Twenty year old Maia Brodie is the latest candidate to be announced by the Orkney Greens who are fielding 5 candidates in May’s local elections.

Maia Brodie will be contesting the Stromness and South Isles Ward.

Maia Brodie is 20 years old and attended Kirkwall Grammar School. She currently lives with her parents in Norseman village in Rendall, but stresses that if she had access to low-cost rental housing, she would move into Stromness. She works at the Youth Café in Kirkwall.

Maia, who is aiming to become the youngest ever candidate ever to be elected to OIC, summarised her key priorities for the Ward as fuel poverty, ferries, and a circular economy.

She said :

“In 2022 folk shouldn’t be choosing between heating or eating when our islands, and particularly Stromness, is at the forefront of a green energy revolution.

We need more energy-efficient homes, an increased supply of innovative, sustainable, and carbon-neutral housing that stimulates our local economy.

Ferries are the heart and lifeline of Stromness and the South Isles, which is why I will push with my Parliamentary colleagues for the long-awaited RET, and concessionary ferry travel for the over 60s. We also need the urgent replacement of our ancient ferry fleet with renewable fuels to speed us into a net-zero carbon status by 2030.

I would also demand research into how to increase the consumption of Orkney produce, develop local supply chains and help facilitate a circular economy. This will reduce food miles and stimulate local businesses. There’s not enough innovative thinking in our Council at the moment, and I’d like to encourage voters to elect some younger minds with fresh ideas into the Council Chamber.”

Orkney Greens Co-Convenor, Helen Woodsford-Dean, contesting West Mainland said:

“Maia is an enthusiastic, young, female candidate, exactly the sort of person that we should be looking to elect in Orkney to make the Council Chamber more representative of Orkney’s demographic. We urgently need to transform the older, male culture currently making all the key decisions about our sustainable future in Orkney. Maia and I attended the on-line Elect Her!  OIC seminar last week, and we both pledged to do our best to get our points across to voters about what we’d like to see change in Orkney in the election ahead.”

If elected the Orkney Greens say that openness and transparency will be one of their key values, along with prioritising the nature emergency and sustainable development. 

Elections to Orkney Islands Council take place on Thursday May 5th. The elections use proportional representation voting where electors rank candidates in the order of preference. Anyone aged 16 or over that day, resident in Orkney and registered to vote, will be able to vote.

Click on this link to find out more: Local Government Election – 5 May 2022