Cllr Kevin Lang, leader of the 13 strong Liberal Democrat group on the council is to step aside from that leadership role while concentrating on his new day job.
Lang who represents Almond ward works as external affairs chief for the Law Society of Scotland and is part of the senior executive team there, reportedly earning a high salary. He has become interim Chief Executive after the resignation of Diane McGiffen from her post as Chief Executive at the legal body’s HQ in Edinburgh.
According to The Herald, Cllr Lang has been asked to step in as interim Chief Executive from the end of this month.
He told the paper “It’s a privilege to be asked to be interim chief executive of the Law Society while the organisation recruits a new permanent CEO. Given this, it’s right for me to step back for a period as leader of the Lib Dem group on the council so I can concentrate on my new responsibilities.”
Meantime the group has decided that Cllr Ed Thornley elected first in 2022 will take over as their leader. Cllr Thornley represents Drum Brae/Gyle Ward which also counts the Rt Hon Lord Provost Cllr Robert Aldridge as one of its representatives at the City Chambers.
On the Law Society website Cllr Lang is described like this: “Kevin started working for the Law Society of Scotland in September 2010 after previously working as the Head of Communications for the airport operator BAA Scotland, covering Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports. A graduate from Edinburgh University, Kevin went on to work in the House of Commons, running the busy office of an Edinburgh-based Member of Parliament before returning to Edinburgh in 2004. Kevin now leads the team responsible for the Society’s communications, policy work, research and international work.”
The Liberal Democrats are the third largest group and would have had another councillor in Colinton/Fairmilehead but their newly elected representative Louise Spence was suspended by the political group when they discovered that she was moving to Dubai – and thought she could do the job one week a month. At a second by-election the Liberal Democrats lost around a fifth of their share of the first preference votes. Labour and the Conservatives each have councillors now representing the ward.
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