Falkirk Council elections 2022: Grangemouth is hoping for big changes to come

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Grangemouth residents have been promised change and many are hoping that after delays caused by Covid they will at last start to see some action.

The town has some of the highest levels of poverty in Falkirk, leading to poor health for too many residents, particularly in the Bowhouse and Kersiebank areas.

The area has been blighted by anti-social behaviour, with drugs and alcohol causing major problems. There are also issues with housing, in particular the high number of flats which makes it difficult to attract families to live there and become part of the community. Read more: Who can I vote for in the Falkirk Council elections? But Grangemouth also contains major industries of critical national importance - including an oil refinery and major port - which has helped it attract major funding as part of the Growth Deal, announced last year.After an extensive community consultation pre-Covid, residents think it's time to see real change and several very active community groups are working hard to help make Grangemouth better.Change can already be seen in Zetland Park which has been transformed and Inchyra Park - both of which have been given cash by the council's new Community Choices fund.There are eight candidates vying for votes in the ward ahead of the council elections on May 5, hoping to claim one of three seats and represent the ward for the next five years.Who won in 2017?The backgroundThere will be at least one change to the councillors as the long-serving Labour councillor, Allyson Black, stood down this year.

In her place, the party has selected another experienced councillor, Alan Nimmo, who lives in Grangemouth but has until now represented the Lower Braes.The SNP's David Balfour, who was first elected in