Council elections 2017 – Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart
This ward stretches from Fountainbridge to Kingsknowe and the Local Government Boundary Commission estimates that the electorate will be 17,341 which is up slightly from 2012. The ward will be represented by three councillors as before.
Fountainbridge has a brand new school about to open there sometime this year, with Boroughmuir High School moving across the canal to a purpose built building. This has been beset by delays and the eventual opening date is not yet fixed.
The other project which is about to come alive there, is the renovation of the former North British Rubber Factory. The former home of the welly boot will be converted into an £11 million creative industries incubator with world class facilities at the proposed Edinburgh Printmakers Centre of Excellence.
The existing councillors are :
Gavin Corbett – Scottish Green Party
Andrew Burns – Scottish Labour Party
David Key – SNP
Labour’s Andrew Burns, the Council Leader, has been one of the councillors for this area, but he announced some time back that he will be standing down from local government this year. Burns is resigning after 18 years in local government. He has led the only Labour/SNP coalition council in Scotland, and was big on pledges, cooperatives, publishing the manifesto ahead of time and also drafting the council budget for publication well ahead of any budget debate.
A keen cyclist his administration achieved a first in that in this financial year it will spend 10% of its Transport budget on cycling infrastructure.
The 2017 candidates for this ward are :
Gavin Corbett Scottish Green Party
Andrew Johnston Scottish Conservative and Unionist
David Key SNP
Jenni Lang Scottish Liberal Democrats
Rojan Subramani Independent
Anne Wimberley Scottish Labour Party
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Open in new tab Gavin Corbett is one of the five Green councillors. This group was a lowly three until 2012 when six were elected. One of them, Councillor Maggie Chapman, then resigned to become what turned out to be an unsuccessful candidate for the Scottish Government in 2016. In the council by-election which ensued, her seat was lost to Labour.
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Andrew Johnston Conservative
Andrew is currently employed by Ian Duncan MEP, and previously worked in broadcasting. He will shortly take up a business role in the private sector.
Andrew is seeking to be a strong voice for Fountainbridge and Craiglockhart, and will campaign for improvements to local roads, bin collections and street lighting.
Married with three children, Andrew will put an extra emphasis on ensuring the City is a safe place to live and bring up a family.
After his selection Andrew said “I am delighted to have been selected for the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart Ward, and to be given the opportunity to work to improve the day to day lives of local residents. The 2017 election gives the people of Edinburgh the chance to call for change in the City Chambers, and have their voices heard loud and clear. I will be campaigning to make sure the views of local people are put first”
David Key SNP
David Key is a helicopter pilot and a cyclist and has been a councillor for this ward in the last administration. He is on Twitter here.
He told The Edinburgh Reporter that his main political ambitions are:
Jenni Lang Scottish Liberal Democrats
Rojan Subramani Independent
(see comment below)
Anne Wimberley Scottish Labour Party
Anne was born and raised here in Edinburgh. Her daughter went to school at a time when she claims shortages in schools were unknown, and was able to take art, music and PE lessons for granted. “My elderly parents got incredible healthcare when they needed it. I would like to see children and pensioners today getting the same opportunities and care my family had.”