Edinburgh Green councillor to step down after being made Scottish Government special adviser

Edinburgh councillor Gavin Corbett has been appointed a special adviser to the two Green ministers in the Scottish Government and will step down from the council next month.

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He was first elected as Green councillor for Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart in 2012 and has been the Greens’ finance spokesman throughout that period.

His new role will see him working with Green ministers, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, who joined the government in August under the party’s power-sharing deal with the SNP.

Gavin Corbett has been a councillor since 2012

Councillor Corbett has a long professional career in housing, going back to 1987, and housing will be his main area of focus as special adviser.

He is due to take up his post in mid-November and will stand down as councillor at the same time.

He said: “In lots of ways it is a wrench to leave my councillor role and I’ve been looking forward to completing various projects in the area over the next six months and then being part of a larger Green group of councillors next May, taking the next step up.

"I’ll also miss working with lots of fantastic people and groups on canal projects and indeed throughout the south west of the city.

“However, after working in housing policy and campaigning for 34 years and in the Greens for 32 years, sometimes there are opportunities which are genuinely chances of a lifetime. This is one such and so much to get my teeth into, supporting Patrick and Lorna, and the wider team of ministers and advisers.”

Councillor Corbett has also served on the education, economy and transport and environment committees and has been City Canal Champion since 2017.

He started his housing career as a trainee in Argyll and Bute in 1987, working in research for government agency Scottish Homes and, since 1993 has had several senior policy and campaigning roles in charity Shelter Scotland. As well as stepping down as a councillor he is relinquishing his Shelter role.

Claire Miller, co-convener of the Greens coucil group, said Cllr Corbett would be missed by hi colleagues and by residents in his ward.

"However, the opportunity to work with the first-ever Green ministers in government anywhere in the UK is an exciting one and I am delighted Gavin will be bringing his experience to the team there."

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