Edinburgh council elections 2022: ward-by-ward analysis: Forth

Ward 4: Forth

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The SNP won two seats in this four-member ward for the first time in 2017 and the party will be hoping to repeat that success on May 5, but neither of the councillors elected last time is standing again. Ellie Bird decided not to seek re-election. George Gordon wanted to carry on but lost an internal selection contest.

The new SNP candidates are retired airline pilot and keen beekeeper Carrie Gooch, who previously worked as a social worker helping vulnerable offenders out of crime, and Stuart Dobbin, who has worked in senior management in Asia and across the world.

Labour has always fielded two candidates in this ward – and had two elected in 2012 – but this time group leader Cammy Day, a councillor here since 2008, is the party's sole standard-bearer.

The Greens are targeting a win here – they got 10 per cent of first preferences last time and say they have a strong candidate in Kayleigh O’Neill, a wheelchair-user who works for Lothian MSP Lorna Slater in the Scottish Parliament.

Tory Jim Campbell, who topped the poll in 2017, is standing again. And the Lib Dems are fielding Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, a fundraiser for climate change research at Edinburgh University. The party had a seat in this ward from 2007 until 2012 and were 254 votes away from taking the fourth seat instead of the SNP last time.

The ward includes Pilton, West Pilton, Granton, Wardie, Trinity and Newhaven.

Granton harbour is part of Forth ward. Photograph: Scott Louden

2017: SNP 31.3 per cent; Conservatives 28.4 per cent; Labour 20.7 per cent; Greens 10 per cent; Lib Dems 7.8 per cent.

Current councillors: Jim Campbell (Con), Cammy Day (Lab), Ellie Bird (SNP), George Gordon (SNP).

Electorate 24,826

Candidates

CAMPBELL, Jim – Scottish Conservative and Unionist

CAMPBELL, Linda Lenora – Scottish Family Party: Pro-Family, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Life

DAY, Cammy – Labour and Co-operative Party

DIJKSTRA-DOWNIE, Sanne – Scottish Liberal Democrats

DOBBIN, Stuart – Scottish National Party (SNP)

GOOCH, Carrie – Scottish National Party (SNP)

HEATHCOTE, Kerry Elizabeth – Women's Equality Party

O'NEILL, Kayleigh – Scottish Green Party