Edinburgh’s Portobello/Craigmillar ward will go to the polls on Thursday as the SNP looks to hold the seat in a City of Edinburgh Council by-election.
Silas McGilvray is standing for the party after Kate Campbell resigned from the council earlier this year. Ms Campbell quit after being elected MSP for Edinburgh Eastern Musselburgh and Tranent.
Longtime activist steps forward
Mr McGilvray has been involved with the SNP since the independence referendum 12 years ago. He said his interest in politics grew after university and through his early work experience in Edinburgh.
“When I started working after university, that really made me want to be more involved,” he told News Briefing Team.
“I remember the first internship I had at university, at a wee educational charity in Edinburgh. I remember I found everything, even the menial stuff, exciting and motivating, knowing that the work was going to have an impact.
“Since then, I have wanted to have a career that makes the world or some corner of it a bit better. For me politics and government are an important part of that.”
He currently works as a project officer at Healthcare Improvement Scotland and said human rights are a major focus for him.
“I’ve done a bit of work around human rights at different points in my career,” he said.
“When you think of human rights, local councils aren’t usually what you think of, but if human rights is about people’s basic needs being met, then local councils are integral to that.
“They provide the services people need and make sure they can access them.”
Housing and services in focus
Mr McGilvray said housing has been the most common issue raised during the campaign in Portobello/Craigmillar, which he described as a diverse ward with both wealthier and less wealthy areas.
“Regardless of where you are, one thing that always comes up is housing. That is something that people are very aware of, everyone has got a son or daughter or friend who has had issues with housing,” he said.
“We need to make sure that new housing developments have amenities and services built in. There are a few new developments in the ward, they go up but there has not always been full consideration of schools and transport links and services and shops and things like that.”
Campaign message and rivals
The SNP hopeful said he is optimistic about the party’s chances against the Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour, pointing to recent movement in the polls.
“There has been a lot of shuffling in the polls, in particular with Labour and the Greens,” he said, “so that will be interesting to watch in this ward.
“We’re hearing SNP on the door, which is what we like to hear.”
Asked why progressive voters should back the SNP, Mr McGilvray argued that his party offers a more pragmatic approach than its rivals.
He pointed to Labour councillors breaking up the SNP-Labour coalition on the council after the 2022 local elections.
“There’s a lot of differences in their approach and attitude to doing politics,” he said.
“I was a bit dismayed that there was a veto of the coalition agreement that we had with Labour in the previous administration.
“We didn’t agree on everything, but there was enough overlap there for us to work progressively at a city level. It was very disappointing to see them break off from that and work with the LibDems and the Conservatives.
“They are running the city with a very small number of councillors and that is taking its toll.”
He also argued the SNP is better placed than the Greens to influence decisions on the council.
“I think it is important to remember that the SNP, though not the administration, is the largest group on the council and have been able to leverage influence to make some changes and have a real impact.
“It is important for wards to have representation as part of that group. The SNP is a little more pragmatic than the Greens are.”
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