Andy Collins (Scottish Greens)

Who is he?

Scottish Green Party candidate for North East Fife.

Andy is married with two daughters, who are both at Bell Baxter High School.

He lives in Cupar, moving to Fife from Oxfordshire four years ago in anticipation of Scots voting 'Yes' in the independence referendum.
 

Working life:

Andy and his wife own a software company in Cupar.

He was the spokesman for the North East Fife Yes group, and is part of Cupar Community Council.

Mr Collins is also chair of environmental charity Sustainable Cupar.

 

Scottish Greens election pledges:

  • A minimum wage of £10 per hour by 2020.
  • To abolish the 'bedroom tax' and Workfare.
  • To end the current welfare sanctions system and to halt the roll-out of Universal Credit.
  • An end to austerity, with more spending on homes, children and the NHS.
  • Bigger focus on renewable energy, with a view to ending the use of fossil fuels like coal, and against fracking.
  • To renationalise the rail network, rather than have it run by private companies.

About North East Fife

The constituency is the largest in Fife, in terms of landmass, it has a population of more than 75,000. St Andrews, Leven and Cupar are the largest towns.

St. Andrews is the home of golf, and along with the Old Course, features the town's University, which at 604, is the third oldest in the UK after Oxford and Cambridge.

The constituency contains 31 primary schools and four secondaries, which will reduce to three when Kirkland and Buckhaven merge.

Former MP Sir Menzies Campbell stepped down from his role after 27 years representing the area at Westminster. The Liberal Democrats are defending a majority of 9,048, he received 44.3% of the local vote in 2010. The Conservatives have finished second in every election Sir Ming has won, while the SNP gained the seat at the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary elections after 12 years of Lib Dem representation. Labour have traditionally finished third or fourth in this area.

The main constituency issues - in his opinion:

Who else is standing here:

Brian Thomson, Labour

Huw Bell, Scottish Conservatives

Mike Scott-Hayward, Independent

Stephen Gethins, Scottish National Party

Tim Brett, Liberal Democrats

Why Andy Collins thinks you should vote for him: