Voters will go to the polls tomorrow [Thursday] to elect a new Glasgow councillor following the death of former Labour group leader Malcolm Cunning.
Nine candidates are hoping to replace Cllr Cunning, who died in September at the age of 65, as a representative for the Linn ward.
Residents in Castlemilk, Croftfoot, Simshill and the village of Carmunnock as well as parts of Cathcart, King’s Park and Muirend will be able to vote.
READ MORE: Glasgow rubbish 'public health emergency' warning as city 'drowning in waste'
The city’s Labour group has selected John Carson, who previously stood in Anderston/City/Yorkhill at May’s council election, while the SNP has picked Chris Lang-Tait.
Pauline Sutherland, who contested the Drumchapel/Anniesland seat in May, is the Conservatives candidate, Jen Bell has been chosen by the Greens and Joe McCauley, who stood in Linn in May, is the Liberal Democrats’ representative.
There are also candidates from Alba, UKIP, the Scottish Socialist Party and the Freedom Alliance.
Two Labour and two SNP candidates were elected for Linn in May, with Cllr Cunning collecting the most first preference votes. Paul McCabe, Margaret Morgan [both SNP] and Catherine Vallis [Labour] were also elected. Incumbent Conservative councillor Euan Blockley lost his seat.
The SNP currently has 37 councillors in Glasgow while Labour, following Cllr Cunning’s death, has 35. The Greens have 10 and the Conservatives have two.
Voting will take place between 7am and 10pm and a list of polling station can be found on the council website.
Meet the candidates
John Carson, the Labour candidate, is a union rep who grew up in the Linn ward. He said: “I spend my time standing up for a fair deal for postal workers. Now, I am asking the opportunity to do the exact same for the people of Linn.
“When Labour councillor Malcolm Cunning passed away, it shocked so many of us. I’ve lived in Linn since I was two and my friends and family are connected to very part of it.
“We know how hard Malcolm worked for us and that is a legacy that pushes me forward every day. I am standing in this election to fight for the local communities in Linn that I have grown up with, because I know when we stand together we achieve more than we achieve alone.
“We witnessed this in the community-led campaign to reopen our Couper Library and will need to do the same in opposing the £119m of SNP spending cuts.
Chris Lang-Tait, SNP, also grew up the Linn ward, where he still lives today, and has over 20 years experience as a youth and community worker. He said he is “passionate about empowering our communities to make them the best they can possibly be”.
“For several years I have been a member of Castlemilk Community Council. In this time I have developed a unique understanding of local issues and will be able to hit the ground running as your new councillor.
“I will work tirelessly to help improve the lives of my constituents in the face of the worst cost of living crisis most of us have ever seen. And I am passionate in my belief that the only way to end the chaos of Westminster governments is with independence.”
Jen Bell, the Greens candidate, said her party wants to “transform our city” for “people and planet”. “I’ve always taken an interest in politics,” she said. “As a working-class woman, I’ve never had the luxury not to.
“Ever-increasing poverty, inequality and climate breakdown threaten everyone and everything I know and love. Instead of complaining, I wanted to do something about it. That’s why I’m standing.
“In Linn ward, Greens already secured the funding to reopen the Couper, and I’ll protect funding for all our libraries and community venues. I’ll help restore and invest in our beautiful green spaces, reopening Linn Park and preserving King’s Park.
“I’ll fight to restore full service to the Cathcart Circle. And I’ll advocate for true justice in our local infrastructure: wider pavements, more lighting, proper drainage and safe active travel routes. To take our streets back from potholes and traffic, and reclaim them for children and families.”
Pauline Sutherland, for the Conservatives, was born and brought up in Castlemilk, and has promised to be a “straight-talking councillor who gets things done for the Linn ward”.
“I want to change the status quo across our city’s politics,” she said. “The SNP administration running Glasgow City Council is not delivering for Glasgow and are ignoring working class communities like the ones across Linn who need someone fighting for them.
“Labour is now completely incapable of standing up to the administration. They could not even back our plans to stand up for our cabbies and implement a delay to the low emission zone, which could put many of them out of business.”
Joe McCauley, the Liberal Democrat candidate, wants to show disability shouldn’t stand in the way of seeking election. He survived a seizure and stroke-like symptoms in 2019 and was eventually diagnosed with Leigh disease last year, which impacts his speech, coordination and ability to walk.
“As a disabled person, you can count on me to right hard to protect our local NHS services and hold the government to account for their healthcare failures.
“I know Glasgow Linn inside out because I have worked countless days and nights campaigning on matters important to you from protecting our green space, to cleaning up our streets and improving local transport.”
He added: “I have real-life experience and strong family roots in Glasgow Linn which drives me to bring positive change. We have many diverse communities that deserve a strong independent-minded voice that will always fight for a fairer deal.”
Kirsty Fraser , for ALBA, said: “Scotland is energy rich. We have some of the largest wind and tidal resources in the world and we are self-sufficient in oil and gas.
“Therefore it’s an absurdity that people in Linn ward and across Scotland are facing fuel poverty this winter and we have a city council selling off our assets to ensure that women get paid the equal pay claims they fought hard for.”
She added the cost of living crisis “created by Westminster needs independence to escape from it”. “But in the here and now there are things the council can do that’ll make a difference. In April next year for the first time ever the UK Government is set to refuse to increase pensions and benefits in line with inflation.
“To help mitigate this I will advocate for a freeze on council tax near year and a freeze on the cost of all council services that are charged for.”
George Willis MacDougall , the Scottish Socialist Party candidate, is a community activist and union rep who said the Linn ward has been “taken for granted for too long” and promised “unique, concrete socialist solutions to the problems blighting people”.
“Millions suffer fuel poverty while energy companies make obscene profits,” he said. “The SSP demands investment in thousands of new council jobs to insulate, draught-proof and install new eco-boilers in every home, free of charge.
“Instead of SNP/Green councillors’ plans to cut £120m off jobs and services, the SSP demands ‘no cuts council budgets’ and a mass campaign to win back some of the £5bn stolen off Scotland by Westminster, passed down by Holyrood to local councils.”
Christopher Ho , representing UKIP , has been a GP in Scotland for ten years and describes himself as a “well-integrated immigrant” who has lived here for 20 years in total.
“I chose to stand for UKIP as I believe in controlled immigration, fiscal responsibility, small government, free market capitalism, meritocracy, individual rights and above all freedom of speech,” he said.
“Therefore, I stand against the wokeness of the other political parties, collectivism of the socialists/Marxists, uncontrolled immigration and government spending and any anti-white/racist agenda.”
The Freedom Alliance is standing Di McMillan as a candidate and was also approached for comment. The party was formed to oppose coronavirus legislation and lockdowns.
READ NEXT:
Soldier 'couldn't see in the dark' before shooting Paisley comrade dead in military exercise tragedy
Disturbing footage shows Lanarkshire families at war with guns, machetes and baseball bats
Car crashes into house and bursts into flames on quiet Glasgow street
Lanarkshire family living in 'I'm a Celebrity' horror as swarms of bees and ants invade their home
New Glasgow 'tenements' with over 130 flats approved for Lidl car park despite 300 objections
