Colinton Fairmilehead by-election – The NEN

Deja Vu: Nominations open for Colinton Fairmilehead by-election

Nominations opened on Friday (6 December) for candidates to stand in the forthcoming Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election.

The by-election is being held following the resignations of Councillor Marco Biagi (SNP) and Councillor Louise Spence (Lib Dems) last month.

On Thursday 23 January 2025, Colinton/Fairmilehead residents will go to the polls to elect two new councillors to represent the ward which also includes Bonaly, Dreghorn, Oxgangs and Swanston.

The current electorate is 19,907 and turnout at the most recent by-election was 37.4%.

A Formal Notice of Election was also published today explaining how to stand as a candidate, who is eligible to vote and how to make sure you are on the Electoral Register.

Voters have a range of options for casting their ballot – in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote.

In order to stand as a candidate, individuals must submit nomination papers, which are available on the Council website, by 4pm on Tuesday 17 December.

Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said: “The Notice of Election signifies the official start of the election period for the Colinton / Fairmilehead ward.

“I would urge all residents in the ward to make sure they are registered and have their details or preference of how they would like to vote up to date in plenty of time.

“Anyone unsure about how to register, where to vote or how to vote by post can find more information on the Council website.”

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on 23 January 2025. Details of these will be announced in due course.

The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system where voters can rank candidates in order of preference rather than using a single cross. Voters can give a rank to as many or as few candidates as they like.

People aged 16 and over and all those legally resident – including foreign citizens – can register to vote in this election. Find out more about elections in Edinburgh and how to register to vote on the Council website.

The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 7 January 2025, to apply for a postal vote the deadline is Wednesday 8 January 2025, and for a proxy vote the deadline is Wednesday 15 January 2025.

Lib Dems win Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election

The Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election result has been announced at Waverley Court.

Louise Watson Spence, Scottish Liberal Democrat Party, has been duly elected to serve in the City of Edinburgh Council as a member for the Colinton/Fairmilehead Ward.

The declaration was made earlier today (Friday, 15 November) by Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence.

Paul Lawrence, said: “Thanks to everyone who took part in the by-election to elect a new councillor to represent their views on matters affecting the ward and the wider city. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Louise as a new councillor and I look forward to working with her.

“I also want to thank our elections team and council staff who have worked very hard over recent months to make sure this by-election ran so smoothly.”

The turnout for the by-election was only 37.4%.

Candidate	Party	First Preference Votes
Bonnie Prince BOB	–	22
Mev BROWN	Independent	50
Mairianna CLYDE	Scottish National Party (SNP)	800
Neil CUTHBERT	Scottish Conservative and Unionist	1,454
Sheila GILMORE	Scottish Labour Party	1,441
David Ian HENRY	Independent	57
Tam LAIRD	Scottish Libertarian Party	9
Grant LIDSTER	Reform UK	268
Richard Crewe LUCAS	Scottish Family Party	51
Daniel Aleksanteri MILLIGAN	Scottish Greens	393
Louise Watson SPENCE	Scottish Liberal Democrats	2,683
Marc WILKINSON	–	173

Following the loss of a Labour councillor (the by election was brought about by Labour councillor Scott Arthur’s election as an MP), the composition of the City of Edinburgh Council is now:

SNP 18

Lib Dems 14

Labour 11

Greens 10

Conservatives 9

Independent 1.

Despite being the third biggest group, Labour leads the council.

For further details of the results and the Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election, please see the Elections section of the Council website.

City council by-election details

Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election candidates announced

The candidates standing in the forthcoming Colinton/Fairmilehead Council by-election have been confirmed.

Twelve candidates have been nominated to stand in the by-election, which is due to take place on 14 November.

The candidates standing for election are –

Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent
Mev Brown, Independent
Mairianna Clyde, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Neil Cuthbert, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Sheila Gilmore, Scottish Labour Party
David Ian Henry, Independent
Tam Laird, Scottish Libertarian Party
Grant Lidster, Reform UK
Richard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party
Daniel Aleksanteri Milligan, Scottish Greens
Louise Spence, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Marc Wilkinson, Independent

Returning Officer for Edinburgh Paul Lawrence, said: “With nominations now closed and a month remaining, residents of the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward can start considering who they will vote for in the upcoming by-election. It’s important to make sure you’re registered to vote by 29 October in order to participate.

“Councillors play a vital role in our democratic system, making key decisions that impact our city. I encourage as many residents as possible to take part in this by-election.”

“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 today (Tuesday 15 October) including further information on when and where to vote.

If you live in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward you must register to vote by 29 October and anyone wishing to vote by post can sign up for a new postal vote up until 30 October.

You can also apply for someone to vote on your behalf via proxy voting, with the deadline for new proxy vote applications on 6 November (for registered voters).

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

Charwood
Fairmilehead Parish Church Hall
St. Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church Hall
Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre
Pentland Community Centre

The electronic election count will take place on Friday 15 November starting at 9:30am.

The by-election follows the resignation of Councillor and former Transport and Environment Convener Scott Arthur, following his election as the MP for Edinburgh South West on 4 July 2024.

Find out more about the Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election on the Council website.

Notice of Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election published

Nominationshave opened for candidates to stand in the forthcoming Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election. The by-election is being held following the resignation of Councillor and former Transport and Environment Convener Scott Arthur.

On Thursday 14 November, Colinton/Fairmilehead residents will go to the polls to select a new councillor to represent the ward which also includes Bonaly, Dreghorn, Oxgangs and Swanston and has a current electorate of 19,226.

A Formal Notice of Election was published on Friday explaining how to stand as a candidate, who is eligible to vote and how to make sure you are on the Electoral Register.

Voters have a range of options for casting their ballot – in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote.

In order to stand as a candidate, individuals must submit nomination papers, which are available on the Council website, by 4pm on Monday 14 October.

Chris Highcock, Depute Returning Officer for Edinburgh, said: “The Notice of Election signifies the official start of the election period for Colinton / Fairmilehead. I would urge all citizens in the ward to make sure they are registered and have their details or preference of how they would like to vote up to date in plenty of time.

“Anyone unsure about how to register, where to vote or how to vote by post can find more information on the Council website.”

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 14 November. Details of where these are will be announced shortly.

People aged 16 and over and all those legally resident – including foreign citizens – can register to vote in this election.

Find out more about elections in Edinburgh and how to register to vote on the Council website.

The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 29 October 2024, to apply for a postal vote the deadline is Wednesday 30 October 2024, and for a proxy vote the deadline is Wednesday 6 November 2024.