A CITY Council election, estimated to cost the taxpayer £80,000 is set to go ahead early next year.
A new councillor for the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward of Edinburgh is to be elected after an SNP councillor left to take up a specialist advisor role in the Scottish Government.
Marco Biagi triggered the by-election when he stepped down just a week after Labour MP Scott Arthur stepped down from his position on the city council.
The SNP councillor was offered and accepted a role as a special advisor to the Scottish Government announcing his departure from the city council last week.
Biagi will earn somewhere between £70,000 and £100,000 in his new role according to estimations.
The electoral management board of Scotland have said that the by-election to replace Biagi will cost taxpayers £50,000-£80,000.
Nominations for candidates will close on Thursday December 17 with voting taking place on January 23.
The previous by-election, which saw Lib Dem councillor Louise Watson Spence take Scott Arthur’s seat, had the highest turnout for a mainland council by-election this year.
It saw a voter turnout of of 37.4% with the Lib Dem candidate Louise Watson Spence taking 2,683 first preference votes.
The Returning Officer, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, Paul Lawrence said: “Last week’s by-election saw the highest turnout for a mainland council by-election this year.
“I hope the residents of Colinton/ Fairmilehead will show similar enthusiasm in January when they have the opportunity to choose their new councillor.
“I want to wish outgoing councillor, Marco Biagi, well in his future role and thank him for his service on the Council.”
