A CALL has been made for community council elections to be more transparent, writes Kenny Paterson.
Last month saw only seven people put their names forward for the voluntary group, which is meant to have 12 members, meaning elections were not needed.
And at Monday’s meeting, only five members were present, with chairman Graham Easton and treasurer Tommy Combe unavailable.
Vice-chair Ian King took charge of the meeting – and he wants to boost numbers in coming months.
He told The Wee Paper: “We are under-strength at the moment and want to co-opt on some new members, otherwise there will be too much work for so few people.
“We have one or two people who have expressed an interest and would welcome more.
“In future, I would like candidates in an election to write a paragraph about their interests and what they wish to achieve on the community council, instead of just a name on a page. The process at the moment is not transparent.”
Mr King added: “We want people with the knowledge and skills to help the community.”
Last month, returning officer Gordon Edgar said he was disappointed with the response for nominations for the council.