Council future uncertain as SNP member quits for US

THE Liberal Democrat-SNP coalition which has ruled Edinburgh for the past four years could lose its hold on the city after a Nationalist councillor today announced he is to quit.

• David Beckett

David Beckett, the SNP councillor for the City Centre ward, is moving to the United States to take up a place at Harvard University. He will stand down on June 30 and a by-election to fill his seat is expected to take place in August.

The result in the City Centre ward at the last election in 2007 was so close that almost anyone could win. With the arithmetic on the council finely balanced, an SNP defeat would remove the coalition's narrow advantage. That could technically lead to a change of administration on the council.

The Lib Dems' 17 seats and the SNP's 12 currently give the coalition exactly half of the 58 councillors, which means they have to rely on the casting vote of the Lord Provost if there is a united opposition from the other parties.

Today Andrew Burns, the city's Labour group leader, said: "If the SNP loses this by-election, the current coalition will have lost the moral authority to run the city."

But he ruled out any prospect of Labour getting together with the Lib Dems to form a new coalition. He said: "There is absolutely no way we would prop up the Lib Dems. They have let Edinburgh down badly in the last four years."

SNP group leader Steve Cardownie acknowledged the by-election would be "a challenge" but said he was confident the party could hold the seat.

He said: "This does put us in a position we would rather not be in, but David has been offered a place at Harvard. We are talking about his future, the party cannot stand in his way.

"We are the only party on the council that has voted against the trams and the turmoil the project has created in the city centre and we hope the electorate will repay the SNP for that."

He claimed the administration had an "excellent" track record. "We inherited a dire situation and we have got things back on an even keel. For the first time ever, every department was within budget and we have built up the reserves."

At the 2007 election in the City Centre ward, all five parties were within four per cent of each other. The SNP came top with 20.4 per cent of first preferences, followed by the Tories with 20.2 per cent, the Lib Dems on 19.9 per cent, Labour on 18 per cent and the Greens on 17 per cent.

Councillor Beckett, 28, said he had been offered a place to study for a Masters in education policy and management at Harvard and felt he could not let the opportunity go by.

He said: "I'm very sad to leave the council, but having talked it over with family, friends and colleagues, I think it's something I would regret for the rest of my life if I turned it down."

He agreed the by-election would be tight. "The City Centre is probably the most closely contested ward in the city."

He said it had been a great honour to represent the City Centre and to serve as vice- convener of the council's children and families committee.