Lib Dems win surprise victory in Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election for Edinburgh council

Retired water scientist Kevin McKay emerged the winner in what turned out to be a close three horse race. He narrowly squeezed out Labour and the Greens to win in a ward where the Lib Dems had finished fifth at the last council elections in 2022.

Mr McKay, who is treasurer of Craiglockhart Community Council, said he wanted to “make Edinburgh great again” and named potholes and parking as two of the key issues which people were concerned about in the ward.

Liberal Democrat Kevin McKay emerged as victor in the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election | TSPL

The by-election followed the death of Labour councillor Val Walker, who was convener of the council's culture and communities committee. And Mr McKay paid tribute to Cllr Walker, whom he had known through the community council, saying it was a by-election nobody had wanted.

His victory means the Lib Dems, already the second biggest party on the council, now have 14 seats to the SNPs 17, Labour's 11, and the Greens and Tories on 10 each.

Lib Dem group leader Ed Thornley said: “This is the best result the Lib Dems have ever had in this ward. I think this speaks to what happens when you stand a local candidate with a record of delivery in the area - eight years on the community council, a well-known figure in Craiglockhart, Kevin has been out on the doors rain or shine and spoken to hundreds and hundreds of people.”

Asked whether there was a case for the Lib Dems taking control of the council, he said the group had had a conversation about that following their victory in the 2023 Corstorphine/Murrayfield by-election. “We will do the same this time - it would be foolish not to.”

Ahead of the result, no-one was willing to predict the outcome of the by-election because the 2022 result had been so close, with the Tories, SNP, Labour and Greens all within six per cent of each other.

When it came to counting the votes, Labour received the most first preferences, with the Lib Dems second. Mr McKay was elected thanks to the transfer of votes from other candidates as they were gradually eliminated under the Single Transferable Vote system,

As the electronic count progressed, all eyes were on the screen displaying the first preference votes accumulating against each candidate's name. Labour's Catriona Munro was narrowly ahead from an early stage, with the Lib Dems and Greens competing and overtaking each other for second place, the SNP a little behind and the Tories firmly in fifth place despite having come first in the 2022 council election here.

The turnout was low. Just 33.1 per cent of eligible voters took part in the election - 6,264 out of 18,945 - marginally better than the 31.9 per cent turnout in the last council by-election, in Colinton/ Fairmilehead in January, but below the 37.4 per cent in the same ward in November.

A total of 13 candidates stood in the by-electon

First preference votes

Catriona Munro, Scottish Labour Party. 1,293

Kevin Joseph McKay, Scottish Liberal Democrats. 1,269

Q Manivannan, Scottish Greens. 1,130

Murray Visentin, Scottish National Party (SNP) 904

Mark Hooley, Scottish Conservative and Unionist. 857

Gary Neill, Reform UK. 487

Marc Wilkinson, Independent. 111

Steve Christopher West, Independent. 38

Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent 36

Richard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party. 34

Lukasz Furmaniak, Scottish Libertarian Party. 25

Mark Rowbotham, Independent. 25

Derrick Emms, Independent. 9

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