Four councillors quit Conservatives to form new party
Four councillors have quit the Scottish Conservative group on Dumfries and Galloway Council to set up a new party. Andrew Giusti, Chrissie Hill, David Inglis and Richard Marsh blamed their decision on frustration over centralised decision-making.They pointed to the lack of support for the Galloway National Park proposals as one of the reasons they decided to form an independent group called Novantae. It leaves the Scottish Conservative and Unionist group - which forms the administration - with nine councillors. The SNP has 11 members, Scottish Labour has eight, and there are 15 sitting as independents or in smaller political groupings.
All four councillors who have split from the Conservatives are based in the west of the region. Giusti and Hill represent Stranraer and the Rhins, while Inglis and Marsh are councillors for Mid Galloway and Wigtown West. Last week the Scottish government dropped plans for a Galloway National Park after encountering "significant opposition". Dumfries and Galloway Council voted to respond to the official consultation on the park proposals as "undecided".
Guisti said the group wanted to pursue a political agenda "truly reflective of the needs and aspirations of our local communities". "We were elected to serve our communities, but increasingly we have found that vital decisions affecting our region are being made without sufficient local input."His colleague, Marsh, added: "The lack of genuine support for the Galloway National Park —an opportunity that could potentially transform our economy, tourism, and environment—is just one example of a broader failure to listen to the west of the region. "This isn't about political point-scoring; it's about standing up for the people we were elected to represent."They said they held no ill will towards the Scottish Conservatives and were prepared to work constructively with them and any other political group.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Sun
The seeds to sow in your garden now to have it blooming all through summer
WHEN the Scottish weather allows it, June is a great month to spend as much time as possible outdoors. Gardens will be coming to life with bursts of growth and flowering throughout the month. 2 2 And with everything growing so quickly, it's important to keep on top of the essential gardening jobs. Gardening expert Nigel Lawton has shared his handy gardening guide for June - including what seeds to sow right now to make your garden a riot of colour as the summer progresses. While your plants are growing with the light and warmth of summer, weeds may also sprout in the heat. Dobbies' Plant Buyer Nigel explains that hoeing weeds regularly during the dry weather is the best way to keep on top of them. He adds: 'Using weed killer such as Resolva ready-to-use 24 hour weedkiller in some areas is an effective way to combat this, and applying a thick layer of mulch over the soil surface helps prevent more weeds growing. 'Protecting your plants from hot and dry weather is important at this time of year. Watering plants regularly when the weather is dry and warm, and mulching plants with organic matter to lock in moisture and improve soil quality over time, is a great way to protect plants. 'Don't forget to water pots and containers too, and every few weeks add a liquid feed, such as Wesland Boost all purpose liquid plant feed, to containers and hanging baskets, to help produce up to four times more flowers. 'Protect herbaceous plants, such as Delphinium and Hosta, from slug damage using pest control repellents, and protect strawberry plants from hungry birds." Although June is a great time to sow seeds and plant young plants due to the warmer soil and high temperatures, Nigel explains that the heat may also dry the soil out. He emphasises the importance of watering your plants as often as needed during long, hot spells. Nigel's top picks for the best flower seeds to sow in June include; pansies, violas, primroses, calendula, godetia, lupins, delphiniums, and the last chance to sow coreopsisa. For fruit and veg, June is a good time to grow salad crops. Nigel's selects include beetroot, lettuce, pak choi and radish. Peas, sweetcorn, cucumbers, squash, marrows, courgettes, turnips, and broccoli are all good to plant while it's the last chance to grow pumpkins. Many flowers in your garden will be full of growth and colour in June but it is still the perfect time to fill other areas that you can admire for the rest of the summer. Dobbies' plant of the month is a rose, as the rose season is just beginning. June is a great time to pick new varieties to add to planters and borders for summer displays. Nigel's top picks for bedding and border flowers also include dahlia, cosmos and nicotiana for their fast growing during the high summer. He adds: "Fuchsias are ideal to plant this month as they bloom throughout summer to the early frosts, and for a pop of colour begonias, marigolds, and nasturtiums are also a good choice. "To add volume to borders, plant shrubs like lavender, rhododendron or even herbs. "In the pots and containers bringing colour to your walls and doorways, some good choices would be begonias, petunias, and dianthus. For more permanent containers, consider planting Japanese acers, hydrangeas, or cordyline for an eye-catching look. "Prune spring flowering shrubs when flowers have faded and early season herbaceous plants, such as geranium and Oriental poppies, can be cut back after flowering to encourage re-growth of new foliage. When it comes to lawn care, Nigel recommends regular mowing, at least once a week and says this is best if the weather is dry and not too hot to get the perfectly manicured lawn. He says: "Reduce the cutting height of your mower now that the grass is growing quicker. During heatwaves, it's best not to mow your lawn as it will already be struggling in the hot, dry weather. "If you have to mow your lawn in hot weather, raise the height of your mower blades and water your grass after mowing." It is also important to consider the wildlife in these warmer months. Nigel explains that bird baths make a nice feature in any garden and also create a safe habitat for birds as a source of water and place to cool off in summer heat.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Gregor Poynton MP welcomes news that Scottish Military homes are to be upgraded
Military personnel across Scotland are set to benefit from record additional funding to improve family accommodation for the Armed Forces. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The investment will mean that personnel in Scotland will see more urgent repairs and maintenance, from fixing unreliable boilers and leaky roofs to tackling damp and mould in service family accommodation, alongside development of new housing. The extra investment means over £7 billion will be spent UK-wide on military accommodation in this Parliament, including £400m investment in Scotland to improve conditions for personnel living in Single Living Accommodation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The upcoming Strategic Defence Review will confirm an additional £1.5 billion in funding for military family accommodation nationwide, helping to renew the nation's contract with those who serve, and supporting the UK Labour government's Plan for Change. There are over 3,000 military homes in Scotland, helping to house some of the 11,000 Scotland-based personnel, which will now be considered for this funding. Labour has announced a £400 million boost to improve military housing in Scotland. The £7 billion will be spent across this Parliament on service family accommodation and single living accommodation, to deliver a generational renewal of Armed Forces accommodation. This will be guided by the forthcoming Defence Housing Strategy – which is proceeding at pace and has already seen the announcement of a new Consumer Charter to strengthen housing standards for forces families. The Strategic Defence Review will set a path for the next decade to transform defence and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad. It will end the hollowing out of our Armed Forces and make defence an engine for growth across the UK. Commenting, Gregor Poynton MP for the Livingston constituency said: "This constituency has a proud connection to our armed forces, from being home to hundreds of serving personnel, veterans and their families through to the award-winning Military Museum of Scotland in Wilkieston. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But supporting our armed forces means more than just thanking our troops and remembering the past, it's about investing in their future. Scotland's 3,000 military homes will benefit from a £400 million upgrade, part of a £7 billion UK-wide plan to make homes fit for heroes. Gregor Poynton MP with Defence Secretary, John Healy MP in the Livingston constituency. 'Defence can be a true engine for growth and Livingston is ready to play its part. I'll keep pushing for investment here and I'm urging the SNP Scottish Government to drop their opposition to defence investment and get behind this vital spend.' Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: 'Our Armed Forces personnel make extraordinary sacrifices to serve our country. 'For too long, many military families have lived in sub-standard homes, but this government is taking decisive action to fix the dire state of military accommodation and ensure that our heroes and their loved ones live in the homes they deserve. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Our government is determined to end the hollowing out of our Armed Forces. We are investing and acting fast, to fix forces housing and renew the nation's contract with those who serve. "The delivery of the Government's new Consumer Charter will see immediate investment in urgent renovation of 1,000 homes in most need of repair. The Charter will also see basic consumer rights rapidly introduced for forces families, including essential property information and higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs, a named housing officer for every family, and access to a robust complaints system – helping to deliver homes fit for our heroes. Minister for Defence People and Veterans Al Carns said: "After years of unacceptable living conditions our service personnel had to endure, we are delivering the much-needed investment into military homes in Scotland that puts our service families first. 'This new funding will ensure that those who protect our nation, and their families, can live in homes they can be proud of. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We promised better housing for our military families across the United Kingdom and we are delivering on that promise." The SDR says that the MOD should improve the overall standard of military accommodation, including prioritising sites that are in most urgent need of repair.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Has Scotland fallen for English nationalist Nigel Farage?
As a Londoner with Scottish roots, I too liked to think of the Scots as different from the English. But the facts are against me. The Scots are fond of imagining that they are more compassionate and more left-wing than the English, but the evidence of social surveys is that their attitudes to crime, immigration, public services and taxation are broadly the same. Whenever I am in Scotland I have been told that ' Nigel Farage could never be popular here'; that he is a caricature of an English nationalist; and besides, we voted to stay in the European Union. Except that, even in Scotland, 38 per cent voted to leave. And polling for next year's Scottish parliament election shows Reform going up while Labour is going down. The two most recent polls had Reform and Labour neck and neck on 18-19 per cent. The Scottish parliament by-election in Hamilton today is the big test of the Reform surge in Scotland. The seat was held by the Scottish National Party until the death from cancer of Christina McKelvie at the age of 57. Labour should win here. The SNP has lost support since the last Scottish parliament elections in 2021, and if the result today were to reflect Scotland-wide opinion polls, Labour would win, despite its loss of support since Keir Starmer formed a UK government in London. But this is a by-election, in which protest voting is magnified and 'a plague on all your establishment houses' is often the dominant sentiment among those citizens motivated to turn out at all. Labour is now the London establishment, and the winter fuel payment cut is just as unpopular here as anywhere else. When Jack Davey, an enterprising blogger, interviewed a pensioner in the constituency she said Labour 'took me money' and, asked which party she was going to vote for, said: 'The Scottish one.' But the SNP is the Edinburgh establishment, in power in Scotland for decades and with little to show for it. Hence the expectation that Ross Lambie, the Reform candidate, could come a strong second – and might even win. If he does, it will be as significant a victory as Sarah Pochin's six-vote triumph in the Runcorn by-election last month. The symbolism of a strong Reform performance here will send a message directly to the heart of Downing Street, because this is Morgan McSweeney's backyard. Imogen Walker, the wife of the prime minister's chief of staff, is the MP for Hamilton and Clyde Valley, which covers part of the Scottish parliament constituency. But the Reform surge also matters because of its effect on hard electoral arithmetic. In the short term, it means that the SNP is likely to hold on to government in Scotland because the opposition is split. If Reform gains more ground, it could even be the official opposition in the Scottish parliament after next year's elections. This week's defection of Jamie McGuire, a young Labour councillor in Renfrewshire, to Reform could have been a one-off, or it might be a sign that the tectonic plates are shifting. In the longer term, it adds to the threat to Labour at the next general election. A big chunk of Starmer's majority comes from the 37 seats that Labour holds in Scotland. Another comes from the 27 Labour seats in Wales, where Farage has long been expecting to do well in next year's Senedd elections. Whatever happens in today's by-election, Labour's comforting assumption that Scotland and Wales are somehow immune to Farage's appeal will be dented. Reform is eating up the party's working-class base across the whole of Great Britain. The voters of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse will show today that they have more in common with the voters of Runcorn and Helsby than the romantics of Scottish exceptionalism ever thought possible.
