The electronic election count will take place on Thursday 26 June starting at the close of poll at 10pm.<\/p>\n
Candidates<\/p>\n
The candidates standing for election are as follows:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent<\/li>\n
- Derrick Emms, Independent<\/li>\n
- Lukasz Furmaniak, Scottish Libertarian Party<\/li>\n
- Mark Hooley, Scottish Conservative and Unionist<\/li>\n
- Richard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party<\/li>\n
- Q Manivannan, Scottish Greens<\/li>\n
- Kevin Joseph McKay, Scottish Liberal Democrats<\/li>\n
- Catriona Munro, Scottish Labour Party<\/li>\n
- Gary Neill, Reform UK<\/li>\n
- Mark Rowbotham, Independent<\/li>\n
- Murray Visentin, Scottish National Party (SNP)<\/li>\n
- Steve Christopher West, Independent<\/li>\n
- Marc Wilkinson, Independent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Council Ward 9 Fountainbridge\/Craiglockhart<\/p>\nThe ward stretches from Haymarket west to Colinton Dell. It is as diverse as most others in the city and includes part of the Union Canal, Easter Craiglockhart Hill Local Nature Reserve and the main campus for Edinburgh Napier University. <\/p>\n
In 2022 at the Local Government election the electorate was 18,284 and there was a 49.8% turnout. Three councillors were elected \u2013 Cllr David Key (SNP), Cllr Christopher Cowdy (Conservative) and Cllr Val Walker (Labour). <\/p>\n
We have interviewed some of the candidates either online or face to face \u2013 but here is a breakdown of what we know about all 13 in alphabetical order:<\/p>\n
Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent <\/strong><\/p>\n
Bob is a serial candidate in Edinburgh. He stood in the last two by-elections in Colinton\/Fairmilehead. In the last by-election he gathered support from 30 voters in the ward which has an electorate of 19,669. <\/p>\n
He also stood in the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary election where he lost to Angus Robertson MSP who won the Edinburgh Central seat with 16,276 votes. Bob won 363 votes on that occasion which was 0.9% of the poll. He describes himself as a \u201cprofessional political commentator \/producer & presenter of #What the X Scotland\u2019s most dynamic livestream\u201d and encourages voters to \u201cStop electing party political parasites\u201d. Click here to see his social media presence on X.<\/a><\/p>\n
You can watch the unboxing of his campaign leaflets here:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Bonnie Prince Bob an Independent candidate in Edinburgh Central with Lady A and Lady B \u00a92021 The Edinburgh Reporter<\/p>\nDerrick Emms, Independent <\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nDerrick Emms is an independent candidate who is standing in a loose coalition with two of the other 13 candidates, Marc Wilkinson and Mark Rowbotham (see below). He encourages voters not to elect politicians but rather to elect a team. So if you vote for Mr Emms then the three would work together.<\/p>\n
He said in a statement to voters: \u201cLet\u2019s set aside party-political differences and come together.\u201d While Wilkinson is declared to be the front-runner, Derrick Emms said he would hold twice weekly surgeries open to all \u2013 on Fridays and Saturdays in Fountainbridge Library. He would have the help of the other two independent candidates as \u201ccase workers\u201d. <\/p>\n
His statement continues: \u201cOur plan is to come 4th in the twelve wards that elect four Councillors and 3rd in the five wards that elect three. Seventeen Councillors would make us the largest party in the City Chambers as we would have taken these seats from the current five parties. At our surgeries we will represent constituents from all of Edinburgh\u2019s Wards. We will help constituents coordinate with each other to lobby their respective Councillors as a team making them more effective. We will make the petition feature on our website which is designed for petitioning elected representatives available. This will transform representative democracy.\u201c<\/p>\n
Lukasz Furmaniak, Scottish Libertarian Party<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nLukasz Furmaniak is Polish and has been in the UK for 14 years. He used to work in hospitality but is now a private hire car driver. He wants politics to \u201ccome back to common sense\u201d. <\/p>\n
He is most exercised by planters which impede progress for drivers on the city\u2019s streets. He said: \u201cWe believe that people should decide for themselves if they want to use the cars or not. If they want to use the bus, we are very happy they use the buses. If they want to walk or cycle, we\u2019re very happy when they do that. But at the end of the day, it should be their own choice, not imposed by the overlords.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cWhat I believe is that it\u2019s time for us to review all the rules and make them simplified, easier to follow<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all can see there\u2019s road works everywhere all year around. Charlotte Square was like that five times last year \u2013 closed for a stretch of 200 yards.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorstorphine Road \u2013 four times in 15 months it was closed again. And there\u2019s all the potholes and everything. Why are all the jobs not done in one go? I don\u2019t really understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he would do nothing to affect public libraries or schools saying \u201cI believe in all this spending \u2013 libraries are probably the best choice we can have\u201d.<\/p>\n
But most of all it is about common sense. He said: \u201cThe biggest thing I\u2019m campaigning on is just come back to common sense \u2013 as simple as that. Stop doubling down on the ideas that don\u2019t really work and don\u2019t help anyone, but they are just, I guess, a vanity project of the councillors. Just to come back to actually sorting the problems rather than creating a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Libertarians have little time for rules. Instead the party is in favour of individual liberty, a free and sound economy, foreign neutrality and political independence. <\/p>\n
The Scottish Libertarian Party<\/a> holds a social event every second Sunday. <\/p>\n
Mark Hooley, Scottish Conservative and Unionist<\/strong><\/p>\n
For Mark Hooley a local who has lived in the area for the past ten years, it is all about \u201cthe basics\u201d. He said: \u201cThe theme of the campaign is back to basics. You probably hear going around really popular is fixing the roads, the potholes, you know, the bin collections, but these sort of basics, the weeding, it\u2019s just really the theme is kind of the council sometimes forgetting to do the basics for the residents that live here. you know, if some people, they maybe don\u2019t understand why.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThere\u2019s money to do trams and everything, but the day-to-day basics are getting missed. It is no wonder that people have a bit of disillusionment when they see that. There is usually a bit less of a turnout during by-elections, but I would say there has been a little bit of apathy in vernal about politics.\u201d <\/p>\n
He explained that he has always loved politics \u2013 his father was an SNP supporter. He grew up in the Parkgrove area of the city, studied politics in Dundee and then lived in the US and in Holland. Currently he is studying for a MSc in Journalism at Edinburgh Napier University, and he ran as a Conservative candidate in the Sighthill\/Gorgie ward in the 2022 council elections when he attracted 986 first preference votes.<\/p>\n
He said that he is not a career politician, just \u201ca regular guy who wants to get involved and is passionate about it\u201d. Reflecting on the lower number of Conservative councillors at the City Chambers after the 2022 election he said that a win here would help to \u201cchip away\u201d to get back to where the council group was before. He was complimentary to Conservative councillor, Christopher Cowdy who represents the Fountainbruidge\/Craiglockhart ward along with SNP councillor, David Key, saying: \u201cChris Cowdy is one of the councillors for the ward currently. He\u2019s very visible, very vocal, he\u2019s very well liked and trusted in the area and known as someone who can get things done and is very responsive. So I would be looking to work together with him and to really reflect residents concerns and the day-to-day stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Mark Hooley centre with his Conservative supporters out campaigning PHOTO courtesy of Miles Briggs<\/p>\nRichard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party<\/strong><\/p>\n
Richard Lucas is the Scottish Family Party candidate who has stood at a range of elections in the past few years. He stood in the Colinton\/Fairmilehead ward in the 2022 council elections when he achieved 65 votes \u2013 and got the same number of votes in January 2025.<\/p>\n
Mr Lucas hs lived in Colinton for over 25 years, teaching at Merchiston Castle School for most of that time.<\/p>\n
The party values are: \u201cFamilies are the building blocks of a healthy society. The government\u2019s job is to support and encourage stable family life, for the sake of children, adults and the wider society.\u201d The party promotes marriage as the best way to lay the foundation for society \u2013 but only heterosexual marriage. \u201cThe commitment of marriage helps ensure that a child benefits from the distinct and complementary parenting of their mother and father, a male and female role model in the family home, and the sense of identity that naturally flows from relatedness.\u201d They do not believe in same sex marriage as it does not embody these ideals. <\/p>\n
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Richard Lucas Scottish Family Party candidate <\/p>\nQ Manivannan, Scottish Greens<\/strong><\/p>\n
Q Manivannan is from the Tamil community and was born in India in 1997, making their home in Scotland since 2021.\u00a0Q has worked in the United Nations, in trade unions, voluntary organisations, and as an award-winning scholar in universities. Q has won the Kavya Prize for Scottish writers of colour in 2023 and co-convenes the Palestine Solidarity Group for the Scottish Greens.<\/p>\n
Q said that as an academic at St Andrews University and as a policy expert they have experience of community organising. <\/p>\n
Projects which they have supported include road safety, pedestrian crossings and tenants rights. <\/p>\n
Q plans to focus on stricter speed limits and improved infrastructure for disability access if elected. Attracted to the Green Party by its focus on individual expression and environmental conservation, other matters of importance to them include voter transparency and inclusion.<\/p>\n
Q said: \u201cMy main principles have been around building more inclusive governance structures, particularly ones where residents and voters are more involved with democratic processes from the get go and through different stages of policies and motions. But at the same time, focusing on the very local issues I know we\u2019ve had in our area, like resident safety alongside along alongside the canal path, for instance, or traffic and road safety along Ashley Terrace where the pedestrian crosssing has been overdue there for 20 years, Harrison Road and Yeamen Place. Lastly of course preserving our green and blue spaces because it feels like a fair few spaces around the city as well as in our ward are under threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
In relation to some matters these could be solved more easily with a collaborative approach. Q said: \u201cI think it\u2019s also important that issues like road safety as well as tenants rights are across parties. I feel like they\u2019re more logistical concerns regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum. I think Cllr Val Walker was excellent in that sense almost removing the more dramatic politics out of it and focussing on the local issues and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q is involved with fundraising for Palestine running a music and culture event each month in Marchmont. Through that organisation they have been able to help local businesses having troubles with the council about tables and chairs placed outside. Q said: \u201cIt was good to work with them to find solutions to that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Q has also been part of the activism around pensions and pay cuts for tutors and paid staff members in St Andrews and Edinburgh.<\/p>\n
At the end of the interview Q said : \u201cI would begin with bette infrastructural changes and audits for disability as well as mobility. There\u2019s been a lot of concerns raised around roads as well as on the Canal Path and other parts of Fountainbridge \/Craiglockhrt not being accessible, whether it\u2019s for the elderly or it\u2019s for pram pushers. I think, is a significant concern that leads to other safety issues, and that would be right on top of my to do list to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Q Manivannan<\/p>\nKevin Joseph McKay, Scottish Liberal Democrats<\/strong><\/p>\n
The Scottish Liberal Democrats announced Mr McKay as their candidate in May like this: \u201cAn environmental campaigner, Kevin spent a career tackling pollution issues in the water industry. If elected, he would join a City Chambers Lib Dem team fighting for road safety, investment in schools, and fixing our pavements and roads!\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nCatriona Munro, Scottish Labour Party<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Catriona Munro Labour candidate Fountainbridge\/Craiglockhart<\/p>\nCatriona Munro has been a lawyer for the last 30 years, most recently a competition lawyer. Now that retirement is fast approaching she is looking to be an elected member of the council. Ms Munro explained that her parents were lifelong activists for the Labour Party, and she was born on an election day when her father was a Westminster candidate. He didn\u2019t ever get elected but she said: \u201cI feel as though I\u2019m an election baby. I\u2019ve always loved elections and I relish campaigning. It\u2019s great fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brought up in Brussels, Ms Munro said she doesn\u2019t have a strong Scottish accent, but she lives in the city.<\/p>\n
Asked what she is campaigning on she replied: \u201cPeople are concerned about the very basic things, that the potholes are very annoying, that there are lots of issues around parking. People raise questions over access to new developments. I had someone who who is concerned about their their road becoming busy because it was going to be used to access a new development. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow, of course, we need new housing, but we also need to respect people\u2019s views and then other people concerned about the introduction of controlled parking zones. So it\u2019s welcome to some people, but not to others, and it\u2019s a question of making sure that those voices are all heard and that the most appropriate way of introducing those controlled parking zones is used.\u201d<\/p>\n
She cited the positive contribution and local impact of two Labour councillors elected in 2022 \u2013 Cllr Scott Arthur and Cllr Val Walker. The usual topics of ootholes, parking issues and underfunding all came up during our interview when she explained the difference Cllr Walker made in securing funding for DanceBase.<\/p>\n
Ms Munro agreed that Cllr Walker will be a hard act to follow, but she thinks she could fill her shoes. She said that many local people had met Cllr Walker during her short time as a councillor \u2013 and some people in the area had met Val several times \u2013 often in their homes \u2013 about their issues. <\/p>\n
Catriona said: \u201cIt is good to know that work on the ground really makes a difference, that people notice it. You\u2019re right these are big shoes to fill but I think it means the groundwork of having a well-liked councillor has been done.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Gary Neill, Reform UK<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Gary Neill Reform UK candidate <\/p>\nGary Neill is the Reform UK candidate standing in this by-election.<\/p>\n
The grandfather from Northern Ireland said he is standing for the sake of his grandchildren. He explained: \u201cI\u2019ve been a member of Reform for about three years. I\u2019ve been a Tory voter all my life, but the last lot of years, it\u2019s got very disenchanting. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing we need to take control of is the amount of money that we spend and the amount of tax that we raise. This country has been borrowing month on month, year on year. And we are rolling up the most enormous debt for our grandchildren to deal with. So that\u2019s what drives me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked what he would seek to influence in the council he said it was simple: \u201cWe need to start looking at the way The City of Edinburgh Council is run. Even in my short term, and exposure to the statistics and there is in your face waste.\u201d<\/p>\n
He suggests selling off any council-owned buildings and land which are not required or used, and is vocal in his campaign leaflet about the \u201cstate of Edinburgh roads\u201d. He said: \u201cI\u2019m in and out of Edinburgh Airport quite a bit and honest to goodness taking people back into the centre of town your back is put out with the state of the roads.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that he has had a career in sales, has travelled the world and is now retired. He feels that his experience can now be put to use. <\/p>\n
He said: \u201cMy entire time has been in the commercial sector, in the private sector, where it is very competitive, very tough. But, I think I can use that in the public sector. And I\u2019m fortunate that I have the time to pursue this \u2013 and I feel quite driven to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally he is incensed that the council should only be concerned about local matters. He said that in a previous set of council papers from March there were motions about Palestine and Gaza \u2013 \u201cnot one of them anything to do with Edinburgh\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI think our elected representatives, of which I hope to be one, should actually concentrate and focus on running the city without getting involved in stuff they have no knowledge of. It might even be said that it\u2019s virtue signalling to look good in front of their people. I don\u2019t know, I don\u2019t care. It\u2019s nothing to do with running Edinburgh.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is new to politics and says he has quickly learned that the electorate is very fickle. He said: \u201cThey\u2019ll tell you one thing and they\u2019ll do something else. We learned that just last month at Hamilton where a lot of volunteers for Reform were helping the excellent candidate that we have, Ross Lambie. The media didn\u2019t say it, but they knew it was a two horse race, the SNP and Reform. We knew it was a two horse race. Yeah. Yeah. And then bang out of nowhere comes Labour and it flummoxed all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Neill has been out twice daily in the ward with his supporters visiting as many people as possible in the ward. He said: \u201cAs much as Reform is enjoying a fairly high profile nationally, we\u2019ve got to try and make that a local message, I feel pretty good about it. It;s a good challenge and I\u2019m enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark Rowbotham, Independent<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-06-02-at-10.56.08-PM-e1750531614131.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMr Rowbotham is standing as an independent candidate in collaboration with Marc Wilkinson and Derrick Emms. <\/p>\n
HIs stance is the same as the other two candidates : Don\u2019t elect politicians Elect People Elect a Team #1 Marc Wilkinson #2 Mark Rowbotham #3 Derrick Emms\u2026 Edinburgh Council By-election, Thursday 26th June 2025, 7am-10pm Everyone in the Fountainbridge\/Craiglockhart ward has a reason to vote now Let\u2019s set aside party-political differences and come together.\u201c<\/p>\n
Murray Visentin, Scottish National Party (SNP)<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250607-DSC0974320250607.jpg\")
Murray Visentin SNP candidate<\/p>\nMurray Visentin is manager in Asda Chesser and although a relative newcomer to politics he knows the price of shopping \u2013 and said that it is the basics which matter.<\/p>\n
He explained that the price of milk depends on some variables \u2013 whether or not it is branded and according to size. The Visentin household buys the four litre size as it includes Murray, his wife, their four children and two cats.<\/p>\n
He said his candidacy has been \u201ca long time coming\u201d but when this possibility came up he jumped at the chance. His support of independence is key and he has been an activist since he was a teenager. He joined the SNP in 2014.<\/p>\n
He feels he could make a difference in the council and said: \u201cI\u2019m confident to take people\u2019s views on board and talk about them, regardless whether they fall in line with SNP values or anybody else\u2019s values. <\/p>\n
\u201cLocal politics is different from national politics. It\u2019s about the people more than the actual polici. Of course, I\u2019m going to vote with the group. I\u2019m going to be an SNP councillor and would huave to do that, but it doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t have a voice for my neighbors and the family members and my friends in the ward as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that politics for local residents is about more than just the price of shopping. It is also about educaiton and local travel as well as green space. He lives in Hutchison and holds the Hutchison Community Garden up as a model project which along with organised litter picking \u201cmakes a difference in local communities in a big way\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI think that it\u2019s a svery family orientated ward. You\u2019ve got a mixed batch of different sort of political affiliations. You\u2019ve got different sorts of demographics as well that we need to be appealing to and helping. <\/p>\n
So if you go up to Craiglockhart way you\u2019ve got more affluent people. It\u2019s the day to day things. It\u2019s the cost of living for some people. It\u2019s education for their kids. It\u2019s having a voice for somebody that knows the neighborhood, knows the ward, to be able to go to the council and be in the chambers and say, Look, these are my people. These are the people that need help.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Steve Christopher West, Independent<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ac7467192819efc9de14e128c0c3c382.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSteve West is a trade union activist in the PCS civil service workers\u2019 union. He describes himself as an independent socialist and told The Socialist Worker that he is campaigning against the \u00a32.2 million cuts proposed by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board. He said: \u201cThere has to be someone in this election who is against cuts and racism.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes that this cut in funding would result in \u201c200 compulsory redundancies and cuts to valuable services\u201d. He said he will stand \u201cagainst austerity\u201d, against attacks on benefits and against attacks on trans+ rights.<\/p>\n
He is using TikTok <\/a>as a way of getting his election message out to voters. <\/p>\n
His latest video has a simple message \u2013 \u201cNo to cuts, end austerity, tax the rich, fund public services migrants are not to blame,, no to racism welfare not warfare, end the genocide, Free Palestine \u2013 for a real left alternative vote for me, Steve West.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marc Wilkinson, Independent<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Marc-Wilkinson-1-e1750531894697.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMarc is also someone who has stood in the last two council by-elections as well as three others. He has created his own \u201cparty\u201d called Edinburgh and East Lothian People although he is standing as an Independent candidate. He wants everyone in the ward to have a reason to vote, and believes that he can fix party politics by stopping the party whip and allowing elected politicians to have a free vote. He explains that he grew his vote share in the January 2025 by-election when 494 people supported him. He said this was a +79% increase in vote share compared to the November by-election. <\/p>\n
He is leader of Edinburgh and East Lothian People as well as seven other new parties in other areas of Scotland. and claims that this could mean that the party would return one MSP in each region if the party attracts just 6% of the vote.<\/p>\n
He would work alongside Derrick Emms and Mark Rowbotham to represent the constituency. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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