Councillor James Anderson: Scottish Borders are great, except for the seagulls

Foster carer James Anderson is an independent member of Scottish Borders Council. He tells us about his East Berwickshire ward, and why you’re saying Eyemouth all wrong.

Describe the area you represent in one sentence. 
It’s on the east coast of the Scottish Borders and it’s one of the most beautiful places in Scotland to live and for people to visit.

How long have you lived there? 
My whole life – 45 years. The majority of my family are here, and though some have moved away they tend to come back as they get older.

Tell us something we won’t know about your local area. 
Very few people realise just how fortunate we are to be where we are for both offshore and onshore wind. My area is one of the highest interest for renewable energy firms and it’s smack-bang in the middle of the best area to sail from for the vessels that attend to the windfarms. 

Who is the best-known person from your area? 
Billy Grant. Eyemouth and the surrounding area haven’t produced anyone of international recognition, but we have some local legends, which is much more important than any famous person. You say Billy Grant’s name 50 miles away in the Scottish Borders and people will know it. He’s been on the community council for a couple of decades, he’s been to every meeting, he’s been on ITV for washing the war memorial and the Willie Speirs statue – anything to do with promoting Eyemouth and supporting the local area, he’s done it.

What challenges are unique to your particular part of the country? 
It’s the decline of the fishing fleet from the 80s forwards and finding something that fits where we are and the type of community we are. In Eyemouth where I live it was more visible than other areas and caused a negative perception of the town that’s had such a knock-on effect. It’s taken 40 years for green energy to realise that we actually fit them. That is changing the attitude and perception that Eyemouth is a problem, and that the problems can’t be fixed. 

What made you stand for election? 
I was the town provost for six and a half years and the elected members that I dealt with, in general, were all in political parties. They didn’t represent the community; they represented their parties. When you have a majority of people in that position and you’re coming from the community, it can feel like you’re hitting your head against a brick wall. I’d had enough of hitting my head off a brick wall and decided I’d challenge them and see if I could get anywhere. 

What’s the one thing Holyrood politicians could do that would be of greatest benefit to the area you represent? 
In previous years we had people like [former Scottish Government minister] Paul Wheelhouse, who was really good for the area. Now that he’s gone, we don’t have that same interest and passion for the town and the area that we had when he was there. He didn’t ooze SNP; he was about people. That’s a big miss so it would be really nice to see representatives of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government that see people and turn up and say hello from time to time. And get rid of the seagulls. In 2018 the Scottish Government decided that they’d be lenient towards populations of seabirds and Scottish Borders Council decided to stop oiling herring gull eggs to keep the population down. The population has quadrupled, but there’s not enough food for them. 

What’s the best bit about living where you do? 
Some might say the fish and chips, but that’s not it. The most special thing is when you belong somewhere. It’s a really special feeling. There are so many good bits to being here, I’m really fortunate to be in a part of the world where I have a good place to live and the people are friendly, for the most part.

Is there a particular word you love using that only people in your part of the country would recognise? 
The name of the place. We don’t call it Eyemouth, it’s Hymooth. When you’re talking to people, that’s a test of how local you are.

If you could live anywhere else where would it be? 
I’m going to be boring – I’ll never move. If I had a billion pounds I would still just be where I am.