Edinburgh council: Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson looks to different ward to get re-elected next year
‘I have lived in this part of Edinburgh for most of my life’ - Cllr Stephen Jenkinson
A senior Labour councillor is swapping wards for next year's local elections and opting for what could be a less safe seat.
Transport convener and Labour group whip Stephen Jenkinson was first elected at the last council elections in 2022 and is currently one of four councillors representing Pentland Hills ward, which covers Currie, Balerno, Wester Hailes and Ratho.
But now he has been selected to stand in Colinton/Fairmilehead ward at the elections in May next year. The current Labor councillor for the ward, Conor Savage, who won his seat in a by-election just last year, failed to get onto the approved list of candidates for 2027.
Cllr Jenkinson said members had asked him to throw his hat in the ring for the vacancy and since he lives in the ward with his wife and family he had decided to do so. He won the selection contest against another local party member.
And he posted on social media saying he was "absolutely delighted" to have been chosen as candidate for the ward.
He said: "This is a particularly special moment for me. I grew up in Buckstone, attended Buckstone Primary School and have lived in this part of Edinburgh for most of my life. It’s where Jane and I have raised our family, and it’s a community I know and care deeply about.
“Having served as a councillor since 2022, and as Edinburgh’s transport and environment convener since 2024, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, but there’s still plenty of work to do.
"I want to use that experience to make a real difference for local people, focusing on the issues that matter to our communities, from our schools and roads to our parks, green spaces and local services.
"A huge thank you to local Labour members for putting their trust in me. It’s a tremendous honour, and one I certainly won’t take for granted."
Colinton/Fairmilehead - which also includes Bonaly, Firrrhill, Comiston, Oxgangs and Redford - is a three-member ward rather than a four-member, which means candidates need to win a higher percentage of the vote to get elected.
Cllr Jenkinson acknowledged there was "a degree of risk" with moving from a four- to a three-member ward, but said he was hopeful he would still be elected.
He sought to stand for the Scottish Parliament in the Holyrood elections earlier this year, but lost out to Foysol Choudhury, who was later suspended.
At the last council elections in 2022, Labour topped the poll in Colinton/Fairmilehead with Scott Arthur, Cllr Jenkinson's predecessor as transport convener, who stood down after being elected MP for Edinburgh South West at the 2024 general election.
The ward was then the scene of a dramatic by-election in November 2024, when the Lib Dems won a surprise victory, only for it to emerge that their candidate Louise Spence, who had campaigned strongly on her local connections, was planning to move to Dubai, where her husband had a new job. She resigned after just a week as councillor.
That led to a second by-election in January 2025, with two seats up for grabs after the ward’s SNP councillor Marco Biagi also resigned, in order to become a Scottish Government special adviser. This time, it was the Tory and Labour candidates who won.
Cllr Jenkinson’s ward switch means Labour must now find someone else to stand in Pentland Hills, where the party won the third of the four seats last time.