Investment Funding – process and projects

14. Seamens’ Hall

15. Questions/Comments from the Public

16. AOCB

17. Next meeting

*** IMPORTANT NOTE: This will again be a “physical” CC meeting, held in public. Local residents are welcome to attend. All participants will be required to provide contact details, confirm no evidence of Covid symptoms, respect social distancing, comply with the precautions required by the Centre venue, and wear masks throughout the meeting except when invited to speak.

 

Tomorrow (22 03 22) 11-12.15 - free online lecture “Gaelic Place names of Moray, their origins, development and treatment,”

A bheil thu a’ fuireach ann am Moireibh no a bheil uidh agad anns an sgìre sin?

A-màireach air “teams”

• 1100-1215 “Gaelic Place names of Moray, their origins, development and treatment,” an on-line input by Dr Jake King. The activities room at Elgin Library has also been booked so people without digital access can come along.

Dr Jacob King was awarded a PhD at the University of Edinburgh in Scottish river-names in 2008 and in the same year began working for Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba, the organisation responsible for providing authoritative forms of Gaelic place-names for use in the public sphere. He is the author of a number of articles, including a column about place-names in the Gaelic page of The Scotsman; he is also co-author of the Scottish Natural Heritage `Gaelic in the Landscape' series. In 2019, he released Scottish Gaelic Place-names: The Collected Works of Charles M. Robertson. His book The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Place-names is coming out in March.

Email: Karen.Delaney@moray.gov.uk for the Teams link

 

String chamber group Kammerphilharmonie Europa play a lovely programme of Corelli, Neruda, Bach, Elgar, Rachmaninov and Mozart this Saturday (19th) 7.30 at Nairn Community and Arts Centre. All welcome, tickets on the door!

String chamber group Kammerphilharmonie Europa play a lovely programme of Corelli, Neruda, Bach, Elgar, Rachmaninov and Mozart this Saturday (19th) 7.30 at Nairn Community and Arts Centre. All welcome, tickets on the door!

Community Orchard Planting - Cemetery Brae - Saturday 26th March 10 am - midday

 

Next Nairn River CC meeting Wednesday 16th March

A public meeting of the Nairn River Community Council

will be held online via Zoom on

Wednesday, 16th March 2022 7:30 PM

More here on the NRCC site

Former chair of Community Council is incandescent with the proposal to move the library to the new Nairn Academy - "What utter nonsense! – Come on Nairn – wake up and smell the coffee!"

Sheena Baker, former Chair of Nairn West and Suburban CC, told the Gurn:

"What utter nonsense! – Come on Nairn – wake up and smell the coffee!

Moving the library to the New Academy – it beggars’ belief that folks (including elected members) have even given this any mileage!

What is the BID Board of Directors agreed policy on this? I have not been able to get an answer to that. Have they had an emergency zoom Directors meeting? If not, why not?

The very raison d'etre for the BID was to bring footfall and growth to the centre of Nairn. If this suggestion gets off the drawing board it will fly in the face of their reason for existing. This is the year they need to prove they have muscle and that they are acting for their full and opted in membership. Finding nice words to oppose the suggestion just is not enough. They should be spearheading the fight against this ridiculous suggestion. The BID will soon need to be voted in for another five-year period. This suggestion needs to be something they oppose, really flex their muscle on and prove that they have, as an organisation, substance and standing.

Whether you liked the lady or not – the words NO, No, No come to mind. That is what Nairn should be shouting from every rafter in the town. If the cost of building the proposed new Academy cannot stack up without removing the library from the town centre to within the grounds of the new academy then clearly something is very wrong with the forecast and budget,

Why should the centre of Nairn be consigned to even more reduction of footfall on the back of a simply stupid, some might say farcical, suggestion from Highland Council? I include in that statement everyone involved in the planning of the new Academy. Repositioning the library to the outskirts of the town is simply a very poorly thought out, ill-conceived some may say crackpot plan. It is wrong from all angles. Why should town folks have to use diesel and petrol to go to the library or wait on a town bus powered by diesel to spend 20 plus minutes getting there and then at least that getting back. This is supposed to be the era of COP26 and ECO planning. I am sorry, I just cannot see how this suggestion fits in, it has no ECO points of merit that I can think of.

The A96 is already overloaded but it appears there are those planning this move who think it would be a good idea to add to that congestion and the resulting vehicle emissions.

What about older folks of a frailer nature being possibly bounced by younger exuberant pupils. I am sure that they would not intend to do anything like that, but it could and more than likely would happen. Then there are the clearance issues of folks wandering around the school premises and young children. They will have an open door to being able to get in contact with pupils. Policing that by the school would be just another burden and also needs to be considered.

I could go on, however I live in hope that others may put pen to paper or fingers to keyboards and find words to encourage the folks of Nairn to let their voices be heard and not let yet another disaster of a decision be decreed on us from Highland Council.

Please, please find some way to let your views be heard and kick this silly suggestion back into the long grass never to be raised again!"