Biography: 59 years old with a background in Further and Higher Education. I worked at various land based colleges lecturing on a range of Land based
subjects and eventually in senior management. I hold a degree in Horticulture and management. My early career was in Printing and marketing with Ogilvy and Mather in Glasgow. From that
job I travelled the world playing the bagpipes and pursued a career briefly in traditional music. For 5 years I had a garden centre in Perthshire before moving back to Skye to set up a
bed and breakfast and the Echo Magazine. I attended Portree High School in the mid 80's and work the family croft in Waterloo where we keep Hebridean sheep and are self sufficient in organic
Fruit and vegetables. I am married to Aneta who comes from Poland. We built our own house here on the croft in Elgol where we live and recently renovated another old cottage. We
love the great outdoors and walking is our main hobby. I recently took up the box and am a Gaelic learner doing courses at SMO and Duolingo. I am the treasurer of the Elgol Village Hall
association and township clerk of the Waterloo grazings.
Some of my top PRIORITIES....
- To oppose the introduction of the visitor levy in the region. The sector has been under huge pressure in recent years recovering from Covid, Brexit, inflation and the high costs of travelling to the Highlands from abroad. The STL's cost providers thousands in lost revenue often repeating needless bureaucracy that is already covered in existing health and safety legislation. Now the proposal to introduce a tax that no one wishes to collect and would simply disappear into the black hole in Inverness would be another pointless exercise. Skye does not want to raise tax to pay for a castle in Inverness! The implications and costs to the industry would far far outweigh the benefits and everyone would pay it if you stay in accommodation in the highlands including the residents. There are better ways to raise money from tourists which I would support e.g. better charging in carparks would raise millions for Skye and Raasay.
- Oppose the concept of a control zone which would have major implications for the vital tourist industry and stifle investment in the area. Some candidates seem to think that tourism and housing are one and the same thing. They are quite separate and should be treated that way. Blaming tourism that bring millions to the economy and good jobs should be encouraged not damaged by this proposal.
- STLs are not the cause of housing scarcity — but they are being treated as such. This narrative ignores larger structural issues: a lack of new supply, demographic shifts, and poor delivery of affordable homes.
- We need a new care home on Skye and Raasay. Too many of our residents requiring full time care must leave and go to the mainland e.g. Aultbea and Inverness which is a problem for family and loved ones. NHS highland invested into Home farm and we need to get money invested into a new home. I will work with NHS highland to find a solution. The old Mackinnon memorial hospital would make a great site and also a redevelopment of the old nurses residential block would help NHS staff move here like in the old days. It was a planning blunder that this was not a requirement of the new hospital.
- Increase the road budget to a level that meets the needs of the roads. Better bridges Varrigal, Breakish, Ashaig which are daily flashpoints for serious accidents on a trunk road. I will lobby parliament and THC to get the needed changes. No more waste filling potholes dozens of time, better reporting system as the pinning online is not fit for purpose.
- NO to big wind. The enviornmental disaster of a huge windfarm on the South of Skye would have a massive negative impact on the area in many ways. I oppose the large scale industrialisation of the island and the eco damage associated with that. Small scale schemes that are beneficial to small communities should be prioritsed.
One final pledge by me: if you write to me by email or letter I will reply to you the same day and your correspondence will be given my utmost efforts to
justify your selection on the 19th June.
Thanks Jonathan
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