REIMAGINING COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
As highlighted in April's Spurtle, there is widespread public disillusion with how some Council officials and elected representatives seek and respond to public opinion.
We were therefore intrigued to learn about the Our Edinburgh Neighbourhood project, which encourages us to reimagine community consultation.
ISSUE 308 – OUT TOMORROW!
As you read this, advance copies of the June Spurtle have already spread across the barony like fresh hail through a spring T-shirt. Gird your goosebumps and embrace the news.
On Page 1 we commence with news of the May election, and ill-advised speculations on a Coalition deal formulated before the real thing emerged just after it was too late to correct ourselves. When in doubt, Shoot the Editor.
We have reports, too, of a bipedal phenomenon newly arrived in Broughton, the botched beginning of beautiful bins, and the grisly end of a local landmark.
SUMMER CONCERT!
An evening of lively music with the Edinburgh Concert Band in support of Waverley Care.
Date and time
Venue
Broughton St Mary's Parish Church, Bellevue Crescent
The pleasures and perils of smorgasbords
Dear Spurtle,
As has been noted here previously, both the City Centre ward and the Leith Walk ward were blessed with a smorgasbord of candidates for the recent local election.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Scotland, there were eight wards which were uncontested because not enough candidates had come forward.
Arguably, the plentitude of candidates and the complexities of the STV system did not go down equally well in the two Spurtleshire wards.
The Conservatives' Jo Mowat was 'first past the quota' and re-elected in the City Centre ward straightaway, no doubt because well-informed voters were aware of her track record as a hard-working, attentive and fair-minded local councillor.
But the SNP's Rob Munn, in the next-door Leith Walk ward, was eliminated at Stage 12. This, despite his own party's recommendation to give him the first preference vote and his well-earned reputation as a decent politician with attention to detail and good local knowledge.
Harald Tobermann
Pilrig Street
LOCAL GOVT ELECTION RESULTS, 2O22
The results for Spurtleshire below are drawn directly from the Council's website.
At this stage, we offer no analysis, other than to note that turnout seems to be in direct negative proportion to the number of hustings held in the area.
Perhaps seeing candidates in the flesh repels more voters than it inspires.
WARD 5 – STOCKBRIDGE AND INVERLEITH
BANDEL, Jule – Scottish Green Party elected at stage 10
MITCHELL, Max – Scottish Conservative and Unionist elected at stage 7