Edinburgh Greens have announced the 11 candidates in Edinburgh who they believe are most likely to take council seats in the elections next May.
The party claims that any of Edinburgh’s 17 council wards could return a Green councillor in 2017, and it will be contesting all 17 with a view to securing the biggest-ever Green vote. However, it has identified 11 wards which are most likely to show strong Green support and it has selected those candidates early to give them a head-start in campaigning.
Among the candidates are the five existing Green councillors in the city, all of whom have been selected to stand again. Joining them in the race to the city chambers are community campaigner, Mary Campbell in Portobello-Craigmillar, community councillor Claire Miller in City Centre and Dr Dan Heap in Sighthill-Gorgie. Susan Rae, who came very close to taking a seat in the Leith Walk by-election in September 2015 has been selected again in that ward. The list is completed by performer and writer, Alex Staniforth in Craigentinny-Duddingston and lecturer, Ally Broughton in Forth.
Edinburgh Greens co-convenor Alys Mumford said:
“At a time when it seems other parties in the city are focusing on who is not standing in 2017 I am delighted that the Greens are the first to the starting blocks. Year on year, Green support in the city has been growing and off the back of a successful Holyrood campaign in which we doubled our number of Lothian MSPs, the mood of the party is buoyant. However, we know that every single Green vote will have to be hard-won and we are determined to do just that.”
Convenor of the Green Group of Councillors, Cllr Steve Burgess added:
“I’m confident that people in Edinburgh will look at the track record of our current Green councillor group and see the appeal of returning more Green councillors. Effective action on bedroom tax evictions, on safe food, on local shops, protecting green space and showing positive alternatives to public service budget cuts are just some of the priorities on which Green councillors have led. There is much more to come.
“So I’m excited to have such a strong team of candidates and I can’t wait to get really stuck into campaigning.”
The full list of the 11 candidates (5 women and 6 men) selected is below. The final 6 candidates, to make up 17 wards in total, will be announced in a few months.
Southside–Newington: Cllr Steve Burgess
Meadows-Morningside: Cllr Melanie Main
Leith: Cllr Chas Booth
Inverleith: Cllr Nigel Bagshaw
Fountainbridge-Craiglockhart: Cllr Gavin Corbett
Leith Walk: Susan Rae
City Centre: Claire Miller
Forth: Ally Broughton
Sighthill-Gorgie: Dan Heap
Craigentinny-Duddingston: Alex Staniforth
Portobello-Craigmillar: Mary Campbell