Candidates for the forthcoming Leith Walk by-election, which will take place on Thursday, 11 April, have been announced.
The by-election will elect one councillor from 11 nominated candidates to represent the ward along with three existing councillors: Amy McNeese-Mechan (SNP), Susan Rae (Scottish Greens) and Lewis Ritchie (formerly SNP, now Independent).
The by-election was called following the resignation of Labour Councillor Marion Donaldson in January.
The candidates are (in alphabetical order):
Steven Alexander, UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Jack Caldwell, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Nick Gardner, Scottish Labour Party
Kevin Illingworth, Independent
David Don Jacobsen, Socialist Labour Party
Tom Laird, Scottish Libertarian Party
Dan McCroskrie, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Rob Munn, Scottish National Party (SNP)
John Ferguson Scott, Independent
Lorna Slater, Scottish Green Party
Paul Mitchell Stirling, The For Britain Movement
Andrew Kerr, Returning Officer for Edinburgh, said: “The role of elected members is extremely important to the democratic process, with councillors responsible for some of the most important decisions our city can face.
“Therefore I would encourage as many residents as possible to participate in the Leith Walk by-election, and for anyone who hasn’t already registered to vote to make sure they do so by 26 March to ensure they can take part.”
Residents in this ward who haven’t already registered to vote must do so by 26 March in order to take part in the by-election. This can be done online or by contacting the Electoral Registration Office on 0131 344 2500.
Anyone living in the area who is aged 16 or over and an EU citizen can vote in the by-election, and votes can be cast by post or by proxy if more convenient.
Poll cards will be delivered to registered voters in the area from today (Monday, 11 March) including further information on when and where to vote.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm and will be at:
- Lorne Primary School
- Norton Park Conference Centre
- Holy Cross RC Primary School
- Ebenezer United Free Church Hall
- Royal Navy and Royal Marine Association Club
- Broughton Nursery
- Pilrig St Paul’s Church Hall
- McDonald Road Library
- Leith Walk Primary School
The by-election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system where voters can rank candidates in order of preference using numbers rather than a single cross.
Voters can choose to vote for as many or as few candidates as they like. The result of the by-election will be announced once the votes are counted after polls close at 10pm on Thursday 11 April.
Edinburgh has 63 councillors and the current composition of the council is:
17 Conservative Group
16 SNP Group
12 Labour Group
8 Green Group
6 Liberal Democrat Group
4 Independent.
While the Conservatives are the biggest group, the city is run by an SNP – Labour ‘Capital Coalition’ – and this administration will remain in place whatever the result of the Leith Walk by-election.
There was a 44.8% turnout in the Leith Walk ward when the last local goverment elections were held in May 2017. See below for the results:
Ward_12___Leith_Walk___Results_Reports
Find out more about the Leith Walk by-election here
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