Tag: elections

Election looms as Northern Ireland deadline passes

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has issued the following statement after the deadline for the re-formation of the Northern Ireland Executive passed:

As of earlier today, an Executive can no longer form and I am duty-bound by law to call new elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly as set out in the New Decade, New Approach agreement as soon as practicably possible and within 12 weeks.

I believe strongly that people in Northern Ireland deserve locally-elected decision-makers who are working for them, to address the issues that matter most to people here.

Having spoken with the various Party leaders this week, I know no one in Northern Ireland is calling for an election – but nearly all Parties signed up to the Agreement that put us in this position only a couple of years ago.

Today I also met the Chief Electoral Officer to discuss operational considerations to inform my decision about the election date.

It was particularly disappointing to see yesterday that the Assembly was still unable to elect a Speaker, despite all the time that has passed.

At a time when so many are struggling with the cost of living and fearful of what is to come, I understand people’s frustration that MLAs continue to draw a full salary when they are not performing all the duties they were elected to do. So, I will be considering my options to act on MLA pay.

Right now, the Executive no longer has Ministers in post to act for the people of Northern Ireland.

That means no Ministers to deliver the public services you rely on.  That means no Ministers to manage the budget pressures affecting the funding of your hospitals, your schools, your doctors and nurses.

So in the absence of an Executive I will take limited but necessary steps to protect public finances and the delivery of public services.

I have already met the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, to discuss this and gather evidence on the state of Stormont’s financial position. I shall hopefully receive more detailed information about this next week.

Then I’ll soon outline our plan of action to make sure that the interests of the people of Northern Ireland are protected.

And to those who have called for “joint authority” of Northern Ireland in recent days, let me say this: this won’t be considered.

The UK Government is absolutely clear that the consent principle governs the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. We will not support any arrangements that are inconsistent with that principle.

Inexorable rise in food bank use

1.9 million meals distributed – and latest statistics DO NOT include pandemic period

Between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, the Trussell Trust’s food bank network distributed 1.9 million three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis, a 18% increase on the previous year. More than seven hundred thousand of these went to children.

Across Scotland, more than 237,000 were distributed – 80,000 of which were for children.

Food bank use has increased by 74% over the last five years, the charity reports. The top three reasons for referral to a food bank in the Trussell Trust network in 2019-20 were low income, benefit delays and benefit changes.

Releasing the charity’s latest annual statistics, Trussell Trust’s CEO Emma Revie said: “This year has been an extraordinarily difficult one, with many more people across the country facing destitution as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Food banks carry on, working as tirelessly as ever, to support people in crisis through the unprecedented challenge the pandemic continues to pose.

“The statistics in our 2019/2020 report show the situation in food banks up until the end of March, before the true economic impact of the pandemic had hit. Despite this, we see a rise in the number of people being forced to use a food bank yet again.

“This constant rise in food bank use, year after year, cannot continue. More and more people are struggling to eat because they simply cannot afford food – and when we look to the year ahead, it’s likely even more people will be forced into destitution. This is not right.”

“We know this situation can be turned around – that’s why we’re campaigning to create a future where no one needs a food bank. Our benefits system is supposed to protect us all from being swept into poverty and while additional government measures have helped some people stay afloat this year, clearly more needs to be done.

“That’s why we united with partners from across the charity sector in urging the UK government to make sure everyone can afford the essentials through the economic downturn.

“And we want to see governments at all levels doing everything in their power to protect people from financial hardship.

“We have outlined what needs to be done – it’s in our power to protect one another, we’ve seen it during this health crisis, and we need it to continue during this economic one.”

Scottish Parliament Elections: Your Candidates

The candidates nominated to stand in the City of Edinburgh’s six constituencies and the Lothian Region in the Scottish Parliament Elections on Thursday, 6 May have been announced.

Nominations for candidates closed earlier today (Wednesday 31 March). The nominated candidates for each constituency are listed in full below.

Edinburgh Central Constituency

BOB, Bonnie Prince – Independent
DOUGLAS, Scott – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
JOHNSTONE, Alison – Scottish Green Party
KIRKMAN, Maddy – Scottish Labour Party
LAIRD, Tam – Scottish Libertarian Party
MACKAY, Donald Murdo – UK Independence Party (UKIP)
ROBERTSON, Angus – Scottish National Party (SNP)
WILSON, Bruce Roy – Scottish Liberal Democrats

Edinburgh Eastern Constituency

COOK, Bill – Scottish Labour Party
DENHAM, Ash – Scottish National Party (SNP)
HUTCHISON, Graham – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
REILLY, Jill – Scottish Liberal Democrats

Edinburgh Northern and Leith Constituency

BELL, Rebecca – Scottish Liberal Democrats
FACCENDA, Katrina – Scottish Labour Party
LAIDLAW, Callum – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
MACPHERSON, Ben – Scottish National Party (SNP)
PULLMAN, Jon – Scottish Freedom Alliance
SLATER, Lorna – Scottish Green Party

Edinburgh Pentlands Constituency

CAMERON, Lezley Marion – Scottish Labour Party and Scottish Co-operative Party
GRAHAM, Fraser John Ashmore – Scottish Liberal Democrats
LINDHURST, Gordon – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
LUCAS, Richard Crewe – Scottish Family Party
MACDONALD, Gordon – Scottish National Party (SNP)

Edinburgh Southern Constituency

BRIGGS, Miles – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
HOLDEN, Philip – Scottish Family Party
JOHNSON, Daniel – Scottish Labour Party and Scottish Co-operative Party
MACDONALD, Catriona Mary Elizabeth – Scottish National Party (SNP)
MACKINTOSH, Fred – Scottish Liberal Democrats

Edinburgh Western Constituency

COLE-HAMILTON, Alex – Scottish Liberal Democrats
FRASER, Daniel – Scottish Libertarian Party
GRAHAM, Margaret Arma – Scottish Labour Party
MASSON, Sarah – Scottish National Party (SNP)
WEBBER, Sue – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party

Lothian Region list:

PARTY: Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party

CANDIDATES: LECKIE, John Johnson; NICHOL, David Lindsay

PARTY: Alba Party

CANDIDATES: MACASKILL, Kenneth Wright; ARTHUR, Alexander; HENDRY, Christina Mary; AHMED, Irshad

PARTY: All for Unity

CANDIDATES: MORLEY, Charlotte; SINGH, Parvinder; HOGG, Alan; MACAULAY, Andy; HAMILTON, David; KNOX, Mike; CLARK, Derek

PARTY: Animal Welfare Party

CANDIDATES: MOIR, Vivienne; RIDLEY, Gavin

PARTY: Communist Party of Britain

CANDIDATES: WADDELL, Matthew Finlay

PARTY: Freedom Alliance – Integrity, Society, Economy

CANDIDATES: PULLMAN, Jon; WASE, Cara Patricia; MCCANN, Patricia

PARTY: Reform UK

CANDIDATES: WINTON, Derek Steven; BROWN, Mev; MORSE, Iain Murray; MACDONALD, Lesley

PARTY: Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party

CANDIDATES: BRIGGS, Miles; WEBBER, Sue; BALFOUR, Jeremy; FRASER, Rebecca; OFFORD, Malcolm; DOUGLAS, Scott; LINDHURST, Gordon; MUNRO, Marie-Clair; HUTCHISON, Graham; WHYTE, Iain; LAIDLAW, Callum KENNEDY, Charles

PARTY: Scottish Family Party

CANDIDATES: LUCAS, Richard Crewe; HOLDEN, Philip; COLVILLE, Norman David; KIRK, Gareth; IRELAND, Amy

PARTY: Scottish Greens

CANDIDATES: JOHNSTONE, Alison; SLATER, Lorna; NEVENS, Kate; BOOTH, Chas; BURGESS, Steve; MUMFORD, Alys; FROOD, Emily; PARKER, Ben; TAYLOR, Elaine; WILSON, Bill; WESTON, Evelyn; STANIFORTH, Alex

PARTY: Scottish Labour Party

CANDIDATES: JOHNSON, Daniel; BOYACK, Sarah; CHOUDHURY, Foysol; KIRKMAN, Madelaine; SULLIVAN, Kirsteen; WARD, Nicholas; HESSLER, Frederick; CURRAN, Stephen Robert

PARTY: Scottish Liberal Democrats

CANDIDATES: COLE-HAMILTON, Alex; MACKINTOSH, Fred; REILLY, Jill; BELL, Rebecca Louise; PATTLE, Sally; GRAHAM, Fraser John Ashmore; LINDSAY, Caron Marianne; WILSON, Bruce Roy; DUNDAS, Charles Christopher

PARTY: Scottish Libertarian Party

CANDIDATES: LAIRD, Tam; PATERSON, Cameron Paul

PARTY: Scottish National Party

CANDIDATES: CAMPBELL, Graham; ROBERTSON, Angus; HYSLOP, Fiona; MACPHERSON, Ben; MACDONALD, Catriona; MASSON, Sarah; MCCARRA, Greg; DICKIE, Alison; ORR, Alex; EWEN, Andrew; CONNELL, Rob

PARTY: Scottish Renew

CANDIDATES: ASTBURY, Heather Jane; FREEMANTLE-ZEE, Anna

PARTY: Scottish Women’s Equality Party

CANDIDATES: WATT, Emma Jane; RENTON, David Malcolm Alexander; HAMMOND, Lucy

PARTY: Social Democratic Party

CANDIDATES: YOUNG, Alasdair James; MANSON, Neil Peter; EDWARDS, Lawrence Sebastian

PARTY: UK Independence Party (UKIP)

CANDIDATES: MACKAY, Donald; MUMFORD, John Laurence; HOLLIS, Steve; LOWRY, Kenneth

INDEPENDENT:

GRACZYK, Ashley  

Find out more about where, when and how to vote.

Notice of Scottish Parliament Election published

  • The Scottish Parliament Notice of Election has been published.
  • Nominations open tomorrow (Tuesday 16 March) for candidates wanting to stand in the election.
  • Additional hygiene and distancing measures will be in place on polling day for voter and staff safety
  • If voters do not want to go to a polling place to vote they have the option of voting by post. Anyone can apply for a postal vote but this should be done as soon as possible.

Nominations open tomorrow (Tuesday 16 March) for candidates to stand in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament Election.

The Notice of Election was published today for Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh Southern and Edinburgh Western Constituencies and the Lothian Region.

In order to stand as a candidate, individuals must submit nomination papers, which are available on the Council website, by 4pm on Wednesday 31 March.

The Scottish Parliament Election will take place on Thursday, 6 May 2021, when people living across Scotland will elect MSPs to represent them at Holyrood.

Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for the Edinburgh constituencies and the Lothian Region, said: “The Notice of Election signifies the official start of the election period.

“The forthcoming election will allow the city’s residents to have their say about the government of Scotland, and I urge all citizens to make sure they’re registered in plenty of time, think now about the way they’ll vote and then to use that vote on 6 May.

“We are keen to continue the enthusiasm demonstrated by voters during the UK Parliamentary Election in 2019 and even our recent by-election in Craigentinny/Duddingston when we had the same range of safety measures in place. Anyone unsure about how to register, where to vote or how to vote by post can find more information on the Council website.”

At the UK Parliamentary Election in December 2019 turnout in the capital was high, at an average of 73% across Edinburgh’s five constituencies.

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

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. For those who choose to vote in person, polling stations will be following all public health guidance on 6 May.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight Monday 19 April, to apply for a postal vote the deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 6 April, and for a proxy vote the deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 27 April.

Find out more about voter registration and the election, including the safety measures we’re taking to ensure polling stations are safe and covid secure, on the Council’s website.

Holyrood elections: planning is key for safe campaign and polls

The safety of campaigners, election workers and the public is central to plans for the Scottish Parliament election, Parliamentary Business Minister Graeme Dey has said.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Mr Dey said Scottish Government guidance will be published shortly setting out what is permitted under public health restrictions. This approach has been discussed with all political parties.

The Electoral Commission is also publishing guidance for candidates for the election, which takes place on 6 May.

Under the plans, leafleting could start from 15 March if sufficient progress is made for the current rules on socialising to be eased to allow outdoor meetings of four people from two households.

Strict safety measures will also need to be observed including physical distancing and wearing of face coverings.

Because of the ongoing threat from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, face-to-face campaigning on the doorstep cannot commence at the same time as leafleting.

Instead, the provisional intention is to allow door-to-door canvassing from 5 April provided the current Stay at Home restrictions have been lifted and the infection rate across Scotland has fallen to 50 per 100,000.

This is the infection rate which the World Health Organisation considers as evidence the pandemic is sufficiently under control to allow safe community activity.

However, activities such as street stalls, physical hustings and giving voters a lift to polling stations will not be permitted for the duration of the campaign.

Mr Dey said: “An enormous amount of work has taken place across our electoral community to ensure that the election in May can be conducted safely. It is as a result of the hard work of electoral professionals over the course of the winter that I am confident the election can go ahead on 6 May.

“It is fundamental for a democracy to hold scheduled elections, provided it is safe to do so. This parliament has sat for a year longer than originally intended and many countries have already held elections successfully during the pandemic.

“It is also the case that eight local government by-elections were held in Scotland over October and November safely and fairly.

“I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all those involved in preparations for polling and the counting of votes and also members of political parties across the parliament who continue to engage constructively in the lead up to the election.”

Malcolm Burr, convener of the Electoral Management Board, said: “Returning Officers take the management of all elections very seriously. On 6 May, we will be just as committed to ensuring the safety of voters, candidates, staff, and others as we are to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.

“There will be challenges caused by the pandemic, but with the right planning, support from Public Health officials, guidance from the Electoral Commission and the directions to Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers, a safe and well-run election can take place with results in which voters can have confidence.”

For more information on the safety of the election and campaigning read the full parliamentary statement.

Five year terms for MSPs and councillors? Have your say

Should politicians get an extra year in office – or is four years already too long? Proposals to change the way national and local elections are run in Scotland are to be examined by the Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. Continue reading Five year terms for MSPs and councillors? Have your say

Community Council elections: nominations open tomorrow

Nominations for Edinburgh’s Community Councils will open tomorrow (Monday 9 September) and people passionate about their local area are being encouraged to apply.

Community Councils give residents the opportunity to influence what happens in their part of the city with members playing an active role in a wide range of activities, including commenting on planning and licensing applications, taking part in community campaigns and working with others to improve the local area. Continue reading Community Council elections: nominations open tomorrow

Support ‘People’s Vote’ parties, urge pro-EU campaigners

The European Movement in Scotland, the country’s leading pro-EU campaigning organisation, has urged voters to back parties supporting a second EU referendum when they go to the polls in Thursday’s European Parliamentary elections. Continue reading Support ‘People’s Vote’ parties, urge pro-EU campaigners