Two new Labour candidates in local election this year

Eunis Jassemi-Zargani is standing to be elected for Bearsden North and Ian Elrick is standing for Bishopbriggs South.

The rest of the team who hope to be elected as local councillors are: Maureen Henry - Milngavie, Manjinder Shergill - Bearden South, Gemma Welsh - Bishopbriggs North and Campsie, Alan Moir - Bishopbrigs South, Rhondda Geekie - Lenzie and Kirkintilloch South and Stewart MacDonald - Kirkintilloch East, North and Twechar.

East Dunbartonshire Council’s local authority elections will be held on May 4 this year.

Due to boundary changes the number of councillors required will reduce from 24 to 22 and the number of Wards from eight to seven in total.

Bishopbriggs North and Torrance has been reconstituted as Bishopbriggs North and Campsie to incorporate the communities of Torrance, Milton of Campsie and Lennoxtown. Kirkintilloch North is now part of Ward Kirkintilloch East, North and Twechar.

Council leader since May 2007 and CoSLA Labour Group Leader, Rhondda Geekie, will lead the Scottish Labour bid to take overall control of the council which she has led as a coalition with other parties since May 2007.

She said: “We shall go to the polls prepared to vigorously defend our record in office because we are immensely proud of the legacy we have delivered.

“Our programme for the future will continue to protect our most vulnerable residents whilst improving the quality of life for all.

“East Dunbartonshire is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. Our schools are some of the very best in the UK and we are regularly appraised as being the most “family friendly” local authority in the UK. That is a record we can be justly proud of.”