Independent councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie Ross McKenzie has joined the Scottish Green Party and has been welcomed as the newest member of the Green Group on Edinburgh Council as a Green-aligned independent member. The announcement means the Green Group now have eleven councillors, the same number as the ruling Labour administration and one more than the Conservative group.
Elected representatives who join the Scottish Greens are required by Party rules to sit as Green-aligned independents until the next election, but may join Green Councillor groups.
Cllr McKenzie’s application to join the Scottish Greens was unanimously approved by the party’s National Council on Saturday 6 December. He has signed a collaboration agreement with the Co-Convenors of the Edinburgh Green Group, which covers how he will work with the Greens. He will represent the Greens on committees, but will not be a spokesperson.
Cllr McKenzie was elected in 2022 as a Labour councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie ward. He left Labour in 2023 after they formed an administration with support from the Tories and Lib Dems. Since then, Ross has sat as an independent, working on an issue-by-issue basis with the Green group of councillors to push for change in the capital.
Cllr Ross McKenzie said:
“Since leaving the Labour Party, I have worked closely with my Scottish Green colleagues in Edinburgh to make a fairer, greener city for all.
“In the face of a disastrous Labour administration propped up by the Tories and Lib Dems, we need a strong left-wing alternative in our capital city, putting people and planet before profit.
“I’ve heard time and again from my constituents’ concerns about housing, social care, planning and public spaces, and I’m in no doubt that the most effective way for me to represent those concerns is by working as closely as possible with the Greens.
“Labour have abandoned their core principles of standing up for the working-class across our country, they would rather hold onto power with the backing of Tories than improve our city for people and planet.”
Edinburgh Green group co-convenor Cllr Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill said:
“Green councillors have worked constructively with Ross since he left the Labour party, and have always found him to be highly principled and incredibly hard working. We are delighted that his Scottish Greens party membership application has now been approved, which will allow us to deepen our joint working with Ross to the benefit of everyone seeking a fairer, more equal capital city.”
Edinburgh Green Group co-convenor Cllr Chas Booth said:
“I’m delighted to welcome Ross as a Green-aligned independent member of the Edinburgh Green Group. He is a passionate advocate for his constituents and has a deep sense of justice. More and more people who want to stand up against the far right, rather than pander to them and those who seek a fairer society through redistribution of wealth are finding a home in the Greens. As an unapologetically left-wing party, we welcome them and look forward to working with them in the future.”
Edinburgh Green Councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie, Dan Heap said:
“Ross has been a dedicated local councillor during his time in Labour and as an independent, and is highly regarded by local people as a fighter for their interests. I am delighted to be working alongside him to help make the area we represent greener and fairer.”