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Kinneil and Whitecross Council By-election - 18th January 2001
Following the death of the Labour councillor, James Milne, a by-election is being held in the Kinneil and Whitecross ward on 18th January 2001. The Scottish Socialist Party candidate for this by-election is Mhairi McAlpine.
Mhairi lives in Falkirk and works at Heriot-Watt University, helping lecturers use computers in their teaching. She has been politically active for over ten years, first through the Anti-Poll Tax campaign, and with a number of issues including womens' rights, housing and education. Most recently, she has been campaigning for the retention of in-patient surgery, maternity and childrens' services at Falkirk Royal, fighting New Labour's cuts.
Mhairi believes that ensuring high quality healthcare and education must be at the heart of the council's work. Mhairi would work to ensure that no further privatisation of Falkirk's schools, like that of Braes High School occurs, and that all of the services currently provided by Falkirk Infirmary continue to be available and improved. Job losses, particularly in Whitecross, are of particular concern, and require active intervention by the Council to ensure that skilled men and women are provided alternative opportunities for employment within the area.
High on Mhairi's agenda, would also be the scrapping of the Council Tax, an unfair tax which hits the least well-off hardest. She supports Tommy Sheridan's attempt to replace it with the Scottish Service Tax, a local tax based on ability to pay. This tax exempts anyone earning under £10, 000, and lowers the local taxation burden for anyone earning under average wages, whilst increasing the total tax raised.
Details of the recent Falkirk West by-election campaign - 21st December 2000
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