Day: May 25, 2025

Candidates announced for the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election

The candidates standing in the upcoming Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election have been confirmed.

13 candidates have been nominated to stand in the by-election, which will elect one new councillor, on Thursday 26 June 2025.  

The candidates standing for election are:

  • Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent
  • Derrick Emms, Independent
  • Lukasz Furmaniak, Scottish Libertarian Party
  • Mark Hooley, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
  • Richard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party
  • Q Manivannan, Scottish Greens
  • Kevin Joseph McKay, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Catriona Munro, Scottish Labour Party
  • Gary Neill, Reform UK
  • Mark Rowbotham, Independent
  • Murray Visentin, Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Steve Christopher West, Independent
  • Marc Wilkinson, Independent

Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said: “With nominations now closed and just over a month remaining until polling day, residents of the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart ward can start thinking about who they will vote for in the upcoming by-election.

“Councillors play an important role in our democratic system, making crucial decisions that impact our city.

“I’d encourage as many residents as possible to take part in this by-election. Please make sure you register to vote before the deadline and make your voice heard.”

The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference by assigning numbers rather than just marking a single cross. You can choose to vote for as many or as few candidates as you wish.

Poll cards will be delivered to registered voters in the area from Friday 23 May, including further information on when and where to vote.

If you live in the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart ward you must register to vote by midnight on Tuesday June 10. For new postal vote applications, the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday June 11 and for new proxy votes its 5pm on Wednesday June 18.

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm and will be at:

  • Kingsknowe Golf Club
  • Edinburgh Corn Exchange
  • St Michaels Church Hall
  • Fountainbridge Library
  • Boroughmuir Rugby & Community Sports Club
  • Craiglockhart Parish Church Hall
  • Tollcross Community Centre

The electronic election count will take place on Thursday 26 June starting at the close of poll at 10pm. 

The by-election follows the sad passing of Councillor Val Walker in April 2025.

Find out more about this by-election Edinburgh and how to register to vote on the Council website.

New dawn for rail as South Western services return to public hands

  • Watershed moment is the beginning of the end of 30 years of fragmentation, frustration and poor performance
  • Starting with SWR, publicly owned services will need to meet tough performance standards to be rebranded Great British Railways
  • Kicks off a ‘total reset’ of the railways to improve performance and win back public trust, boosting economic growth as part of the Plan for Change

A small piece of history has been made today (25th May) as South Western Railway (SWR) services become the first to transfer back into public control under the new legislation, ending almost 30 years of fragmentation and waste under privatisation.

Great British Railways won’t just be the name of the new nationally owned railway, it symbolises a complete reset that will mark the high standard of service and delivery the public should expect to receive.

Speaking from South Western Railway’s depot in Bournemouth, the Transport Secretary was clear that operators will have to earn the right to be called “Great British Railways”.

Starting with SWR, each operator will have to meet rigorous, bespoke performance standards on things like punctuality, cancellation and passenger experience, so we can rebuild a world class public service.

Two thirds of Britons have already expressed their support for public ownership, which will save the taxpayer up to £150 million a year in fees alone and ensure every penny can be spent for the benefit of passengers.

Public ownership is a vital first step in kickstarting the cultural reset needed to instil a sense of pride back into the railways, moving away from 14 siloed train operators, each with their own staff, incentives and competing commercial motivations. A new nationally owned body – Great British Railways – will manage track and train, with a sole focus of delivering for the public. As set out in the King’s Speech, we will introduce legislation to create Great British Railways this session.

By bringing track and train together Great British Railways will enable operations to run more seamlessly, bringing accountability and reliability back into the railways and in turn helping to reduce delays and cancellations. This will get more people using our trains to travel to work, education and for leisure – boosting both the national and regional economies as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said: “Today is a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers. Trains from Waterloo to Weymouth, Bournemouth and Exeter, will be run by the public, for the public.

“But I know that most users of the railway don’t spend much time thinking about who runs the trains – they just want them to work. That’s why operators will have to meet rigorous performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways.

“We have a generational opportunity to restore national pride in our railways and I will not waste it.”

This follows the passing of the Public Ownership Act in November – one of the first major pieces of legislation to be delivered under the current Westminster Government – showing its commitment to putting an end to unreliable services and private profiteering at the expense of passengers.

All passenger services operating under contracts with the Department will return to public ownership by the end of 2027 and will eventually be integrated into Great British Railways. Services are being transferred after contracts reach the end of their minimum term, or where they can be ended early, ensuring taxpayers pay no additional costs for breaking contracts.

Lawrence Bowman, Managing Director of Southern Western Railway said: “I’m excited to join and lead the excellent team at South Western Railway, who come to work every day to deliver the best possible service for our customers, and moving into public ownership will make it easier for them to do so.

“My immediate priority is to work with colleagues to develop a plan for SWR, that will make the most of the new simpler industry processes to deliver improvements in reliability and an increase in capacity.

“Over the coming years I will focus on ensuring SWR moves into Great British Railways as a truly integrated industry-leading operation that delivers an excellent service to its passengers and the local communities we serve.”

Ben Plowden, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Today marks a turning point for Britain’s railways and it’s good to see the Government’s plans for reforming the railways continuing at pace.

“The creation of Great British Railways presents a once in a generation opportunity to change how the rail system works – structurally, financially and operationally – and put passengers and freight operators first.”

To commemorate this historic moment, the Secretary of State also unveiled a new coming soon logo on what will be the first publicly owned South Western Railway service to leave Waterloo at 06.14 today [Sunday 25 May], reiterating that our railways are coming back into the hands of the public.

Today [Sunday 25 May] digital screens at Waterloo will display the new ‘coming soon’ logo from 06.00 and a special Tannoy announcement celebrating the first publicly owned SWR service leaving the station. Displays at other SWR stations will also show the new ‘coming soon’ logo from today.

Scotland’s ScotRail service was re-nationalised on 1 April 2022.

Police release images of Gorgie robbery suspects

Police Scotland have released images of two males who may be able to assist with their enquiries following a robbery which occurred on Thursday 31 October 2024.

The incident occurred at around 2.40am at the Gorgie Road and Wardlaw Street junction in Edinburgh.

Officers believe the males could assist them in their ongoing enquiries and are appealing for them or anyone who may recognise them or has information about this incident to get in touch.

The first male (pictured) is described as being white, aged between 19-20 years old and approximately 5’8” in height. He has short, thick dark hair and facial hair. He was seen to be wearing a dark zip-up jumper with a Fred Perry logo on the left chest, socks but no shoes.

The second male (pictured) is described as being white, aged between 18-19 years old and between approximately 5’11” and 6ft in height. He has short brown hair styled up at the front.

He was seen to be wearing grey jogging bottoms, yellow and purple Nike Dunk style trainers and a black hooded jumper.

A Police Scotland representative said: “We urge the males pictured or anyone who may recognise them to contact us. If you have any information about this incident, please get in touch as soon as possible”.

Anyone who can assist is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1439 of 31 October 2024. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.

Pilot People’s Panels should become permanent, says Holyrood committee

A new report published by a Scottish Parliament committee is calling for a world-leading pilot project, which puts people at the heart of politics, to be made permanent.

The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee wants to see the Scottish Parliament continue its cutting-edge approach to embedding deliberative democracy in its work.

It follows the success of a series of ‘People’s Panels’ which brought together groups of randomly selected people, who reflect the makeup of the Scottish population, to learn about and discuss an issue, before making recommendations about what action should happen and how things should change to tackle it.

The Committee has published a plan as to how People’s Panels could be rolled out from the start of the new parliamentary term in 2026.

Committee Convener, Jackson Carlaw, MSP, said: “The idea that the people of Scotland can and should play an important role in the work of the Scottish Parliament forms part of its founding principles.

Engaging better with communities, particularly when understanding whether laws and policies that affect them are working properly, is essential.

“We have seen how people’s panels have positively impacted the work of committees by supporting their role scrutinising Scottish Government policy and driving recommendations for change.

“By giving committees access to this innovative tool, Parliament can better connect with individuals, groups and communities from every part of Scotland, building trust between the public and politics, and involving the public directly in the important issues of the day.”

The plan sets out proposals for four people’s panels to operate in the next session of the Scottish Parliament, one a year from 2027 to 2030. It also provides clear guidance and criteria for how and when a panel can be used, what the selection process should be and how committees use and respond to their work.

Impact of People’s Panels

The most recent People’s Panels took place in 2024 – one on climate change and the other looking at reducing drug harm and deaths.

These brought together two groups of approximately 25 randomly selected citizens who broadly reflected Scotland’s demographics across gender, age, region, ethnicity, disability and educational level. Tasked by committees to answer a question, they spent two weekends learning about the given topic, hearing from and questioning subject experts, before debating, deliberating and making informed recommendations to the relevant Scottish Parliament committee involved.

The Panels’ recommendations had a direct impact on scrutinising legislation and have since influenced policy, informed debates, and been used by MSPs suggesting amendments to legislation.

Of the 19 recommendations that were made by the People’s Panel on reducing drug harm and deaths, the Scottish Government accepted, either in full or in principle, the 18 recommendations directed at them. One recommendation was for further Parliamentary scrutiny focused on drug supply in the prison sector, which is being taken forward by the Criminal Justice Committee.

The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee’s recommendations are set to be debated by the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 3rd June.

Panel member quotes

Caroline Bunce from Renfrewshire took part in a People’s Panel set up to make recommendations to answer the question: ‘What does Scotland need to do differently to reduce drug related harms?’

She said: “For me, it felt that maybe the Government would listen to our recommendations as we were the spokespeople for the public and more help could be made available.

“I would strongly recommend anyone who is selected to go on a People’s Panel in the future to participate as it is a great experience and a unique opportunity.”

Gillian Ruane, from Dumfries, took part in a panel on Public Participation.

She said: “I was given the opportunity to participate in discussions and listen to various perspectives from a diverse group representing all of Scotland. Together, we made our recommendations as a group and its fantastic to be part of shaping decisions on public participation.

“I now know there is a difference between the Parliament and the Government. As citizens we have a lot more power than we believe we have. Parliament is held accountable by the citizens, and the government is held accountable by the parliament. It’s up to the individual to make their voice heard and make an impact.”

Former panel member, Alan Currie, from Glasgow, said: “The most valuable thing about the panel was to see my input and other citizens ideas from our deliberations with experts lead to meaningful contributions.

“It enabled all attendees, irrespective of background, an opportunity to contribute to the workings of the Parliament.”

Read the Committee’s report