On May 5 West Dunbartonshire will go to the polls to decide who will make up the new council administration.
Those elected as councillors will make decisions on behalf of residents about vital local services including roads, parks, schools and planning.
Currently West Dunbartonshire Council is a minority SNP administration, with the party having gained four seats in 2017 and increased their share of the vote by nine percent to overtake Labour as the biggest party.
Locally, Dumbarton and the Vale are split into three wards: Dumbarton, Leven and Lomond. In the build-up to May’s vote we’re giving every one of the candidates vying for your vote the opportunity to make their case.
In this article we will focus on Dumbarton - where four members will be elected.
Currently the town is represented by Labour’s David McBride, SNP duo Karen Conaghan and Iain McLaren and Conservative Brian Walker.
Councillors Conaghan, Walker and McLaren were all elected for the first time in 2017, with Councillor McBride having represented Dumbarton since the ward’s creation in 2007.
A new face is guaranteed to be elected this year however, with Councillor McLaren not seeking re-election and a total of nine candidates on the ballot paper.
Karen Conaghan - SNP
I’m standing for council again in the Dumbarton ward.
For the past five years as a councillor I’ve worked hard for local residents on a whole variety of issues from problems with antisocial behaviour to street lighting, from bin collections to housing and much more.
I’ve also served as a member of all the main committees and many other bodies doing my best to bring wisdom, insight and challenge to each area.
As someone who has lived in Dumbarton most of my life, I care deeply about the area and truly listen to the concerns of people.
The past two years have been incredibly difficult, and recovery from the pandemic must be a focus, regeneration locally will help with that.
Too many in our community suffer with financial hardship and tackling this must be what drives all of our elected representatives.
I’ve been proud to be education convener and see greatly increased nursery provision and investment in our schools, especially the new Renton campus.
It’s also been my privilege to be Depute Provost serving at civic events with dignity.
If re-elected I’ll continue to work diligently, cross-party in a compassionate manner for the good of this area.
David McBride - Labour
I have lived in Dumbarton and worked locally my whole life, raising two children who remain living in Dumbarton working in the public sector.
I have been a councillor for Dumbarton for 15 years, while also being an active civil service trade unionist.
As a councillor I have led many campaigns to improve the housing, environment and education in Dumbarton.
Anti-social behaviour remains a huge problem; I have taken residents’ concerns to ensure they can live in the safety they deserve.
Throughout my time as a councillor I have also gained a strong reputation as a hard working representative, holding regular monthly surgeries, attending residents groups and community councils.
As Labour’s housing spokesperson, I am proud to have launched the ambitious target of 1000 new council and housing associations built in 2012, resulting in newly built homes in Westcliff, Castlehill, Bruchill, Bellsmyre and Dumbarton waterfront.
I am delighted to be standing for election for the fourth time, and if elected I will continue to work tirelessly for Dumbarton.
While we have seen so many improvements in the town with Dumbarton Waterfront, housing, schools and both Levengrove and Posties Park, there is so much still to do. Particularly as we recover from the Covid pandemic, the town centre regeneration will be my priority as we attempt to improve and revitalise our town.
Brian Walker - Conservative
It has been my pleasure to represent the Dumbarton Ward for the last five years.
I am standing again so that I can assist residents.
I can provide scrutiny on the various committees that I sit on, to make a positive contribution to the services the council provides.
I will demand a fairer financial settlement from the SNP Scottish Government, as the increases received in funding from the UK Government have not been passed on in full to the local councils.
There may be a ‘no cuts’ budget in West Dunbartonshire but, there should have been more money made available to improve services had the SNP provided a proper settlement.
The priorities of the SNP Government have been put before those of the people of West Dunbartonshire.
I would like to see more opportunities for our school children to catch-up.
I would like to see improvements on our roads.
I would like all railway stations to be staffed to help combat anti-social behaviour and assist those who are less able.
I would like to see all the artefacts from Dumbarton Castle, returned to the castle, from Edinburgh, and I will seek funding to remove the sunken boats from the River Leven.
Gurpreet Singh Johal - Labour
I have lived in Dumbarton for the past 21 years and I am proud to raise my two young children here, both of whom attend primary school locally.
I am a human rights solicitor and have been practising for the past eight years.
This is the first time I am standing as a candidate in the council elections and I believe if elected, I will be a strong voice for you, your family and our community.
The people of Dumbarton have stood by me and my family in seeking the release of my arbitrarily detained brother, Jagtar Singh Johal. It is time for me to stand by you and put something back into the community that I love.
We have been let down by the current SNP council and you deserve so much better.
As we face the biggest cost of living crisis in 50 years, I will be on your side and will make sure that we help everyone who is struggling to make ends meet.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to stand as a Labour candidate in Dumbarton and if elected, be the strong voice for you and your family.
I believe we need new faces, new voices and people who represent our diverse community.
Chris Pollock - SNP
I am very proud to call Dumbarton my home town and raise my family here.
I still live in Dumbarton East, round the corner from where I grew up.
My school years were spent at Knoxland Primary and Dumbarton Academy.
I studied history at the University of Stirling before moving back home to Dumbarton.
For nearly 10 years I operated the popular coffee shop in Dumbarton Central Station until the first lockdown forced me to close.
During lockdown I became very active at a local foodbank delivering food parcels to those most in need in our community.
I soon joined the foodbank board and took on the role as chairperson for the charity. For the last 18 months I have been employed as a support worker helping disabled people live independent lives.
I am standing to be a Dumbarton councillor because I am passionate about improving my community and helping people get the support they need.
I want to help promote the history and heritage of the area alongside working to regenerate the high street and housing areas.
I will make myself fully accountable to residents and always be available to answer the needs of the community.
I strongly believe we need to support our local businesses and allow Dumbarton to continue to flourish.
Lynda McEwan - TUSC
I am standing as a socialist candidate for Dumbarton ward, because I passionately fight for an anti-cuts working class alternative to pro capitalist SNP, Labour and Tory councillors who implement austerity.
Today, we are in the fight of our lives, against the cost of living crisis.
The Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist coalition demands the council uses its financial powers to set a no cuts budget, no more council tax and rent rises.
A mass campaign uniting with the trade unions needs to be launched to demand the funding we need from Holyrood and Westminster.
I am the only candidate calling for the nationalisation of the energy companies under the control of workers and communities to cut fuel bills and combat climate change.
I am a campaigner against gender based violence.
I have organised Reclaim the Night demos in Alexandria and most recently in Dumbarton following the murder of Sarah Everard.
Scottish TUSC believes that working class people should have a say in what happens in our communities, we need high quality council housing, health and social care, education and infrastructure such as a low cost bus network under public ownership.
I will stand shoulder to shoulder with workers and trade unions fighting for wage increases, jobs and against cuts.
Andrew Muir - Scottish Family Party
I am a 63-year-old working as an actuary.
A resident who has lived most of my life in Dumbarton, I am married with a teenage daughter at university.
As a family focused individual I think our town could be so much more than it is.
We seem to be near the bottom of most Scottish league tables, whether it is deprivation, life expectancy, domestic abuse, unemployment or drug deaths.
Like so many of us I only want good services, we used to have a first class hospital but under SNP and Labour governments this has gone backwards in recent decades.
We also need good education, good support for our community and opportunity for all, especially our young and old. I also want to expose any corruption I see in the council.
We must reduce poverty, be tough on crime and conserve our environment.
These are the reasons I am standing.
As a local man, I commit to doing my best to support the local governance that our area calls out for and I would be delighted to be given the chance to try and make the differences that we all want.
Jonathan Rainey - Scottish Libertarian Party
As I helped to highlight last year during the candidate introductions and articles via this paper, the lockdowns only proved to be the tip of the iceberg for what would, and will, come if governments - including ours - were allowed to hold too much power over our lives.
The likes of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, etc, are already showing what the end game will be.
It will almost on par with what China has, if all of our freedoms are completely relinquished and most importantly, if we let the state take those freedoms away.
If your vision for the perfect candidate involves standing up for freedom of speech, challenging and exposing cronyism and corruption, veering off the 4x4 card of allowable opinion on self-defence rights and exposing the ‘woke’ agenda happening before our eyes, especially in our government-run schools.
Also, ending wasteful spending on vanity projects at our expense, opening up a more freer market for all with more of a focus on voluntary transactions to help ease the load on small businesses, lower taxes and burdens on the mass populace and shrink the ever expanding scope of government.
If you believe all these things, don’t hesitate to lend the Scottish Libertarian Party your vote this coming election.
Kelly Wilson - Sovereignty
I am a Scottish nationalist committed wholeheartedly to our home of Dumbarton.
Having worked both nationally and internationally in finance and management, I have an array of skills I am keen to offer as your representative on West Dunbartonshire Council.
Anti-social behaviour in Dumbarton is a significant and growing problem.
Damage to properties, illicit drug use and the extent of litter has led to a visible deterioration of our local open spaces and the misuse of disabled parking spaces needs also to be addressed.
We also require action to address chronic housing by investing in appropriate social housing, additional green spaces, reliable rubbish collection, prompt road and pavements repairs for citizens and cyclists as well as additional community activities for our young people.
My vision for Dumbarton, and which I would fight for as your councillor, would be firstly to amplify your concerns.
I would also aim to address anti-social behaviour, clean up the town centre we pay for and inject life back into our town centre while promoting local produce.
We need action to create a sense of community as well as to accelerate economic and environmental development.
I hope you will put your trust in me.
