Local Government Election 2022 / Neil Pearson

Name: Neil Pearson Electoral Ward: Lerwick South Description: Independent

Neil Pearson

Neil Pearson

I am an independent candidate standing for the Lerwick South. I grew up in sound and throughout my life my family and I have continued to have a strong bond to this community. I am a trained mediator and former children’s panel member so I am no stranger to managing difficult conversations and to listening to and helping others identify and reach workable solutions to improve their situations. I studied Community Education at the University of Edinburgh and built my career in youth and community work. After stints in local government and the third (voluntary) sector I currently work for Shetland UHI, co-ordinating apprenticeship training. Some people may also recognise me from my work as a halls and park attendant or from working door security at various venues.

Although I have my own feelings about; retaining our young workforce, developing affordable housing, fixed links, COVID recovery, social care, roads, a new hospital, infrastructure, education, climate change, finance, economic development and many more incredibly important issues, I am not standing for my own personal agenda. I am standing to represent the voice of the constituents. My key pledge above all others is that, if elected, I will listen to and represent the views of the constituents in the chamber above all else. With that in mind:

• I want to stand to support the retention and investment in training of our local young workforce in industry. Shetland has a very bright future in the renewable energy sector as well as established success in tourism, fishing, crofting, farming, Oil and Gas and soon we will be able to add running a space port to the list! I want to work with education and employers to ensure our young workforce have a front row seat to accessing careers in all these industries.

• If we are to succeed in retaining our workforce, we must also seek the development of affordable social and buy to let properties in Shetland to support the hundreds of individuals in work in Shetland who cannot get a look in for social housing and simply cannot afford to buy a house in our current climate. We must stop putting barriers in place and start seeing action.

• Every week I see social care worker vacancies in our local media. Filling these vacancies is clearly a huge issue, we have the workforce but there are huge issues around retaining staff.  It is time we broke this wheel. We must start listening to ground level staff about the issues affecting them in their workplace to seek a workable solution.

• COVID is still a huge issue which has plagued businesses and the local third (voluntary) sector. A number of community venues and groups have been faced with potential closures due to drops in volunteer numbers following the pandemic, I want to work with the these groups and organisations to identify ways for our council to support this sector to recover and thrive.

• Climate change is a very real issue and is not going to disappear. This council must make significant changes to the way we live and treat our planet., I would support any opportunity for people in our community to live greener lives.

I love these Isles, I love this community. I hope sincerely that you will be minded to place a 1 in the box next to Neil Pearson on 5^th May

Return to Local Government election 2022 – candidates list

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