Question 1. There has been criticism that local Elections have merely become extensions of national party politics. Parties often campaign on issues that are largely controlled centrally. With the snap general election called for June, this has crystallized further.
Should council candidates take this approach, where pledges are the remit of Holyrood or Westminster? And should they campaign on issues they can have a direct impact (i.e. lobbying for a certain policy which would not be in place otherwise rather than on policy or investment that would occur irrespective of party hue.

Absolutely not,  local election should be just that, about local services.  I worry that these local election will become a side show to the snap general election or the constitution, because they are much too important to be reduced to that.  It is important that voters choose who will deliver on Council Services.  Tory cuts and SNP complacency are adversely affecting thousands of people in this constituency alone and If we allow things to continue this way it’s only going to get worse.  When the SNP,  self proclaimed anti-austerity party cut council budgets,  it’s old people who struggle to heat their homes that suffer,  it’s single parents that can’t afford child care,  it’s care in the community that gets slashed.  In short, it has more of a direct impact on us than Brexit or independence.  The Labour Administration is doing much to defer power to a more local level,  with the establishment of a Community Empowerment Unit, we have devolved more than 5 million pounds to our communities and will involve people in a proper community consultation process.

Question 2. How important is it to accept the dwindling council budget? What important services facing cuts would you seek to maintain and where, generally speaking, would you find the shortfall? Do you feel the council should have the ability to raise, through taxation, the majority of its own income?

Now, more than ever, It’s vitally important that we do not accept dwindling council budgets.  With welfare benefits slashed and people facing sanctions on a daily basis, the Council can be their last line of defence.  Unfortunately, the SNP are continuing to cut council budgets even while their own budget from Westminster saw a small increase.   This year alone, our Labour Councillors balanced the budget and managed to find extra money from using reserves and under-spends.  Most frontline council services are now under pressure from budget cuts, but for me the vitally important areas which must be protected at all costs is social care and education.  That is why Labour will invest £5.5m in Mental Health facilities and clinics in every area.   SNP talk locally about protecting education but nationally have reduced teachers numbers by around 4,000 and classroom assistants by 2,000.   This must have a detrimental effect on children’s education despite Nicola Sturgeon saying she wanted to be judged on this issue.