The Partick East/Kelvindale (Glasgow) by-election, 18/03/2021: What's Happening?
Updated: Mar 8, 2021
There's a by-election happening in Scotland! But why? What's going on? Find out below!
Background
The Conservative councillor, Tony Curtis, lost his seat after failing to attend council meetings for six months. He was elected in 2017 but quit the party in July 2020 due to disagreement with the party’s dealings with the fitness industry during Covid-19.
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 states that a member of a local authority loses office if they do not attend a meeting at least once in any six-month period.
This has triggered a by-election in the Partick East/Kelvindale (Glasgow) area. A by-election is an election used to fill in a vacant position in between the usual elections.
What are councils?
Scotland has 32 local authorities. Each of these authorities is governed by a council. Councils have the following powers and duties:
Mandatory duties – such as providing schooling for 5-16 year olds and social work services
Permissive powers – such as economic development and recreation services
Regulatory powers – such as trading standards, environmental health and licensing for taxis and public houses
What are councillors?
Councils in Scotland operate independently of central government and are accountable to their electorate, not Scottish ministers, for the provision of services
Councillors have four key roles:
Decision making – councillors attend council meetings, and some may have specific roles in relation to policy making, delivery of services and use of resources.
Scrutiny – councillors may sit on panels or committees which scrutinise existing policies and service deliveries
Regulatory functions – some council committees have a quasi-legal role
Representation – Councillors represent their ward by meeting with the residents and interest groups as well as dealing with issues in the area. They may also attend community council meetings where they can discuss issues with other councillors, council officers and the community.
Candidates
Blair Anderson (Green)
Free Public Transport
Affordable Housing for All
Net-Zero Glasgow by 2030
Support for tenants and workers
Naveed Asghar (Conservative)
‘Local issues will be at the heart of my campaign. I want to ensure we come out of the pandemic, our kids get the help they need, our businesses are supported to sustain jobs and services in the West End are protected.’
Abdul Bostani (SNP) *
Jill Brown (Labour)
understands the impact that cuts have on the delivery of local services
good quality local services are a must and that means making sure our bins are emptied, streets cleaned, bus routes are operating and more now than ever that our open spaces such as parks are accessible and well maintained.
She believes we must support our social care staff doing such important work in our communities.
Tahir Jameel (Liberal Democrat)
Young people must be provided with a platform to have a voice which will be listened to and acted upon. I wish to be your ambassador and advocate Human rights this is a core principle of the Liberal Democrats and something I hold close to my heart.
My vision is to ensure that education creates a better society and stamps out ignorance. Together we will make a difference, change attitudes and create unity.
Donald Mackay (UKIP) *
*No clear policies announced as of 4/03/2021
Jonas Volkwein (Head of Policy and News Analysis)