A by-election will be held in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward following the resignation of Councillor Marco Biagi.

On Thursday 23 January 2025, Colinton/Fairmilehead residents will go to the polls to select a new councillor to represent the ward. The ward, which also covers Bonaly, Dreghorn, Oxgangs and Swanston has a current electorate of 19,907.  Last week, on 14 November, the ward had a by-election where Councillor Louise Spence was elected to replace Councillor Scott Arthur who is now MP for Edinburgh South West.

On Friday 6 December the formal Notice of Election will be published and the Election Timetable, Election Notices and Nomination Papers will all be accessible from the City of Edinburgh Council website.

The Returning Officer, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, Paul Lawrence said:

Last week’s by-election saw the highest turnout for a mainland council by-election this year, and I hope the residents of Colinton/ Fairmilehead will show similar enthusiasm in January when they have the opportunity to choose their new councillor.

 I want to wish outgoing councillor, Marco Biagi, well in his future role and thank him for his service on the Council.

Candidates will be confirmed when nominations close at 4pm on Thursday 17 December.

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 23 January.

The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system where voters can rank candidates in order of preference rather than using a single cross. Voters can give a rank to as many or as few candidates as they like.

Find out more about elections in Edinburgh and how to register to vote on the Council website.