Find out who is standing for the Cairngorms National Park Authority elections
The candidates for the community seats on the Cairngorms National Park Authority board have just been revealed.
The biggest surprise is that there is just one candidate standing for the most populous part of the region – Aviemore, Boat of Garten, Coylumbridge and Feshiebridge.
As a result Lauren MacCallum has secured the seat and will be declared elected at a later date in March.
Long serving member Willie McKenna, who had occupied the seat, will be standing down.
A spokesperson for Highland Council, who are running the elections, said: "There will be a contest in four of the five wards of the Cairngorms National Park area where one member for each ward is to be elected to represent the board of the park authority.
"Ward two, with the main communities of Aviemore, Boat of Garten, Coylumbridge and Feshiebridge, is uncontested.
"The candidate, Lauren MacCallum will be declared elected by not later than 11am on Thursday 23 March.
A total of 19 candidates will contest the remaining four wards."
Ballot papers and candidate statements will be posted to all eligible electors in each of the contested wards on Tuesday 28 February 2023, and must be returned by 2pm on March 23, if they are to be included in the counting of votes.
The counting of the votes will take place that date commencing at 5pm at Craig MacLean Leisure Centre in Grantown.
The candidates are:
Ward 1 - Highland/Perth & Kinross (main communities - Blair Atholl, Dalwhinnie, Kingussie and Newtonmore).
Candidates: Graham William Beckett, Kenny Deans, Deirdre Falconer, Richard Jennings and Bonnie McGhie-Convery.
Ward 3 – Highland (main communities - Carrbridge, Cromdale, Grantown and Nethy Bridge).
Candidates: Keith John Ballam, Declan Gallacher and John Kirk
Ward 4 – Moray (main communities - Cockbridge, Glenlivet, Strathdon and Tomintoul).
Candidates: Alexander Chapman Campbell, Amy Culpean, Jock Edwards, Anouk Kloppert and Eleanor Christina Mackintosh.
Ward 5 - Aberdeenshire/Angus/Perth & Kinross (main communities - Ballater and Braemar).
Candidates: Peter John Argyle, Mark Bamber, Kathy Dale, Paul Edward Gibb, Fergus Mutch and Susan Ellen Stewart.
