Former chief exec of Stirling Council and a Hallglen community activist among candidates in Falkirk South by-election

Labour candidate Claire Aitken (left) and SNP candidate Carol Beattie are standing in the Falkirk South by-election.Labour candidate Claire Aitken (left) and SNP candidate Carol Beattie are standing in the Falkirk South by-election.
Labour candidate Claire Aitken (left) and SNP candidate Carol Beattie are standing in the Falkirk South by-election.
The former chief executive of Stirling Council and a Hallglen community activist are among the candidates standing in the forthcoming Falkirk South by-election.

The by-election, which takes place on October 17, was caused by the resignation of Euan Stainbank after he was elected as the MP for Falkirk in July.

Seven candidates are hoping to win his vacant seat in the ward which covers the town centre and high flats, as well as Hallglen and Tamfourhill.

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The SNP candidate is Carol Beattie, who was until May this year the chief executive of neighbouring Stirling Council.

Brought up in Hallglen and living in Falkirk town centre, Ms Beattie says it was a “real honour” to have been selected by the SNP as the party’s candidate.

She said: “As a local resident I am excited to see the progress being made in regenerating Falkirk Town Centre and encouraged by the investment our SNP administration is making on local housing across the Falkirk South ward.

“But I also know just how challenging things are for our people.

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“After years of Tory austerity hitting the pockets and opportunities of everyone in our communities, this new Labour government is already showing us the type of government they are going to be.

“People may have voted for change at the recent general election, on the understanding that things will get better, but they didn’t vote to make our pensioners colder or poorer.

“They also voted for someone to stand up for them and not be posted missing on crucial votes.”

SNP group leader, and leader of Falkirk Council, Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn, said: “To have a candidate of Carol’s calibre and skillset come forward to be our SNP candidate for Falkirk South is fantastic.”

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Community activist Claire Aitken, who is “Hallglen born and bred” is standing for the Labour party.

She said: “I started volunteering in the community late 2018 when I got fed up with the constant complaints about litter in Hallglen.

“Over the six months, I grew the Facebook page to a peak of over 500 members, held an open day and took part in the Keep Scotland Beautiful Big Spring Clean, as well as running weekly litter picks and promoting the Green Dog Walkers pledge.”

Ms Aitken joined the Ettrick Dochart Community Hall committee in 2019 and during COVID helped deliver food parcels, which eventually led to the Hallglen food pantry opening.

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She added: “We also continue to run social events, and are currently working to save the hall for the people of Hallglen by completing the Community Asset Transfer process.

“I am not a career politician, and as a councillor I want to champion the needs of my constituents, acting as their voice to enable change in the community.

"I have been a dedicated member of my community, helping those that live in it, and I hope I can continue to do so across the ward if elected on October 17.

Councillor Anne Hannah, the Labour Group leader, said Ms Aitken is “a strong local woman who has been trying for years to make her community a better place to live”.

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There are five other candidates standing in the by-election.

Former councillor David Grant is standing for the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party.

Independent candidate Sharron McKean is the founder of Falkirk & District Action Group, which campaigns on local issues including problems with anti-social behaviour in Falkirk’s high flats.

The Scottish Greens candidate is Tom McLaughlin; Sean McCay is standing for the Liberal Democrats; and Stuart Martin is standing for Reform UK.

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