Edinburgh council elections 2022: ward-by-ward analysis: Drum Brae/Gyle

Ward 3: Drum Brae/Gyle

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The Lib Dems used to have two councillors in this three-member ward – former council leader Jenny Dawe served alongside veteran Robert Aldridge until 2012 when she switched wards in the hope of surviving the backlash from the trams fiasco, but failed as the party was reduced from 17 councillors to just three.

Cllr Aldridge, who has been on the council for 38 years, held on and in 2017 he topped the poll with over one-third of first preferences. Now the Lib Dems are fielding a second candidate again – Edward Thornley is currently constituency manager in Edinburgh West. They believe the controversy over plans for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in East Craigs will help them.

Claire Bridgman was elected for the SNP in the first round of counting in 2017, but she quit the SNP group the following year, saying she was unhappy with the way it was run. She continued as an independent but is not standing again. The new SNP candidate is Euan Hyslop, who describes himself as "barista, small business co-owner, socialist".

Labour lost its seat in 2017 when its vote share plummeted and Tory Mark Brown got elected instead. He has had a high profile locally and is standing for re-election.

Trying to retake a seat for Labour is Nkechi Okoro, who has worked in the social care sector in Edinburgh for many years after moving from her native Nigeria.

Cllr Aldridge is likely to win again, but it could be a hard-fought contest for the other two seats.

An estimated 1000 people attended a meeting in Gyle Park at the height of the pandemic on the controversial plans for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in East Craigs.

The ward includes Bughtlin, Clermiston, Craigmount, Drumbrae, East Craigs and South Gyle.

2017: Lib Dems 33.5 per cent; SNP 26.8 per cent; Conservatives 22 per cent; Labour 13.3 per cent; Greens 4.3 per cent

Current councillors: Robert Aldridge (Lib Dem); Claire Bridgman (Ind); Mark Brown (Con).

Electorate: 18,750

Candidates

ALDRIDGE, Robert Christopher – Scottish Liberal Democrats

BROWN, Mark – Scottish Conservative and Unionist

HYSLOP, Euan – Scottish National Party (SNP)

JOHNSTON, Eileen – Scottish Family Party: Pro-Family, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Life

OKORO, Nkechi – Labour and Co-operative Party

SCOTT, Anne – Scottish Green Party

SMITH, Gary – Scottish Libertarian Party

THORNLEY, Edward John – Scottish Liberal Democrats