Stephen Jardine: Before you vote, ask if they’re local

WHEN it comes to voting in next week’s local elections, what factors will influence your choice ? Potholes, parking and the state of schools usually loom large, unless of course you live in Edinburgh, where the endless trams fiasco is likely to dominate to the exclusion of everything else.

This weekend will be the big final push for most of the parties, so expect a leaflet on the doormat or a local candidate at the door at the worst possible moment. But if you take the time to talk to them and when you sit down and make your mind up about how to vote, another consideration should also be affecting your choice.

Food always has been and always will be a political issue. Look how the current Scottish Government has prioritised food and drink and is using it to drive a nationalist agenda. But local government also has a key role to play in the part food plays in our day-to-day lives.

Since the last local elections in 2007, we’ve seen a major change in the way we buy our food. At about that time, the supermarket giants reached planning capacity with their big stores, so they turned their attention instead to the local convenience market.

Tesco now has 18 branches of its Metro and Express brands in Edinburgh. Sainsbury’s has ten local stores in the capital. Together they have changed the face of local communities. On the plus side they have brought long opening hours and standardised products. On the downside, they have delivered a dull shopping experience and driven local shopkeepers out of business.

The government’s response to this was to get Mary Portas to write a report and put it on a shelf. They don’t have the appetite for a fight over food with the big supermarkets. Local government could provide the battleground.

When the popular Peckham’s food shop closed in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh, earlier this year, Sainsbury’s quickly moved in, despite opposition from local traders and residents. Under current legislation, it didn’t even have to go through the planning process, but the resulting outrage could lead to change.

Edinburgh city council has written to the Scottish Government demanding new legislation that would force supermarkets to go through planning before taking over small independent stores. Most of the time, legal muscle means they will still get what they want, but at least these unelected dictators of our shopping habits will be opened up to some uncomfortable questions.

It’s time our local politicians defended our communities and stood up to the supermarket giants by demanding meetings with developers and picking apart applications. The next few days are the chance for you to have your say. Check what the candidates have to say on this. Then vote for local politicians who really care about local food and local life.