Edinburgh
Liberal Democrats

Drum Brae / Gyle ward

Drum Brae/Gyle Councillors.
Drum Brae/Gyle Councillors.

Drum Brae/Gyle ward covers the communities of Barntongate, Bughtlin, Clermiston, Clerwood, Drum Brae, East Craigs, Forrester Park, North Gyle, Parkgrove, South Gyle and parts of West Craigs.

Working as a team with Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP and Christine Jardine MP, local councillors Robert Aldridge and Ed Thornley are strong voices for the area and fight hard to get things done locally.

Sign up for email updates...

You can opt-out at any time
The Liberal Democrats may use the information you provide, including your political opinions, to further our objectives and share it with our elected representatives. Any data we gather will be used in accordance with our privacy policy: libdems.org.uk/privacy. You can exercise your rights and withdraw your consent to future communications by contacting us: data.protection@libdems.org.uk or: DPO, Lib Dems, 66 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AU.

Councillor Ed Thornley

Ed has been a councillor since 2022, and lives locally in East Craigs. He is currently the Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the Council.  

Together with Councillor Robert Aldridge, he is campaigning for:

  • Action to tackle the terrible state of local roads, paths and pavements
  • Fighting for flood mitigations in North Gyle
  • Better access to convenient and reliable public transport
  • Investment in our parks and green spaces, and working with Friends of Parks groups
  • Better lighting in green spaces so people can feel safe when walking
  • Improvements to road safety across our communities, especially near schools

He sits on the Culture & Communities and Policy & Sustainability Committees.

Contact details on edinburgh.gov.uk

Cllr Ed Thornley

Councillor Robert Aldridge

Robert has been a councillor for Drum Brae/Gyle for over 30 years and he lives locally in Barntongate.

Robert was unanimously elected as Edinburgh's Lord Provost, meaning he chairs meetings of the Council and is also the civic head of the city and the ex-officio Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh.

Robert has a long record of service and action for and with the local community and he has a strong reputation for getting things done.

  • He campaigned successfully with local residents for the Drum Brae Leisure Centre and for the Drum Brae Library Hub, which have both been hugely successful.
  • He chaired the Neighbourhood Partnership’s Environment Committee leading to improvements in parks across the Drum Brae/Gyle area and targeted anti-litter campaigns.
  • He has championed more local decision making – especially in promoting the Youth Decides initiative locally, where young people recommend local projects for funding.
  • He championed the new gym hall at East Craigs Primary school and the development of the new Buttercup Farm Park.

For all his time as a councillor, Robert has fought to protect local green spaces from development. Most recently he opposed the recently rejected development proposals for yet more housing on greenbelt at Cammo.

Contact details on edinburgh.gov.uk

Latest news

The latest updates from your local Scottish Liberal Democrat team and Cllr Robert Aldridge and Cllr Ed Thornley
Lib Dem cllrs at the playpark
Drum Brae / Gyle

Clermiston Park Playpark

The Lib Dem team have been working with the Friends of Clermiston Park to try and speed up work to replace the play park in Clermiston Park.

7 Oct 2025
View
Lib Dem cllrs in gogarloch
Drum Brae / Gyle

Road Safety in Gogarloch Update

After a petition by Gogarloch residents was submitted to the Council’s Transport Committee, safety concerns on Gogarloch Road will be considered for funding next year.

7 Oct 2025
View
Drum Brae / Gyle

Overhaul of Barnton Junction Planned

Plans to overhaul the Barnton Junction, to improve traffic flow and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists, will be consulted on later this year.

31 Jul 2025
View

This website uses cookies

Like most websites, this site uses cookies. Some are required to make it work, while others are used for statistical or marketing purposes. If you choose not to allow cookies some features may not be available, such as content from other websites. Please read our Cookie Policy for more information.

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.
Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertisements. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.