If time flies when you are having fun, then I am clearly having a ball.
Today marks exactly 100 days since I stood inside Meadowbank Stadium as the returning officer declared me as one of the newly elected councillors on the City of Edinburgh Council.
Where has the time gone?
The whole process of being elected has been a deeply humbling experience. Being chosen to represent the area you know, love and grew up in is very special. It became a bit more overwhelming when it later transpired how I had secured the highest number of votes for any councillor of any party anywhere in Scotland for some 23 years.
So with that weight of expectation and responsibility, I threw myself into my new role.
Now, as a mere muggle of a political candidate, I found that trying to get information, answers or action from the Council to be a pretty depressing experience. So I arrived at the City Chambers with some trepidation, expecting to hit a series of brick walls and receive a raft of ‘computer says no’ answers.
However, the reality could not have been more different. I’ve found the vast majority of Council officials to be unfailingly patient, understanding and keen to help where they can.
I am also lucky that my sister, Louise Young was also elected to the Council for the same ward – the first sibling double act in the history of Scottish local government. As a brother and sister combination, we obviously know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we work well as a team. It is great to have someone you can bounce ideas off and talk things through with.
After just 100 days, I am amazed at how much we have managed to get moving.
Street signs which have been left damaged or illegible for years in Silverknowes are now getting fixed.
A traffic study into the congestion in Kirkliston, something we have been fighting for over the course of the last 18 months, is set to take place later in the year.
Earlier this week and after a lot of work with the chair of the local community council, we secured confirmation of repairs to the Jubilee Clock, one of the iconic landmarks of Queensferry but broken for almost a year.
Yesterday, I attended the transport committee to successfully argue for changes to parking rules, giving us a real chance of action on the parking problems which plague Newbridge village.
Just today, I got transport officials to agree to move some of the new 20mph signs in Cramond which present a real danger for pedestrians. The list goes on.
Of course financial and other resourcing issues often get in the way and there have been a number of frustrating days when I have simply not been able to get the answer I want or the action my constituents deserve. However, politics is the art of the possible and I suspect officials are quickly realising I’m not someone who gives up easily.
100 days on, the job of being a councillor is everything I hoped it would be and more. To serve the community in this way is not just an honour and a privilege – it is also a deeply rewarding experience.
Councillor Kevin Lang Liberal Democrat councillor for the communities of the Almond ward | t 0131 529 4389 | email : kevin.lang@edinburgh.gov.uk
Why does Edinburgh, the most expensive city in Scotland give only £50 for school uniforms while West Lothian gives £110?
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