I’m a lifelong resident of East Renfrewshire, having spent most of my life in the area, with some time spent living abroad.

Full statement

As a teenager, I lived in Perth, Australia, and in my twenties, I spent a period in Munich. Like many Scots, I also spent a few years living in different parts of England.

Over the years, I’ve worked in a number of roles, including in the horticultural industry, as a tour guide – sharing Scotland’s history and landscapes with visiting groups – and as a self-employed driving instructor for five years.

For the last 15 years I’ve worked as a local authority planning officer getting a good idea of how local government works (and sometimes doesn’t work) and I think this latter experience can be put to good use helping represent local residents when engaging with council staff.

As a candidate Reform UK councillor, I strongly believe in remaining grounded. It’s the day-to-day delivery of local services and often the inability to talk to people in responsibility that winds up residents – roads, refuse, schools, council tax and planning are all well-known bugbears. The best way to demonstrate that Reform UK are worth voting for is to do the day job and do it well.

Vote Andy MacGibbon on August 21st – let’s make real change happen.