Voting in Edinburgh's council election

The election for Edinburgh council is being held on Thursday this week - 3rd May. You may have a postal ballot, or you may plan to vote at your local polling place. Either way, the process of voting is the same.

Please remember, this is an STV election, meaning that rather than putting a cross next to one candidate, you put a number next to as many of the candidates you wish. Next to the name of the candidate you most want to win, put number 1; next to your next favourite candidate put number 2; and so on. You don't have to put a number next to all the candidates, just those for whom you have a preference.

The Electoral Commission has produced a quick video explaining the STV vote. It's worth a watch:

Your vote is important. Please use it!

Last weekend of the campaign - join us for Super Saturday!

This time next week the campaigning will be over and the counting will have started. So there's just one weekend left before voters go to the polls, and it's time for one last Edinburgh Labour Super Saturday!

Volunteers are invited to come along to the campaign office at 78 Buccleuch Street [map] on Saturday 28th at 11am. Teams will be heading out across wards the length and breadth of the city bringing Labour's vision for a co-operative capital to as many voters as possible. Our fabulous organiser Hannah Lister will be organising the day, and you can call her on 07961446032 to find out more, or for info on where we'll be headed so you can join in during the day. But feel free just to turn up at 11am if you can!

The other key events for your diary are tonight (Friday 27th), when we are holding a major fundraising 'Race Night' to help finance key elements of the Edinburgh Labour 2012 Campaign. The fun will start at 7.30pm at St. Columba's-by-the-Castle Church Hall, Johnston Terrace, Edinburgh [map]. Please come along!

Also this evening, the Edinburgh Student Forum's Edinburgh Council election hustings are taking place at 5.30pm at Edinburgh University Students' Association, Bristo Square [map], and Edinburgh Labour leader Andrew Burns will be taking part in what promises to be a lively discussion.

One other thing, in case you missed it - Andrew was interviewed for a centre page spread in the Evening News yesterday, all about Labour's plans, how it’s time to bring confidence back to Edinburgh, and for the city to shout about how great it is again. You can read it online here.

Oh yes - and if you've got your postal vote, remember to vote Labour 1 and 2 for a co-operative capital! Thanks.

One week to polling day

With a week to go until the polls open, Edinburgh Labour's 23 candidates across the city, and our army of volunteers, continue to work tirelessly to bring Labour's message of a co-operative capital to as wide an audience as possible.

There are many ways we do so. Teams are out every day knocking on doors in different wards of the city, finding out people's concerns and explaining Labour's plans. We are also delivering leaflets to as many homes as possible, detailing local candidates and highlighting key elements of our plans for the city.

We're active online too - here on this website we publish full candidate details, campaigning dates, news stories and, of course, the full manifesto on which we are fighting the election. And we have very active Facebook and Twitter engagement, with Edinburgh Labour folk always ready to discuss the latest developments.

Candidates also regularly organise and attend political events, like our Co-operative Council meeting last month, alongside fundraisers and drop-in campaign days. And across the city different community and special interest groups have been organising hustings, to which candidates from all parties are invited, and people have the opportunity to quiz them on their plans.

Hustings are a great way to engage with the political debate. Local news site the Edinburgh Reporter maintains a useful list of upcoming hustings and there are three coming up over the next two days alone:

• UNISON Hustings (city-wide event) will be held at 6pm - 8pm on Thursday 26th April in the Augustine Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
• The local Forth Ward Hustings will be at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on Thursday 26th April from 6 - 8.30pm.
• The Edinburgh Student Forum's Edinburgh Council election hustings (also city-wide) is on Friday 27th April at 5.30pm at Edinburgh University Students' Association, Bristo Square.

So - lots of opportunities to find out Edinburgh Labour's plans for the city, and just a week to go before polling day. Hope to see you out there!

No more secret stitch-ups for the capital

As political debate is yet again focused on corrupt, secret deals which do huge damage to trust and accountability, it's worth remembering that we can choose to change the way politics is conducted if we want to.

Edinburgh Labour's approach to the setting of the city's budget over recent years, for example, has demonstrated our clear intention to put Edinburgh first, rather than party politics, and to bring decision-making into the open, rather than concoct deals behind closed doors.

We are all sick and tired (and this criticism applies to previous Labour administrations of which some of us were part) of the way that the council's annual budget round is managed. Every year, we get ourselves into the ludicrous situation of each party group not knowing what the other is proposing until we walk into the Council Chamber at 10am on the local budget day. It just makes no sense to continue like this.

For the past five years Labour has bucked this trend, and is the only party in the city that has consistently published budget proposals at least a week before the actual budget-setting meeting. We've also made a conscious effort to consult on our recent budgets, and adjust our plans according to the feedback we've received.

We are committed to extending this open process if we have the opportunity to be part of running the council after 3rd May.

It's all part of our co-operative approach which aims to smash open the system of local government in Edinburgh and devolve more power to local people.

Our most recent alternative budget proposals were published in February, a week in advance of budget day. By contrast the final content of the SNP/Lib Dem budget was only handed out in the budget meeting 50 minutes before the vote on the budget was taken. That's no way to build trust, and it's no way to run a city.

Where now for Edinburgh?

Councillor Andrew Burns, Labour Group Leader on the City of Edinburgh Council, recently attended an Edinburgh hustings run by the Federation of Small Business. He was asked to speak on the topic "Where now for Edinburgh?". Here is what he said.


“Where now for Edinburgh?” in 4-5 minutes is a very tall order … I don’t doubt that 4-5 hours could easily be devoted to the many myriad views on how best to take our capital city forward.

So, in the context of the upcoming local government elections I just want to concentrate on 3 main points:

• where are we as a city?
• what is it we are offering?
• how would we deliver that offer?

Putting Edinburgh first

Here's what Edinburgh Labour's manifesto says about our plans to put the city first:

If Labour is the largest party, and to get the city moving forward again, we’ll seek to form an administration from the best available talents. Our priority will be serving the city, not party politics. 

We want a better deal for Edinburgh. So we’ll press the Scottish Government not to take away from Edinburgh so much of the rates paid by its hard-working local businesses. They are needed in our city.

We’ll make officials accountable to the city’s needs, not to rules made to suit them or the Scottish Government. We’ll spend our time doing what the city needs, not chasing Government targets.

This is a fundamental difference between Edinburgh Labour's plans for our capital and those of the SNP. We don't want local government to be a branch of the national government, with one-size-fits-all solutions to the city's challenges. We want to stand up for our unique capital and the people who live here.

And our co-operative plans mean working with local people in the delivery of services, and in the creation of tailored solutions like the city-wide childcare co-op, the transport forum and a focus on winning business for local companies and creating local jobs.

These elections are about Edinburgh, not national politics. And Labour will put Edinburgh first.

Counting down to 3rd May - let's make a difference

With under two weeks to go before the local elections on 3rd May, and with all the parties having now finally published their manifesto plans for the city, people who are still unsure who they will vote for are making up their minds. This isn't a national election, it's about how our city is to be run for the next five years, and who you trust to run it.

Edinburgh Labour has a coherent, long thought-through plan for what we will do if we have the opportunity to be part of running the new council. It's all set out in Moving Edinburgh Forward Together - Labour's vision for a co-operative capital. And we've made it clear that we'll work with the other parties in the interests of the city, and get away from the politics of secrecy and partisanship which has characterised the last five years.

If you agree with us that it really is time for better in our city, then not only are we asking you to vote Labour 1 and 2 on 3rd May, we're asking you to join our campaign now and help take the co-operative message to as many people across the city as possible.

The latest campaign dates and times, and information about how get involved, are all on our Join the Campaign page. New campaign slots are added almost every day so please keep checking back. Come along and help us if you can. We only have a matter of days left until the polls open. Thank you.

Parity of esteem

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Labour Group Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Finance, has something to say about independence.

"Independence" means different things to different people at different times.

At the moment everyone appears to be preoccupied with the independence referendum – even though we might all be just a bit weary of the debate by autumn 2014!

But the independence question isn’t directly relevant to the Council elections on 3rd May. Or is it?

Local councils probably won’t, and probably shouldn’t, adopt a formal yes/no position on the referendum. But when considering the wider definition of "independence", i.e. the ability of people to directly make important decisions about their own family, environment and services, it is worth remembering that the SNP government now has an established record of removing independent decision making from local councils and therefore the local electorate.

Putting you first

3rd May is a local election, and Edinburgh Labour has been campaigning for the last nine months on key local issues and our co-operative vision for Edinburgh. But we do so on the basis of long-held Labour values, which we share with the rest of Scottish Labour, with the UK Labour Party and indeed with the whole of the Labour movement worldwide.

Scottish Labour campaigns across the country are rightly campaigning on their own local priorities, but one thing which unites us, here in our co-operative capital and across the country, is that we are focused on putting you first.

In order to help us to put you first, we're asking you to vote for a co-operative capital on May 3rd. Thank you.

A legacy of debt

From time to time in our lives running up debt becomes unavoidable. Whether it be a mortgage, a business loan, a car loan or just relying a little too heavily on the credit card at times, getting into debt is sometimes necessary to do the things we want to do. Provided it is properly managed, debt need not be a huge difficulty. However, if one starts to borrow more and more, to the extent where one's income is increasingly being eaten up by debt repayments, it can be a major problem.

The City of Edinburgh Council now carries over £1.5 billion of debt, an amount that has risen by a staggering 66% over the last 5 years. That amounts to over £3,000 of debt for every man, woman and child in the city.

Opening up the budget-setting process for our city

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Labour Group Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Finance, thinks it's time to base the key financial decisions of the council on input from the wider community.

Much of what we as Edinburgh Labour have done, and have tried to do, in the last few years has been based on openness and inclusion. Our manifesto development process, our budget deliberation and proposals, our campaigning and Edinburgh Labour conference events have all been designed to encourage input from as wide a cross section of Edinburgh society as possible.

Therefore, it’s a fairly natural and logical step to apply these principles to how we would wish to lead the Council, if given the chance.

Time to deliver Labour's co-operative message to Edinburgh

Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Anas
Sarwar MP is joining Edinburgh
Labour on the campaign today

The local elections are now less than three weeks away. Our 23 candidates have been bringing Edinburgh Labour's co-operative message to Edinburgh residents for many months and now election day (3rd May) is nearly upon us.

You can feel a genuine excitement among Edinburgh Labour candidates and volunteers about this positive campaign and the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of the people of Edinburgh. And that excitement is reflected back in the positive responses we've been getting from the many thousands of people we've spoken to so far in the campaign.

The more people we can talk to, deliver information to and listen to, the more chance we have of delivering on the promise of a co-operative capital. It would be great if you could join us and help to bring Edinburgh Labour's message to people across the capital.

If you have a spare couple of hours in an evening or at the weekend, or perhaps even more time to spare, please think about joining us and helping Edinburgh Labour to Move Edinburgh Forward - Together.

The latest campaign dates and times, and information about how get involved, are all on our Join the Campaign page.

This weekend that includes: Friday's visit from Anas Sarwar MP to a number of wards in the city; a fund-raising barbecue; and opportunities to canvass and deliver leaflets for many of our candidates. We look forward to seeing you.

Moving Edinburgh Forward

Councillor Andrew Burns, Labour Group Leader on the City of Edinburgh Council, looks at Edinburgh Labour's ground-breaking manifesto, and how its development process embodied its central message – co-operation.

Call me old fashioned, but I happen to believe that the political manifesto actually matters. And I’m not just talking about its content.

For far too long now, political parties – of all persuasions – have constructed manifestos within the confines of their own party structures. No early draft documentation, no topic-based consultative meetings, no open request for interested organisations to input their ideas, no mechanism for members of the public to have their say.

Make sure your voice is heard

Sarah Boyack joined MSPs
from the other major parties

With local council elections now only three weeks away, Sarah Boyack MSP joined counterparts from across the Parliament last week to back the Electoral Commission’s voter registration campaign.

If you’re not already on the electoral register, then the deadline for ensuring you have a vote in the upcoming Council Elections is Wednesday 18th April 2012.

Edinburgh Labour becomes first Scottish member of Co-operative Councils Network

On the day that Councillor Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth Council, is in Edinburgh to talk about his experience of leading a co-operative council, we’re delighted to confirm that the Edinburgh Labour Group have been formally accepted as a Member of the Co-operative Councils Network.

Edinburgh Labour is the first Scottish Labour Group to formally join the network, and does so during the International Year of Co-operatives.

Changing local communities together

Councillor Andrew Burns, Labour Group Leader on the City of Edinburgh Council, believes that local government is fundamentally important, and that adopting a co-operative approach could transform the capital.

Politically, I’ve only ever wanted to be an elected local councillor. I have no aspiration to be elected to any other public office, primarily because I believe that local government really does matter, and the services it delivers really can make a difference to people’s lives.

I remember explaining this to a local Community Council meeting I attended after first getting elected in 1999. There was a palpable lack of belief in the room!

Happy Easter from Edinburgh Labour

Councillors Burns, Hinds, Child and Henderson, on behalf of everyone at edinburghlabour.com, have co-operated on a little number to wish you a very Happy Easter!

And speaking of co-operation, while you're here don't forget to check out our exciting, positive plans for a co-operative capital, and maybe even consider helping out in the campaign to make it happen.

Only four weeks to go!

Edinburgh Labour in action!

The local elections are just four weeks away. Edinburgh Labour teams, who have been working hard since last autumn on behalf of our 23 candidates, are now entering our busiest period.

We've listened to people's views - there were over 1000 responses to our city-wide consultation - and we shaped our manifesto around them. And now we need to ensure that as many folk as possible hear about our plans to make Edinburgh a Co-operative Capital.

There is a real buzz in Edinburgh Labour around this positive campaign and the opportunity it could bring to make a real difference to the lives of the people of Edinburgh. People we're talking to like the fresh-thinking approach, and that positive response, combined with a great team spirit, makes our canvassing sessions fun and rewarding.

If you'd like to join us and help to bring Edinburgh Labour's message to people across the capital, please get in touch.

• Join us on Facebook where all the latest campaign dates are posted. 
• Follow us on Twitter where we post information and engage in debate.
• And email us at movingedinburghforward@gmail.com to find out what your local teams are up to and how to join in.

If you have a spare couple of hours in an evening or at the weekend, why not join us and help to Move Edinburgh Forward - Together. Look forward to hearing from you!

Sharing co-operative council ideas - a visit from Lambeth

Update: time and venue of Tuesday's public speech now confirmed - see below.

Edinburgh Labour have ambitious plans to transform the City of Edinburgh Council into the first Scottish 'Co-operative Council'.

Several local authorities elsewhere in the UK have been pursuing this agenda for many years, none more so than Lambeth Council. Next Tuesday (10th April), the leader of Lambeth Council - Councillor Steve Reed - is visiting Edinburgh and will speak about his experiences in Lambeth, and the potential lessons - and benefits - for Edinburgh in becoming a Co-operative Council.

You can find out more about Steve here and there is further information on Lambeth's co-operative agenda here.

Steve will be speaking on Tuesday at 'The Meeting Room', Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace (above Victoria Street), Edinburgh EH1 2JL. Tea and coffee will be available from 11.30, and the speech will start at 12 noon. All welcome.

He'll also be visiting the Meadows/Morningside and Sighthill/Gorgie wards during his time in Edinburgh.

Findlay: Scottish education needs clear leadership - it's not getting it

Lothian MSP Neil Findlay says changes of mind on the Curriculum for Excellence, added to Scottish Government failures elsewhere in the education system, are creating major problems for this generation of Scotland's young people.

The end of last month saw quite a U-turn in the Scottish Government position on the exam timetable for the new Curriculum for Excellence (CFE) programme. After weeks of intensive pressure from teachers, parents, trade unions and Labour's education team the government has now allowed schools the right to delay, using intermediate exams, if they feel they are not ready to introduce CFE. Nevertheless, even when backtracking, SNP Education Minister Mike Russell reverted to type - pompous and bombastic to the last, he stubbornly refused to accept that any problem existed and that this was somehow all a Labour fantasy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Care homes: five years of taking the credit

Councillor Maureen Child

Edinburgh Council has opened four new care homes in the last five years, an achievement of which the city can be rightly proud. But it is wrong for the the present council, run by a coalition of the SNP and Liberal Democrats, to pretend that this is something for which they are responsible.

Like all major construction projects, the process of commissioning, planning and building these new homes took years, and in reality all four new care homes were conceived in 2002 when Edinburgh Labour ran the council.

Councillor Maureen Child, Edinburgh Labour's spokesperson on health and social care, said "The SNP / Lib Dem coalition claim credit for building four new care homes, but the reality is that they were all conceived in 2002. The sites were identified and planning permission granted while Labour was running the council, and construction on two of the projects was even started under Labour.  All the the SNP / Lib Dem coalition has had to do is cut the ribbon on each one!"

We must tackle this crisis in housing

Edinburgh’s crisis in housing highlights the need for continued investment in affordable housing across the city, writes Councillor Cammy Day, Edinburgh Labour's spokesperson for housing and homelessness.

Since the SNP and Liberal Democrat coalition came to power in Edinburgh in 2007, over 3000 homes have been demolished or disposed of. Our city, in desperate need of housing particularly in areas like Muirhouse and Sighthill, has seen homes demolished – and little to replace them.