SNP Announce Louise McAllister and Josh Gall as Council Candidates for Ellon and District

The SNP has chosen Cllr Louise McAllister and Josh Gall to be the Party’s candidates in the Ellon and District ward in the upcoming local government election on 5th May.

The SNP are standing two candidates in the four member ward of Ellon and District. Local elections are carried out using the Single Transferrable Vote system, that allows voters to select candidates in order of preference rather than by marking an X next to one candidate.

Cllr McAllister is aiming to be re-elected to serve the people of Ellon and District after her by-election victory in October of 2020. That by-election was the first to take place in Scotland under COVID-19 restrictions. The by-election was required when Richard Thomson MP stood down as councillor following his election at the 2019 General Election to represent the Gordon constituency in the House of Commons.

Cllr McAllister was elected after earning an increase in vote share of over 10%.

Cllr McAllister, a humanist celebrant, has lived and worked in Aberdeenshire for nearly twenty years. Prior to her election success, Cllr McAllister was hugely active in the local community as vice-convenor of Ellon and District Community Council.

Since her election, Cllr McAllister has focussed on working with community groups to help the area through the pandemic and aims to continue this work if re-elected.

Cllr McAllister said:

“It has been an honour and a privilege to represent the people of Ellon and District over these last eighteen months. It has been a challenging period for our area, as it has been across the country. It’s vital that the people of Ellon and District get the support they need to regenerate our area after a punishing couple of years. I want, with my SNP colleagues, to continue that work.

“If re-elected, I will continue to work with community groups to improve allotments in Ellon, improve active travel links between our settlements, and improve our resilience in the face of weather events such as the storms of recent months.

“I would also continue to engage with the local traders in Ellon in my role as Town Centre Ambassador. We are pressing ahead with plans to revitalise the town centre and Neil Ross Square, and if re-elected I would continue to work with the local business community to create a vibrant space at the heart of our town for everyone to enjoy.”

Josh Gall has lived in Aberdeenshire for over twenty years. Josh works in his family’s business and was Regional President at North East Scotland College (NESCol) for two years after his studies. Josh hopes to use that experience to serve the people of Ellon and District

Commenting, Mr Gall said:

“The North East is where my heart lies, and when you work in a family firm you know how important links between business and communities are. Strengthening and deepening those connections is vital as we move into the post-pandemic world.

“I spent two years as Regional President at NESCol, and I know how important it is that people of all ages and backgrounds have a voice and role in the decisions that affect their everyday lives. If elected by the people of Ellon and District, I would work to make sure the voices of my generation are brought to the table and are heard by officers and in the Council Chamber.

“I would work to secure equality of opportunity for all, regardless of circumstances. A key example being transport. Any young adult in our rural communities knows how challenging it can be to get around the Shire. The SNP Scottish Government’s policy of free bus travel for young people needs to be complemented by improving the services available. Working towards that would be a big priority for me.”

Voters can contact Louise and Josh by email, on Facebook and on twitter:

Louise4EllonandDistrict@gmail.com; Facebook: @Louise4EllonandDistrict; Twitter: @Louise4Ellon

josh4ellonanddistrict@gmail.com; Facebook and Twitter: @Josh4EandD