Four of Edinburgh’s Scottish Green councillors will not seek re-election at the council elections in May 2027, the party announced on 7 October.
Susan Rae, Leith Walk councillor since 2017, has cited health reasons for her decision to stand down. She holds the Green Councillor Group portfolios for Economy and Fair Work, and for Licensing and Regulation.
Jule Bandel, elected for Inverleith in May 2022 and holder of the Equalities portfolio, is also stepping down due to medical reasons.
Claire Miller, City Centre councillor since May 2017 and holder of the Finance portfolio, will also not seek re-election, but has given no public reason.
Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill, councillor for Forth, became a Scottish Green MSP in May 2026. Her decision not to seek another council term will allow her to focus on her Holyrood responsibilities.
Edinburgh Greens co-convenor Alys Mumford paid tribute to the outgoing councillors, describing Rae as a “tower of strength in Leith Walk,” and wishing both her and Bandel a “speedy and full recovery.”
Their departure comes at a high point of retention for the Scottish Greens in Edinburgh Council. They now hold 12 of Edinburgh Council’s 63 seats, after Lorenzo Martinico took Portobello/Craigmillar from the SNP in a by-election this September.
The party also made gains at Holyrood in May, winning 15 MSPs – up from eight in 2021. This includes Lorna Slater, who won the seat for Edinburgh Central.
In the May 2027 local elections, the Greens will need to defend these four seats without the advantage of incumbent councillors. In 2022, both Forth and Inverleith were won on the final seat, with Bandel beating the Liberal Democrats by just 46 votes.
They remain optimistic however, with co-convenor Ben Parker declaring in May that they were already “preparing for the Council elections,” with an “excellent pipeline of candidates and a fantastic manifesto” to come. He added that “momentum is with the Greens,” and that he was excited for the year ahead.
“Edinburgh Council building – geograph.org.uk – 1315978” by kim traynor is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
