Formerly Fa'side ward, the newly formed Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry ward was created ahead of the 2017 East Lothian Council elections as part of a Boundary Commission shake-up.
The arrival of new town Blindwells on its border along with new housing developments across the ward itself has put pressure on local services and the roads infrastructure particularly in Tranent town centre which can grind to a halt at rush hour.
Demand for a Tranent bypass has been high on the list of priorities for locals for a number of years and remains an issue on the doorstep for people worried about the ever-growing population.
READ MORE: East Lothian Election 2022: New town residents will have first chance to vote
The ward is also set to become the first in East Lothian to have two secondary schools as the new £47million Wallyford learning campus is expected to open in the next two years.
2017 election results
- Kenny McLeod, SNP 24.5% FPv (1,540 total)
- Fiona Dugdale, Labour 20.3% FPv (1,272 total)
- Colin McGinn, Labour 15.3% FPv (1,893 total)
- Gordon Mackett, Conservative 15.7% FPv (1,142)
2022 candidates
All four of the ward's sitting councillors are standing again at next month's elections with all but one elected for the first time in 2017.
While Labour councillors Colin McGinn and Fiona Dugdale won their seat alongside Conservative councillor Gordon Mackett at the last election, Kenny McLeod, SNP candidate, has served the town as a councillor for 15 year and was a community councillor for 15 years before that.
The former Hearts footballer says trust is central to his continued support to represent the town.
He said: "I never promise something I don’t have control off, but always do my hardest to get answers and things done to an acceptable standard in the ward I represent."
Fellow councillor Colin McGinn and his Labour colleague Fiona Dugdale are also long-standing members of the Tranent community.
Colin said: "The last few years as a councillor have thrown up many challenges,
not least during the pandemic. However, I am proud of the Scottish Labour-led administration’s response.
"I am also proud of my own response to my constituents and the work Fiona and I have done."
Gordon Mackett became the first Conservative councillor in the area at the 2017 election and has lived in Tranent his whole life attending school in the town.
Full list of candidates standing in Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry ward
Fiona Dugdale (Scottish Labour Party)
Jimmy Haddow (Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Hazel Hamilton (Alba Party)
Gordon Mackett (Scottish Conservative and Unionist)
Colin McGinn (Scottish Labour Party)
Kenny McLeod (Scottish National Party)
Lee-Anne Menzies (Scottish National Party)
Marnie Stirling (Scottish Green Party)
Elisabeth Mary Wilson (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
