After former councillor Kate Campbell was elected to The Scottish Parliament a by-election was called for 3 September.
At a count in the Council’s Waverley Court building on Thursday night, the new councillor, Lorenzo Martinico, was elected, becoming the 11th Green councillor in Edinburgh. This is the first time the party has won a by-election in the city.
The turnout was 22.9% with 6,427 votes cast in a ward with an electorate of 28,062.
Cllr Martinico said in his acceptance speech: “I am very honoured that my neighbours in Portobello/Craigmillar have trust in me to represent them as a councillor.”
He added: “Voters wanted to focus on the things that matter the most to them. Secure and affordable housing, safe roads, and protecting the environment. And this is what I will be fighting for as your new Scottish Greens councillor. I would have never thought 12 years ago when I came to Edinburgh that I would be in this room saying this to you. Edinburgh has given a lot to me over these years and I have tried my best to give back what I could to the city, and to its people.
“I am really, really thankful that I will be able to do even more here at the City Chambers now. There are thousands of people like me who weren’t born here but have chosen Edinburgh to be their home. And I hope that today gives them a little bit of hope at a time when many people in our community feel unsafe because of the colour of their skin or their religion, or the way they speak. I am looking forward to working with my fellow Green councillors and particularly with my ward colleague Cllr Mumford, to make a difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar.”
Read our earlier interview with Cllr Martinico here.
Edinburgh Green Group co-convener and fellow Portobello/Craigmillar councillor, Cllr Alys Mumford said:
“Portobello-Craigmillar is now the first ward in Edinburgh to be represented by two Green Councillors, and residents there will benefit hugely from Lorenzo being their new local Councillor. Greens in Edinburgh have won huge successes for the city – from ensuring that the visitor levy is used for houses for workers, through to mass investment in tackling the climate and nature emergencies – and we are delighted to be welcoming Lorenzo to the group to continue this work.”
Alys added:“We’d like to congratulate Lorenzo on his election and also pay tribute to Isabella, who narrowly missed out on securing our second by-election win in Southside/Newington, but whose vote share increase reflects a growing desire for change. Green volunteers and activists ran a fantastic campaign across both wards, and the results show that our message of hope is resonating with the people of Edinburgh.”
The votes for all candidates in the by-election were as follows:
- Ballantine, David Craig – Alliance for Democracy and Freedom (28)
- Deepnarain, Niel – Scottish Family Party – Christian Values (73
- Gregson, Pete – Workers Party of Britain (58)
- Martinico, Lorenzo – Scottish Greens (1,781)
- McGilvray, Silas – Scottish National Party (SNP) (1,531)
- McLaughlin, Andrew – Reform UK (569)
- Olech, Peter – Communist Party of Britain (22)
- Owen, Liss – Scottish Liberal Democrats (365)
- Wyke, Jim Patrick – Scottish Labour Party (1,413)
- Young, Haris – Scottish Conservative and Unionist (522)
In 2022 at the council election the results were as follows:
Candidates elected
- CAMPBELL, Kate – Scottish National Party (SNP) elected at stage 1
- JONES, Tim – Scottish Conservative and Unionist elected at stage 9
- MEAGHER, Jane Elizabeth – Labour and Co-operative Party elected at stage 4
- MUMFORD, Alys – Scottish Green Party elected at stage 7
Electorate: 26,118
Votes cast: 11,426
Turnout: 43.7%
