Edinburgh council by-elections results: Wins for Labour and Greens, taking seats from SNP

Labour won in the Southside/Newington ward, where their candidate Ruth Elliott was elected with the Greens taking second place.

In Portobello/Craigmillar, Green candidate Lorenzo Martinico defeated the SNP and Labour to win the Greens’ first ever council by-election in Edinburgh.

The by-elections were caused by the resignation of two SNP councillors, Simita Kumar and Kate Campbell, after they were elected as MSPs at the Holyrood elections in May.

The turnout was 27.3 per cent in Southside/Newington and 22.9 per cent in Portobello / Craigmillar.

New Southside/Newington councillor Ruth Elliott, who is in her early 20s and comes originally from West Cumbria, came to Edinburgh as a student in 2020 and decided to stay. She works in Morrisons at Gilmerton and previously worked in student unions, supporting volunteer-led projects and campaigns. She said housing would be one of her top priorities as a councillor.

The first preference votes suggested a close finish with Labour on 2,153 and the Greens on 1,978. But once votes were transferred from all the other candidates, Labour was comfortably ahead with 3,030 votes to the Greens' 2,505.

Ms Elliott said: “It’s an absolute honour to be elected for Southside/Newington - I’m so excited to represent this ward, I love this ward.”

And she thanked the other candidates, particularly the runner-up, Green candidate Isabella Gastel Alejandre, who is the same age, saying: “I was so happy that, whoever got elected, I knew that a woman in her twenties was going to be going into the council next week.”

Mr Martinico, the victor in Portobello/Craigmillar, is a local housing campaigner and was previously a postdoctoral researcher at Edinburgh University, specialising in computer security and digital privacy.

He received 1,781 first preference votes, with the SNP getting 1,531 and Labour 1,413. And the final round of transfers saw the Greens win 2,652 against Labour on 2,188

He said: “I am really honoured that my neighbours in Portobello/Craigmillar have chosen me to represent them as their councillor. People want us to focus on the things that matter the most to them - secure and affordable housing, safe routes and protecting the environment and this is what I will be fighting for.

“When I first moved to Edinburgh 12 years ago, I could never have imagined I would be elected as a councillor. There are thousands of people who like me weren't born here but have chosen to make Edinburgh their home - I hope my election gives them a bit of hope, at a time when some in our community feel unsafe because of how they sound when they speak, because of the colour of their skin or their religion. I am looking forward to working to make a difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar.”

The SNP will still be the biggest party on the council, but they are reduced from 17 to 15 seats, with the Lib Dems on 14, while Labour and the Greens will each increase their strength to 12.

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer MSP said:“This is a truly historic day for Edinburgh and the Scottish Greens. For the first time ever our capital has elected a Scottish Green councillor at a by-election, showing the failing Labour administration that Edinburgh demands better.

“By electing Lorenzo, voters in Portobello/Craigmillar have demanded radical change in Scotland’s capital. Just a few months ago, Greens won our first ever Holyrood constituency here in the heart of the city. This result confirms that we are fighting to win next May’s council elections in Edinburgh.”

Labour council leader Jane Meagher said it was “very encouraging” for Labour to win one of the by-elections. The results will inevitably be analysed for any indications of how next year’s council elections could go.

Cllr Meagher said: “It’s always difficult to extrapolate from local by-elections. but I’m feeling quite optimistic. I expect the SNP are very disappointed with their results because they have lost both of their by-elections so I imagine they’re not feeling particularly happy.”