The votes have been cast in the Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election January 2025 and the electorate have had their say.

This is the second by-election in three months in the same ward and two councillors have now been chosen.

The two new Edinburgh councillors are Conservative Neil Cuthbert and Labour Conor Savage.

The electorate was 19,669 and the number of ballot papers received was 6,281 a percentage turnout of 31.9%. These figures are all reduced since the last by-election held in November when the turnout was almost 38%. There were 58 rejected ballot papers and the quota of votes – the number which a candidate required to be elected was 2,075.

No single candidate achieved the quota on first preference votes alone.

The number of votes for each candidate is recorded below.

Left Cllr Neil Cuthbert and right Cllr Conor Savage
  • Before the by-election there were 61 elected councillors and now all 63 seats are filled again.
  • The administration is run by a minority Labour group led by Cllr Jane Meagher. The state of the parties is now as follows:
  • Labour – 11 councillors
  • SNP – 17 councillors
  • Scottish Liberal Democrats – 13 councillors
  • Scottish Greens – 10 councillors
  • Scottish Conservatives – 10 councillors
  • Independents – 2 councillors

Cllr Neil Cuthbert said his first task tomorrow is to join the online meeting about the Tourist Tax which begins at 2pm. Both councillors were about to be furnished with new laptops and technical equipment before going home. He said: I would have loved to be elected in 2022 or last November, but ultimately the decision is with the people. I am really really pleased it has happened this time round. We have been at this since the end of August so it has felt like we have been getting out and speaking to a lot of people. Finally we have the reward for that.”

At the last by-election on 14 November Louise Spence the Liberal Democrat candidate won with 2,683 first preference votes. The Conservatives had 1,454 of the first preference votes, and Sheila Gilmore, the then Labour candidate, won 1,441 votes.

The January 2025 by election was announced after two resignations – Marco Biagi the SNP councillor elected in May 2022 who has joined the government as a special adviser, and the other Louise Spence the newly elected Liberal Democrat councillor who resigned after just six days. Ms Spence had advised of her impending move to Dubai but the party suspended her as she would not have been able to fulfil her duties. The November 2025 by-election was held to replace the former councillor Dr Scott Arthur who resigned on his election to Westminster to represent Edinburgh South West.

  • NOVEMBER 2024 results
  • Electorate 19,907
  • Votes cast 7,446
  • Turnout 37.4%

The January 2025 candidates were:

  • Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent – 30
  • Mev Brown, Independent – 23
  • Mairianna Clyde, Scottish National Party (SNP) – 840
  • Neil Cuthbert, Scottish Conservative and Unionist 2,027
  • David Henry, Independent – 38
  • Nick Hornig, Independent – 13
  • Grant Lidster, Reform UK – 345
  • Richard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party – 65
  • Daniel Aleksanteri Milligan, Scottish Greens – 426
  • Mark Ney-Party, Independent – 5
  • Peter Alexander Nicholson, Scottish Liberal Democrats – 1,009
  • Conor Savage, Scottish Labour Party – 1,146
  • Marc Wilkinson, Independent – 256

The number of votes cast by postal ballot was declared at 3,092 out of a possible 5,379.

Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election November 2024
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.