Green candidates revealed for council election

The first new candidates have been revealed in the race to School Place, which looks set to have more political party involvement than before.

The Scottish Greens have named four prospective councillors who will be on the ballot in the 2027 local government election.

This comes after Reform UK said in July that it would look to field as many candidates as possible for notoriously independent Orkney Islands Council (OIC).

The Scottish Conservatives could vie for the election too, amid claims of “growing frustration” with the current council.

But the first party political candidates to be announced are from the Scottish Greens.

Church minister Andy Braunston will contest the West Mainland ward while Francesca Perotti, a community worker, will stand in Stromness and the South Isles.

Dan Yeats, an advisor on home heating efficiency, will stand in Kirkwall West and Orphir, while Sweyn Hunter, a digital technology professional, will stand in Kirkwall East.

The party is looking to announce more aspiring elected members after Christmas.

In 2017, history was made when Steve Sankey was the first political party candidate elected to School Place for the Scottish Greens.

The last council election in 2022 saw further victories for the party, claiming two seats in Orkney.

As it currently stands, 20 of the 21 councillors at School Place are declared as independent.

This includes Kirkwall East councillor, John Ross Scott, who left the Scottish Greens during the current term of office amid a row over his views on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Kristopher Leask, the sole party political councillor at OIC, was elected as an MSP in May, and will stand down from School Place in May, 2027.

Orkney Greens said their candidates would be focussing on tackling the cost of living and protecting nature.

The party has said the candidates are keen to build on the £2 bus fares for youngsters introduced by the Scottish Greens. More low cost homes are also a priority.

They also want to see income generated from tourism and the new OIC windfarm at Quanterness to be used to help with the cost of living.

Councillor Leask said: “A few decades ago oil and gas companies came to the North Sea, drilled for fossil fuels and took all the profits away, leaving workers stranded.

“Now, we are seeing the same thing happen with renewable energy. Big corporations are covering the Highlands and Islands with windfarms and transmission lines.

“They claim they give back to communities but the truth is less than three per cent of profits stay in the region.

“All the while we pay more for our energy than anyone else in the UK. Imagine what we could do if more of those renewable energy profits stayed in Orkney.

“That is why the Greens are campaigning to force the Scottish Government to commit £300 million of the ScotWind lease money to a wealth fund that will boost community and public ownership of energy developments.

“We have called for a just transition fund for Orkney and Shetland as we transition away from fossil fuels. We want to keep Scotland’s energy wealth in Scotland’s hands.”

The Scottish Conservatives will contest the election if suitable and qualified candidates put themselves forward for selection.

A spokesman for the local party executive committee said: “We recognise the growing frustration many folk in Orkney feel with the current council, with increasing concerns over a lack of transparency in decision-making and a lack of focus on prioritising the needs of local people and businesses here in Orkney”.

Alex Foulkes, secretary of Orkney Labour, said that the party is running a process for selecting candidates across Scotland.

He added: “As of yet Orkney Labour have not selected any candidates although we are keeping the situation under review.”

Orkney Liberal Democrats has during previous elections decided against putting forward candidates, Liam McArthur MSP explained.

“No final decision has been taken and the local party is still actively considering the options,” he added.

The Orcadian approached Reform UK MSP, Max Bannerman, to ask if there was any update on the party’s plans to field candidates. We did not receive a response.

The newspaper also did not hear back from Robert Leslie of the Orkney SNP branch.