Four seasons in one canvassing day...

As the old saying goes, "If you don't like the weather in Edinburgh, hang around 5 minutes".

That was certainly the case in Craigmount, Wester Broom and South Gyle today as I experienced hail, snow, sunshine and freezing cold conditions during a positive day on the campaign trail.

It was an interesting and educational day, discussing issues such as schools, elderly care (I was actually horrified at one particular story relayed to me), potholes and parking on pavements with 100's of residents.  I even had one resident tell me that she put a fence round her garden as a result of finding two youths having sex in her garden!! 

It is abundently clear that a lot of people are looking for change at the Council come May 3rd.

Now, I am not as deluded as some to suggest that everyone is voting for me.  That would be foolish and unwise.  Indeed, I still chuckle at the level of activists and candidates who proclaim on Twitter etc to have had a cliche-tastic 'great day on the doorstep'. 

However, with my growing record of action delivered in the ward since my selection, together with more positive outcomes to be announced shortly, I believe that I have made and will continue to make the case to encourage residents to come out on May 3rd and vote Conservative for a change.   

Winter Weather Preparation a must for Drum Brae / Gyle

I've been working hard recently to keep up the pressure on the Council to ensure the city is prepared for winter weather.

Thanks to my Conservative colleagues at the City Chambers, the city is now better prepared if we have a repeat of the terrible weather we had last winter. Whilst the city centre was cleared relatively quickly, it was the outlying areas such as the Drum Brae / Gyle area that took too long to clear.

The following actions will take place should snow fall like last year:

1: More roads have been designated 'Category 1' meaning they will be cleared with greater urgency. For an interactive map of where your local grit bin is, and information on what category your road is, search online for 'Edinburgh Council' and Winter road and pavement maintenance'

2: 680km of Priority 1 pavements have been identified to be treated by the Council's 20 mini-tractors in the event of snow. These include pedestrian access to schools, medical facilities and essential local shopping areas.

3: Increased the Council's salt stocks from 7200 tonnes that were held at the start of last winter, to over 25,000 tonnes to be in place by the end of October.

If you have any further queries or issues, please do not hesitate to get in touch, or if you have any questions regarding the above items, please contact the Council's Winter Weather Team or email: winter.maintenance@edinburgh.gov.uk or call 0131 529 3685