About Dawn Black

Your SNP MSP, ready to serve Angus North & Mearns in Holyrood since May 2026.

I am your Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the constituency of Angus North & Mearns since the Holyrood election in May 2026. Elected in 2022 as Councillor for Stonehaven & Lower Deeside in Aberdeenshire Council, I also cover the Mearns on the Kincardine & Mearns Area Committee, which forms the northern part of our constituency.

As an Aberdeenshire Councillor I served as Opposition Spokesperson for Infrastructure Services Committee, was a Nestrans Board member, and the Licensing Board Vice Convener. Being a good listener and natural facilitator enables me to help my constituents well. I take my responsibilities seriously and work to get things done, building an understanding of my constituents needs and solving casework, scrutinising policy and service delivery, especially in small towns and rural areas.

As MSP, Independence is the centre of every action and decision I take. We must build our systems now, ready for when we break from this dysfunctional union. We need to show how much better Scotland would be as a small independent nation rather than sticking with the status quo, which brings another devastating blow to Scotland’s people from the Westminster government each week.

I moved to North East Scotland in January 1985 aged 13, attended Mackie Academy in Stonehaven then Aberdeen University followed by Royal Holloways & Bedford New College, University of London for a Masters degree. I subsequently worked in book retail and started my family (four children, all now flown the nest). In 2003 we moved overseas to Singapore then The Netherlands in 2010. This experience as a guest resident in other countries has given me a different perspective on how things can be done.

I have been engrained in the Angus North & Mearns constituency area since moving back to Stonehaven in 2017 - as a local business owner running my own photography business and then once re-trained as an Approved Driving Instructor, leading the Stonehaven Business Association, as a Community Councillor on the Stonehaven & District CC, co-founding and chairing Kincardine & Mearns Youth Clubs (SCIO), and running Stonehaven Youth Club.

I have spearheaded local community legacy projects such as the Market Square Community Garden and Stonehaven Youth Club building CAT and renovation, ensuring community and civic spaces for local people.

With the valuable, varied lived experience that I will bring to the MSP role, I am committed to representing community voices and building a stronger future for Angus North & Mearns, continuing the work I have already done as a community leader and local Councillor.

At 55 I have lived a life, and this is my next chapter.