Edinburgh Council candidates standing in Forth are fighting for improved accessibility, community action on climate change and water quality monitoring for wild swimming at a local beach.
On May 5, voters in the north Edinburgh ward which covers Granton, Newhaven, Pilton, Trinity, Victoria Park and Wardie go to the polls and pick four councillors to represent them in the City Chambers for the next five years.
Two incumbent Forth councillors are standing for re-election — Labour's Cammy Day who has served as depute leader of the council since 2017 and Jim Campbell from the Tories — whilst there will be six new names on the ballot paper.
With the Trams to Newhaven project due to be completed by next year and plans for a £1.3 billion regeneration of Granton's waterfront underway, the ward has been a key area of development and investment over the last council term — and will continue to be over the next.
Less than half of eligible voters (45.5 per cent) cast a ballot at the previous election - however this was still 7.7 per cent higher than in 2012.
Last time 28.38 per cent of first preference votes (FPv) went to the Conservatives as the party increased its FPv share along with the SNP, whilst support for Labour fell by more than 10 per cent in a trend seen across the city.
The SNP hope to hold onto their two seats in Forth, however could lose one to either the Liberal Democrats or Greens as the three parties were within fewer than 300 votes at the third round of voting in 2017.
2017 Results
- Jim Campbell, Conservatives: 28.38% FPv (2,951 total)
- Cammy Day, Labour: 15.18% FPv (2,157 total)
- Elanor Bird, SNP: 17.94% FPv (2,313 total)
- George Gordon, SNP: 13.37% FPv (2,207 total)
2022 Candidates
Two new SNP candidates in Forth could dash the party's chances of picking up two seats there again; incumbent Ellie Bird, who served as interim council leader for a spell while Adam McVey took aoption leave in 2019, is standing down from her role whilst George Gordon, who was elected in 2017, was beaten in a candidate selection contest by branch organiser Stuart Dobbin.
Alongside Mr Dobbin, retired airline pilot Carrie Gooch will appear on the ballot paper for the SNP.
First elected in Forth following a 2008 by-election, depute council leader Cammy Day, Labour, is seeking re-election but is unlikely to return to a role in the administration, after Anas Sarwar ruled out any coalition deals with the SNP or Conservatives at a local level.
Tory councillor and John Lewis employee, Jim Campbell, who has spent the last five years holding the administration to account, is also hoping to secure a further five years in the City Chambers.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems are standing Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, a fundraiser for Edinburgh University originally from the Netherlands, who is promoting 'local action' to fight climate change and wants to have water quality monitoring put in place at Wardie Bay, a popular wild swimming spot in the ward.
And Green Party candidate Kayleigh O’Neill plans to use her experience as a wheelchair user to push for for more accessible streets if elected, having reported experiencing "physical barriers" whilst out campaigning recently.
All candidates standing in Forth:
- Jim Campbell, Scottish Conservative and Unionist;
- Linda Lenora Campbell, Scottish Family Party: Pro-Family, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Life;
- Cammy Day, Labour and Co-operative Party;
- Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, Scottish Liberal Democrats;
- Stuart Dobbin, Scottish National Party (SNP);
- Carrie Gooch, Scottish National Party (SNP);
- Kerry Elizabeth Heathcote, Women's Equality Party;
- Kayleigh O'Neill, Scottish Green Party;
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