Interview - Andrew Rankine

Name:	Andrew Rankine
Age:	50
Job:	Mayor of Skipton
Date of interview:	30 July 2002

Do you live in Skipton?
Yes.

Do you have family here?
Yes my wife.

What school did you go to?
I was brought up in Liverpool, and went to Ryebank School there, but completed my education at Craven College Skipton, the University of Bradford and Bolton Institute.

Do you have a favourite pub in Skipton?
No, I don’t drink that much, but when I go out I tend to drink at the Narrow Boat.

What changes have you seen in the town over the years?
New companies seem to come and go on the high street, which is a shame, the building of Higher priced housing in Skipton seems to be overshadowing the need for lower cost housing for local people, many locally raised folk are being forced to move away from Skipton & the Dales because of the high cost of living here when pitched against the relatively low wages on offer. I would like to see either the introduction of more affordable housing in Skipton or for companies to offer more realistic wages in the area.

Describe your job in 5 words
Hectic, Interesting, an honour, a Pleasure, Exciting.

	I know it sounds corny but... I do genuinely enjoy meeting different people and making a positive difference in their lives.

Do you love your job?
Yes.

How long have you been doing it?
7 years as a Councillor.

How did you get into it in the first place?
Deciding to stand as a candidate.

What's your typical working day like?
It varies from Committee Meetings, local meetings with Police and other agencies, talking to groups, meeting folk, and attending events as Mayor.

What's the best thing about your job?
I know it sounds corny but... I do genuinely enjoy meeting different people and making a positive difference in their lives.

What's the worst thing about your job?
It's very demanding and time consuming.

What's the strangest thing that's happened to you in this job?
Someone asked me for my autograph.

What effect does the internet have on you at the moment?
I use the internet extensively, I was one of the first people in Skipton to go on the internet, I joined with a CompuServe account in 1992.

How do you see this changing in the future?
The introduction of Broadband and Mobile internet is a great way of using technology, but I see more folk using it when the prices come down, already ADSL has dropped from £50 per month to about £20... it has to drop even further to be of broad appeal to the majority.

Do you have a favourite website?
I use www.google.com all the time for research, I also am webmaster for www.sheepday.co.uk , www.srldp.co.uk and www.rankine.com , I also use Ciao ( www.ciao.co.uk ) and EBay online auctions (www.ebay.co.uk) where there are always bargains to be had.

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy travelling, Photography and the internet

How do you relax?
I don’t have too much time to relax, but when I do it is usually by going for an amble somewhere in the Dales or at the Coast.

What issues are close to your heart?
Victim Welfare, Animal Rights, Preservation of the Dales and its culture, reopening of old, closed railway lines where practical, and disability iIssues for those who are disabled.

If we gave you £5million right now what would you do with it?
Probably open an animal sanctuary in the Dales to save rescued or unwanted animals of all kinds and to also use the centre as an education establishment to aid animal research and encourage young children to learn more about animals and their habitat.

Do you have anything you want to plug / publicise?
As Mayor of Skipton my two nominated Charities are Victim Support and Cats Protection (Skipton), I would ask everyone to also support these two worthy charities, if there are any events at which as Mayor I could make a positive contribution by attending, then I would only be too pleased to do this, you should contact Skipton Town Council and request that the Mayor attends your function.