North Lanarkshire’s longest-serving opposition councillor is to stand down at May’s council elections.
David Stocks has represented Airdrie wards for 27 years and led the council’s SNP group on the authority from 2011 until 2019.
He is one of just four original members elected when the authority was first formed who is still in office at the Civic Centre chamber.
Announcing his decision, Councillor Stocks told Lanarkshire Live: “I just feel the time is right to go after 27 years; I’d been thinking since last summer about what to do ahead of this election.
“I’ll be 70 this year and just think this is the right time to go and enjoy it.
“Over the years on the council I’ve enjoyed seeing the SNP group growing – and I’ve been proud of representing the area where I live.”
Councillor Stocks grew up in Gartlea, which has always formed part of his ward, attending Tollbrae Primary and Airdrie High and going on to find employment at British Steel’s former Imperial Works in nearby Cairnhill.
He was elected to the newly-created North Lanarkshire in its first election in 1995 ahead of the new unitary authority officially replacing regional and district councils the following year.
The SNP member represented the Gartlea ward until 2007, when larger multi-member areas were created with his area becoming part of the Airdrie Central seat for which he is one of the four current councillors.
He said of his political career: “I’d been a member of the SNP since way back in the 70s and never really had interest in standing in local elections until the 90s, but then there was interest in trying to get some of us to stand and I said I’d have a go.
“I stood at the very last Monklands District election against Peter Sullivan [who later became a council and ward colleague] and thoroughly enjoyed that experience, and was then successful in 1995 and started in North Lanarkshire’s shadow year.
“The best thing about being a councillor for me has always been trying to help people and things we’ve been able to do in the ward; the new schools which have been built in the area are terrific and it’s great to see them and the facilities they have.”
Councillor Stocks has seen the SNP contingent grow from seven members on North Lanarkshire’s first council to 33 at the last election – one more at that time than the Labour party which went on to form a minority administration.
He said of his eight years as group leader: “The opportunity came up when Richard Lyle moved to the Scottish Parliament; people in the group encouraged me and said I had a chance, and I was was delighted to serve in that role.
“It was a great time and I certainly enjoyed it. I felt we should have had some say [in forming the administration] after the last election in 2017 and it was disappointing that didn’t happen when we were the largest party.”
He added: “A lot has changed in the time I’ve been a councillor which has been really interesting to see.
“Even after standing down I’ll still be involved, doing things like canvassing and delivering leaflets for people; I’ll see what I get involved in and in any case I don’t think my wife will want me hanging about the house!
“I’ve got to know a lot of good people through my time as a councillor, and it’s been very enjoyable.”
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