Hugh Findlay is a local to the Roseburn area, and he is also Chairman of the Edinburgh Conservative and Unionist Association.
He is the Conservative candidate in the by election in Corstorphine/Murrayfield on 9 March.
He explained that he attended Roseburn Primary School and so his “connection to the area extends a long way back and I’ve always lived around the west of the city”.
Mr Findlay continued: “The first time I really became aware of council politics and the huge impact it can have on people’s lives was around the time of the first tram project, where as a player at Murrayfield Wanderers RFC, I’d seen large parts of our back pitches ripped up to build the line and a lot of the club had been displaced to Roseburn Park away from the clubhouse which at the time was on the stadium grounds.
“But I didn’t actively get involved in politics until 2013, when I applied and was selected to be a Youth Rep for Better Together ahead of the 2014 referendum because I felt strongly that the views of young people should be represented in the debate about the country’s future.
“After that, I began to get a lot more involved with the Scottish Conservatives locally and I’ve become convinced that making a difference on local issues can make the biggest difference to people’s lives every day. “
The Conservatives lost a few councillors in last year’s election, and their numbers from 18 elected in 2017 to only nine.
This resulted in a power grab by the Edinburgh Labour group which is now in administration with only 13 councillors.
Hugh said: “I was really pleased to see the SNP out of administration following the local elections last year. It had been a core part of our commitment to voters and I think the outcome showed a real pragmatism and willingness to get things done.
“I know that it can be thankless not being in administration ourselves, but the quiet work of our excellent team of councillors to build up agreement, moving amendments to deliver on our pledge to ‘clean up our capital’ shows that we will always work to deliver on our promises rather than engage in political grandstanding from the sidelines.
“It’s interesting that innovative road maintenance techniques we proposed in 2022, which were dismissed by Labour at the time, now seem to be being considered, so I think the influence of our willingness to consider doing things differently can have a positive impact if others are willing to work constructively.
“I think the biggest contribution we are making is having a team of councillors who are really embedded in their communities and understand the priorities people actually want the council to focus on. Too often we’re seeing big changes implemented without building community consent, and I think it’s really important that Scottish Conservative councillors are standing up for people to have a stake in their own community. To me that’s real local democracy.”
Conservative Manifesto
This by election is being fought on the same manifesto as that produced in 2022 which is published below.
Hugh said: “I think people are ready for new approaches. I’ve heard so many good ideas on the doorstep and I really think people should feel they have a channel through their councillors to get those ideas represented in the council so the manifesto is just the start of a change in political culture I’d like to see in Edinburgh.
“Overwhelmingly people are telling me they want to see the Council focus on getting the basics right – fixing potholes, clearing out drains, and keeping the streets clean, and I think our pledge to ‘clean up our capital’ sums up so many of those core issues. It should be no surprise to anyone that this remains our biggest priority.
“Related to this was the commitment to no major changes without public support which I think was a strong statement of intent to put people and communities back at the heart of local decision-making. With major road changes now being planned for Corstorphine, I’m really keen for people to be able to have their say.”
The reason for the resignation of Cllr Frank Ross who stepped down abruptly in December was the lack of support for any financial package for the traders in Roseburn affected by the construction of the City Centre West to East Link. These shopkeepers and businesses have said, both recently, and almost a decade ago when the CCWEL was first proposed, that it would result in a downturn in business for them.
Mr Findlay said he was “very strongly in favour of former councillor Scott Douglas’ original motion on support for Roseburn businesses”. He said: “I had campaigned with him and others across the community to keep public attention on the issue.
“Following the local elections in May last year when every candidate apart from the Greens had promised to match our pledge on this, there was a brief moment when I believed it may finally get off the ground. Sadly though, it was little surprise when Labour and the SNP turned their backs on this after they no longer needed people’s votes, and I respect Cllr Ross for his decision to resign over the principle of his party’s failure to step up and do the right thing.”
The by election takes place on 9 March 2023. Nominations open on 23 January for candidates to register to stand.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on 9 March. 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’s website.
The deadline to register to vote is midnight Tuesday 21 February, to apply for a postal vote the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 22 February, and for a proxy vote the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 1 March.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
