The Edinburgh Green party have selected Daniel Milligan as their candidate in the upcoming Colinton – Fairmilehead by-election.
He hopes to join the 10 Green Councillors in Edinburgh and is campaigning on a message of taking serious action for climate justice, fair housing and local democracy. He has lived in Oxgangs, and attended primary school there for a year in the mid-90’s. He moved back to South Edinburgh two years ago, has a degree in environmental microbiology. He currently works in healthcare logistics. In his free time he enjoys photography and the outdoors.
Daniel said: “In November, residents of Colinton-Fairmilehead will have a chance to vote like their future depends on it by supporting me as the Scottish Green candidate in the upcoming by-election. This is the first time I’m standing for election, and I think I will be a good councillor because of my strong sense of social justice and wide range of interests, from languages and culture to accessibility and mental health. I’m really looking forward to meeting more people over the coming months to hear about their experiences of living in the area and how public services have been holding up under Council cuts.
“We’re at a critical point for action on climate change, where we urgently need the talk of emissions targets over the last decades to turn into real progress towards net zero. To reach this goal, we are calling for a just transition that safeguards the rights and well-being of working people. This has got to be a transformative process at every level of our society, which is why local authorities and communities are so important in bringing about the changes that are needed.”
Improving the routes for people to travel sustainably in the Colinton-Fairmilehead will be one of Daniel’s priorities for the campaign.
He said: “For a few years now I’ve been taking part in campaigns for better active-travel provision in the city, particularly for cycling. This is how I generally get about, and while it is liberating, I realise we need better on-road provisions to make it safer for children getting to school, delivery riders who depend on cycling to make a living, and for anybody that finds off-road paths intimidating as well. Neighbouring wards have seen some progress on protecting bicycle lanes such as on Lanark Road, where local groups have mobilised effectively to persuade the Council to retain them. But in Colinton-Fairmilehead we are missing basic cycle lanes on the major roads, and there are no bike storage hangers anywhere in the ward. We need the Council to be much better at rolling out the cycle network which has been promised, to ensure that residents further away from the city centre aren’t excluded.
“Cycling is just one part of developing a well-connected city, as people should be able to access what they need daily by walking or wheeling as well, which means we need to improve our paths and pavements. The ward hosts a wealth of green spaces, but depending on which part of it you live in, not everyone is able to enjoy them. This is why local voices need to be amplified, and Green Councillors have been working on ensuring the council is listening – they’ve secured funding for a Community Climate Action Coordinator that will support local action on climate, and they are pushing for progress on giving Community Councils more powers.”
Housing will likely play a key part in this election, with the Council having declared a housing emergency, and homelessness levels in the city soaring. Daniel is keen to continue the actions of Green representatives in Councils and the Scottish Parliament.
He said: “As regulations on rents and conditions are improved thanks to Green MSPs, we need to ensure folk are aware of their rights which can be the difference in keeping a roof over their head and not having to make a choice between heating and eating. In one of the richest cities in the world, Greens find it completely abhorrent and unacceptable that basic human rights are not being met and our classist society means there are massive disparities in how different people are able to advocate and organise for themselves. Green Councillors in Edinburgh have been promoting the role of housing co-operatives and the work of the tenants’ union Living Rent to achieve this.
“In a society where the prevailing message is that you can only rely on yourself, the Scottish Greens want to rebuild trust between people, and send the message that we can rely on each other! In acting locally while thinking globally, we also want to make sure that – as a city steeped in the legacy of colonialism – we’re dismantling unjust structures and extending solidarity to oppressed people around the world. This is why Green Councillors in the past year have been keeping Palestine on the agenda at Edinburgh City Chambers, and have sought assurances that council representatives do not engage with companies with links to slavery of the Uyghur Chinese people.”
BY-ELECTION
On Thursday 26 September the formal Notice of Election will be published and the Election Timetable, Election Notices and Nomination Papers will all be accessible from the City of Edinburgh Council website.
The Returning Officer, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, Paul Lawrence said:
Following his election as Member of Parliament for the Edinburgh South West constituency in the UK Parliament, Professor Scott Arthur has formally resigned as a member of the City of Edinburgh Council and I wish him well in the future.
Voters in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward now have a chance to make their voices heard again to elect a councillor to take his place to represent them on the city of Edinburgh Council.
Candidates will be confirmed when nominations close at 4pm on Monday 14 October.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 14 November.
The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system where voters can rank candidates in order of preference rather than using a single cross. Voters can give a rank to as many or as few candidates as they like.
Find out more about elections in Edinburgh and how to register to vote on the Council website.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
