Scott Arthur is a British academic and Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh South West since 2024.
Scott Arthur | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Joanna Cherry |
| Majority | 6,217 (13.6%) |
| Member of City of Edinburgh Council for Colinton/Fairmilehead | |
| In office May 2017 – September 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Abertay University[1] |
Academic career
editSince 2000, Arthur is a professor in the Institute for Infrastructure & Environment at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University.[2]
Arthur has been a co-editor of books covering the International Conference on Advances in Civil Engineering.[3][4]
Political career
editCouncillor
editArthur was elected councillor for the Colinton/Fairmilehead at the 2017 City of Edinburgh Council election as a member of the Labour Party.[5]
In May 2022, Arthur was appointed the transport and environment convener in the Labour Party's minority administration of the City of Edinburgh Council. He said at the time that the position would be interim and he would be standing down in October of that year following a council reshuffle.[6]
As Transport and Environment Convenor in the Council, Arthur was instrumental in advocating a new north-south route for the tram, linking Granton in the North West of the city to the BioQuarter in the South East.[7] A public consultation, originally due in Spring 2024 but since delayed, was promised on two proposed options for the route to Granton. One along what is currently the Roseburn path, and the other along a vehicular route known as ‘Orchard Brae’. Arthur was a strong proponent of the Roseburn option, stating it would link up the tram with the Western General Hospital, along with other congestion-based benefits.[8] The Roseburn option was met with some controversy, with opponents saying the thousands of cyclists who currently use the path would be displaced, and biodiversity benefits to residents and the city’s climate plan would be lost.[9]
Member of Parliament
editIn July 2024, Arthur was elected Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West. Beating the incumbent Scottish National Party candidate Joanna Cherry by 6,217 votes.[10][1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Meet Edinburgh's new MPs: Scott Arthur, Labour MP for Edinburgh South West". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Institute for Infrastructure & Environment". Heriot-Watt Research Portal. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Advances in Civil Engineering. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering. Vol. 184. 2022. doi:10.1007/978-981-16-5547-0. ISBN 978-981-16-5546-3. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Advances in Civil Engineering. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering. Vol. 368. 2024. doi:10.1007/978-981-99-3826-1. ISBN 978-981-99-3825-4. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Election results 2017". The City of Edinburgh Council. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Johnstone, Neil (27 May 2022). "Edinburgh council: Interim transport convener Scott Arthur of Labour vows to deliver where previous administration failed". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Recommended route for Granton to BioQuarter tram". The City of Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Roseburn Path: The battle over whether an old Edinburgh rail line should become a tram route". The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Campaigners fight to save Roseburn Path from Edinburgh tram plan". The Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ Brown, Angie (5 July 2024). "Joanna Cherry loses seat as SNP suffers Edinburgh defeats". BBC News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
External links
edit
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
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