Sirs,
I wish to put on record my dissatisfaction with the Sealladh na Beinne Mòire director elections which are currently taking place.
We have four worthy candidates putting their names forward to be elected to a director position with the Stòras Uibhist parent company Sealladh na Beinne Mòire.
The background information provided is excellent, however what I feel is missing, whether it be from the candidates themselves or from the forms they complete for their nomination, is what they want to do in terms of driving the company forward.
There are nice words such as “engaging with the community” etc but for me this isn’t enough especially as there is little evidence of the present boards’ engagement with the community.
Two of the main issues facing the organisation are the lack of housing for young people and the damage incurred financially and in terms of human health by the deer population.
I would like to see the candidates’ views on these two topics before I vote for any of them, because the sum total of Stòras Uibhist’s housing initiatives so far seems to be the releasing of some house sites for the Smart Clachan initiative – house sites that could and should have been released years ago.
As for the deer, the sporting estate interests promoted by the CEO and Stòras staff appear to be in direct conflict to what many of the membership want, yet in the five years since the inception of the Uist Deer Management Group, no policy on deer management has been published let alone consulted and/or voted on by the members.
Democracy doesn’t just lie in the minutiae of the articles of association of the company, it lies in talking to, consulting with and acting on the wishes of the members, there is presently little evidence of this happening.
Raghnall Mackenzie
Mingarry,
South Uist
Stòras “not talking” to community
20 October 2021