SNP Announces Kenny Hutchison and Jenny Nicol as Candidates in Mid-Formartine

The SNP have announced that Kenny Hutchison and Jenny Nicol are to be their candidates in the upcoming local government election on 5th May.

The SNP are standing two candidates in the 4 member ward of Mid-Formartine. 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.

Kenny Hutchison, age 37, has lived his whole life in the North East of Scotland and is a caseworker for Gillian Martin MSP, who represents in the Scottish parliament the Aberdeenshire East constituency, within which Mid-Formartine lies.

Mr Hutchison was formerly a journalist at the Ellon Times, and later worked as a course administrator at the Scottish Traditional Skills Training Centre at Fyvie.

Commenting, Mr Hutchison said:

“I’m passionate about the north east of Scotland and much of my working life has been spent working to benefit local folk. Whether that be through local journalism, helping young people keep traditional skills alive, or now assisting the local MSP to help her constituents.

“My roots are deep in Aberdeenshire, and my career has given me experience of dealing with the Council. If elected I would be a strong voice for the people of Mid-Formartine.

“I would work to ensure the Council uses the resources it has available to help the folk living here to bounce back from the pandemic. There are reserve funds that the current administration have been reluctant to make use of. If recovering from a pandemic doesn’t justify making use of those funds, what circumstances would?"

Jenny Nicol has lived and worked in Mid-Formartine for most of her life. Ms Nicol stood for the SNP in the local by-election in Mid-Formartine last year.

That by-election was required following the election of Karen Adam MSP to the Scottish Parliament to represent the constituency of Banffshire and Buchan Coast.

Despite increasing the SNP vote share in the by-election, Ms Nicol finished runner up.

Ms Nicol is heavily involved in local community groups, and continues to serve as a community councillor. She has helped launch an initiative to tackle food waste in local villages as part of Udny Community Shelf.

Commenting, Ms Nicol said:

“I was delighted to be selected to stand for the SNP in Mid-Formartine. This is my home, it’s where I raise my children, and I want nothing but the best for our communities and the people that live in them.

“I helped open a community hub for residents in the local area affected by Storms Arwen, Malik and Corrie and it reinforced for me how vital volunteers are throughout our ward. If elected I will work to ensure that Aberdeenshire Council works with our local volunteers to help improve our communities.

“I believe the settlements in Mid-Formartine have their own sense of identity and place, and the past two years dealing with COVID-19 have highlighted the importance of collaborative local effort for the good of our communities. If elected, I will work with communities to help deliver what they want their future to be.”

Voters can contact Kenny and Jenny via these contact details:

Email: kennyjhutchison@gmail.com; Facebook: @kennyjutchisonsnp

Email: jennynicolformidformartine@gmail.com; Facebook and Twitter: @JBNicolSNP