Newly elected Lib Dem quits Edinburgh council after her house is put up for sale one day after winning as a 'local' champion

A Lib Dem elected to Edinburgh Council last week has quit after her house was put on the market just one day after running a campaign about living locally. Louise Spence has stood down over a change in "circumstances". Her party said that for personal reasons she would be spending time outside of Edinburgh, but declined to say if it was abroad.

Her decision to quit the council came after a Daily Record investigation into the timing of her house sale.

Senior Labour councillor in Edinburgh Stephen Jenkinson said: “This is the most outrageous thing I’ve ever heard of in local politics."

Tory MSP Miles Briggs said: "This is quite unbelievable."

Spence won in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward on November 14 after a hard fought election that saw her take the seat from Labour. A key part of her campaign was trumpeting her local roots and criticising rivals for living in different parts of the city.

In one leaflet, she said the ward deserved a councillor “who lives here”, with an arrow next to the Colinton district where she lived. The leaflet boasted she was a “real local champion” who would be a “local councillor who lives here”. She also attacked the Labour candidate for living in Sciennes and the sitting Tory councillor who she said lives in Stockbridge.

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But we found out Spence’s home in Colinton was put on the market on November 15th - the day after the election. The four bedroom detached bungalow is available at offers over £730,000. The Lib Dems told us Spence would be splitting her time between Edinburgh and somewhere outside of Edinburgh. They did not say if it was overseas or in another part of the UK.

Spence said: “I have had a sudden change in personal circumstances which meant I couldn't in all conscience fulfil my role as a councillor. At this time, my focus must be with my family. I have informed my Liberal Democrat colleagues of my changed circumstances and offered my resignation. The Liberal Democrats rightly set high standards in terms of the service their local councillors provide. I myself argued that Colinton & Fairmilehead needed a local champion. While it would have been legally possible for me to continue as a councillor, I don’t believe it would be right to do so with my focus elsewhere.

“This is why I have made the difficult decision to resign my council seat. With another by-election already due in the ward in February because of the SNP councillor’s resignation, my decision means this new vacancy can be filled at the same time; at no extra cost to the taxpayer. This is clearly the right thing to do for Colinton & Fairmilehead. However, I know my decision will be deeply disappointing and frustrating for those who voted for me, for my council group colleagues and for all the Liberal Democrats who fought so hard to win the by-election. I am truly sorry at what has happened.”

It means three councillors will be elected in by-elections in the ward in a short space of time. Spence was elected after former Labour councillor Scott Arthur became an MP. Marco Biagi resigned from the council recently to become a Scottish Government special adviser. Spence’s resignation will trigger a by-election for the election of two new councillors next year.

Jenkinson added: "Louise Spence conned her party, her activists but worst of all she conned the people who voted for her. What a disgrace. No one will trust a Libdem leaflet or a Libdem candidate here ever again."

Kevin Lang, Lib Dem council group leader in Edinburgh, said: “As a council group, we are feeling a lot of hurt right now. We all worked hard on Louise’s campaign and did so in good faith. Louise's news was shared with the group for the first time on Thursday and once her changed circumstances were clear, we were in agreement that she had to resign immediately. We make no apology for setting ourselves high standards as Liberal Democrat councillors. All of us work hard for our local communities and serve our constituents to the best of our ability."

In the wake of Spence’s win, Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “I’d like to thank everyone who helped on this campaign and congratulate Louise Spence on her victory. Louise will be a local champion for Colinton & Fairmilehead. This win is a huge statement of ambition from the Scottish Liberal Democrats. We spent this campaign talking about the things that matter most to people from local healthcare to the state of our city and voters have responded in droves.”

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