Let us be among the first to congratulate new councillors Gavin Barrie (SNP) and Nigel Bagshaw (Green) in Inverleith and Vicky Redpath (Labour) in Forth Ward on their election victories. We’d like to point out that you can advertise your surgery times and all other important information in the NEN – your community newspaper!
Look forward to hearing from you!
Latest declarations from Meadowbank:
Colinton/Fairmilehead: Aitken (Con), Lewis (SNP) and Rust (Con) elected. SNP GAIN
Sighthill/Gorgie: Dixon (SNP), Fullerton (SNP), Milligan (Lab) and Wilson (Lab) elected. SNP GAIN.
Inverleith Result:
Hinds (Lab), Barrie (SNP), Whyte (Con) and Bagshaw (Green) returned. GREEN GAIN
Elected in FORTH:
Cardownie (SNP), Day (Lab), Jackson (Con) and Redpath (Lab). LABOUR GAIN
Results in so far:
ALMOND: Paterson (Con), Work (SNP) and Shields (LD) elected.
DRUMBRAE/GYLE: Cairns (SNP), Aldridge (LD) and Keils (Lab) elected. Labour gain.
CORSTORPHINE/MURRAYFIELD: Balfour (Con), Edie (LD) and Ross (SNP) elected.
State of play: SNP 3, LD 3, Con 2, Lab 1.
NOTE: Congratulations to independent candidate Professor Pongoo (not pictured, that’s a penguin) who gained over 400 votes in Pentlands, beating one of the mainstream parties!
Following on from the previous post, my predictions for the two local wards are:
FORTH:
Labour to return two councillors, SNP one (Steve Cardownie) and Conservative Allan Jackson will also be successful. The Lib-Dems to lose out.
Labour almost returned two Forth councillors (Billy Fitzpatrick just lost out) at the 2007 local council elections and can do so this time if the traditional vote has come out – turnout is pretty poor, though.
INVERLEITH:
Currently has one each of Labour, Conservative, Lib-Dem and SNP, but both the Tories and the SNP are adopting the risky strategy of fielding two candidates.
This could backfire – my prediction is that the Green’s Nigel Bagshaw will pick up a seat – whether that’s at the expense of one of the SNP pair, Lib-Dem Tim McKay or Conservative Iaian Whyte is difficult to say.
More later …
You’ve had your say and the count of votes cast in yesterday’s local council elections is now underway at Meadowbank Stadium, where Edinburgh will elect 58 councillors.
Early indications are that voter turnout is not as bad as first feared – there were gloomy predictions of 30% or even less in some areas yesterday. The political parties certainly can’t blame poor weather if the turnout is low – yesterday’s weather was fine.
The composition of the outgoing Council was: Lib-Dem 16, Labour 15, SNP 13, Conservative 11 and Green Party 3. Following that last council election in 2007, the Lib Dems and SNP entered into a coalition to form the administration, and despite directly opposing views on Edinburgh’s controversial tram project, the partnership held firm for the full five year term.
Last night’s results from England show a resurgent Labour party, but this is unsurprising given Labour started from a very low base, having been drubbed in the previous council elections down south. The current Conservative/Lib Dem coalition at Westminster is also particularly unpopular just now; party managers will claim the local election results are ‘mid-term protest votes’ – they usually do!
In Scotland, there is a different dynamic with the rise of the SNP and the party’s historic victory in last year’s Holyrood election. The challenge for the Nationalists is to maintain that momentum, or was last May the high-water mark?
Here in Edinburgh, it’s hard to tell what impact, if any, the trams fiasco had on the way voters cast their ballots. It does appear likely that the Lib Dems will pay the price for both being a partner in an unpopular Westminster government and, locally, the main party heading up a weak and indecisive administration.
What will happen to the Lib Dem vote if, as some predict, it collapses? Hard to say, but it could be the Green Party who are the main beneficiaries of disaffected Lib Dems.
Whatever the turnout, the result will be very tight and before the count no-one really knows how this is going to play out. If forced to make a prediction, I would say Labour will finish as the biggest party with perhaps sixteen councillors. The Greens in particular, the SNP and the Tories could all also pick up a seat or two at the Lib-Dems expense; my guess – and it is a guess – is that the Lib Dems could lose six seats.
One thing for certain is that no one political party can have an absolute majority in the City Chambers, and after the count (or perhaps even before!) the horse-trading begins. We will know the composition of the new Council by late this afternoon, but we may have to wait a while longer to find out who will be running our city.
NEN’s Thomas Brown will be ‘tweeting’ from Meadowbank throughout the course of the day
Local campaign group North Edinburgh Fight Back has cancelled plans to present their anti-poverty demands to councillors at tomorrow’s full council meeting – the last before the 3 May elections.
Last month, the group announced their intention to present all 58 councillors with individual copies of the Community Charter scroll and to send a deputation to address Thursday’s meeting.
The group has been in touch to say that this will NOT now be happening and has asked us to let our readers know.
More information on why tomorrow’s deputation was cancelled – and when the scrolls will be handed over – when we have it.
A reminder that Drylaw Telford Community Council’s local election hustings event takes place tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 7.30pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre (off Groathill Road North).
Meet the Inverleith ward candidates and get your questions answered. All welcome.
Dear Editor
A hustings was arranged at Muirhouse Millennium Centre on Thursday 19th April . Despite prospective candidates having been invited to this event to discuss issues which effect the Forth Ward, only three candidates bothered to attend . Labour Conservative and the Green parties were represented – there was no representation from the SNP, LibDems and the Anti-Cuts candidates .
Steve Cardownie has also indicated that he will not be able to attend a hustings on April 26 at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre . I understand that these so called representatives are busy however they have not indicated that they will send anyone from their parties to the hustings. George Gordon is also standing in the Forth Ward along with Councillor Cardownie for the SNP; surely one of these candidates can represent their parties? Invitations have been sent to all prospective candidates to attending the hustings, some have not bothered to reply to their invitations Yet they expect people in Forth Ward to vote for them ? I think not !!!!!!
I hope the electorate remember this when they vote on May 3rd
Anna Hutchison
Crewe Road West
