Council says no SDL march

THE Liberal Democrat-SNP coalition has clung on to power in Edinburgh, after the Nationalists managed to fight off a challenge from the Conservatives in a by- election.

Conservative candidate Iain McGill lost out to SNP rival Alasdair Rankin by only 104 votes under the proportional representation system used for local elections.

Mr McGill had been ahead in the first four rounds of voting, only to see his rival edge ahead when Labour candidate Karen Doran’s lower-preference votes were transferred to the other two candidates.

Mr Rankin vowed to ensure the council coalition remained intact, saying it was “in the best interests of the city, despite humiliation for the Lib Dems in coming last in the poll”.

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Alistair Hodgson, came behind independent John Carson, who stood on an anti-tram ticket.

But Mr Rankin said the national political picture and criticism of the Lib Dems’ part in the UK coalition had been a bigger factor than any public discontent about the trams.

He said: “We did campaign on the trams and have been saying it had the potential to become a huge financial millstone around the neck of the council.

“We just want to see the whole thing resolved at the lowest possible cost to the council now.”