Monday July 20th 2015
Midlothian Green Party has chosen Loanhead resident and community activist Daya Feldwick as their candidate in the forthcoming Midlothian West by-election.
Daya has lived in Loanhead for the past 16 years. Throughout, she has worked with community groups on multiple issues such as local park improvements, creating a skatepark, community gardening, cycling, planning and renewable energy.
She has been a leading figure in the A701 road campaign trying to save Damhead from unnecessary development. The proposals undermine the agreed Neighbourhood Action Plan and include a new road which would cut the local community in half, destroy good agricultural land and eradicate a huge chunk of already disappearing Green Belt.
Daya said: “Building this road is not a sustainable transport solution. New roads only create more traffic. Improved public transport and better cycling provision would do much more to encourage people to choose to leave their car behind. Every person choosing to switch means one less car on the road.
“I’m standing in this election because our communities are under huge pressure from development, especially along the A701 corridor. The current allocation of land for housing is more than twice the actual need and the Council is not listening to community pleas to protect our distinctive communities from coalescence.
“On top of this, the South East Scotland Strategic Plan suggests more pressure on Midlothian to build private housing with insufficient social housing provision. Because Midlothian already has a vast oversupply of land for private housing, my priority as your representative will be to ensure that we meet our social housing needs, protect our communities and eliminate unnecessary private housing development”.
If elected, Daya will join Green councillor Ian Baxter who represents the Bonnyrigg ward on Midlothian Council.
Councillor Baxter said, “I have been gratified by how much I’ve been able to do on the council, despite being the sole Green councillor. Midlothian needs more Green councillors to challenge the major parties to raise their ambitions for Midlothian. Given her activity in the ward to date, if elected, Daya would be a hard working representative for everyone in Midlothian West ward”.
The by-election will be held on 10 September 2015 in Ward No 4 Midlothian West following the resignation of Councillor Owen Thompson.
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