Friday March 13th 2026
Edinburgh City Chambers
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Two Edinburgh councillors have been censured by a standards body after taking part in deliberations on road infrastructure near where they live.
On Wednesday, the Standards Commission for Scotland said Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Ross and Conservative councillor Marie-Clair Munro had been censured.
The commission said they wrongfully took part in discussions around the removal of a ‘quiet route’ restricting traffic through the Braid estate, due to one councillor living on the route and another living nearby.
Works to remove barriers was on hold for over 18 months as complaints against the councillors were investigated.
Transport and Environment convener and Labour councillor Stephen Jenkinson said on social media today the vote to remove the barriers will now be re-run.
A censure is the lowest level of punishment the standards commission – which handles cases involving ethical conduct of councillors – can issue, with the higher levels being suspension of and disqualification from work as a councillor.
A hearing was held yesterday at the City Chambers, where a panel of standards commission members quizzed the pair on the situation.
Dr Lezley Stewart, chair of the hearing committee, said: “The Panel found that Cllrs Ross and Munro failed to declare a non-financial interest in relation to matters concerning the Braid Estate ‘Quiet Route’ and, instead, took part in the discussion and decision-making.
“This was despite them having a connection to the matter by virtue of where they lived.”
The panel determined that Cllr Ross lived on the road adjacent to the road traffic calming measures were installed on while he attended a committee meeting and a councillor workshop in 2023.
And it found Cllr Munro lived on the road the traffic calming measures had been applied to during both the workshop and the meeting, and another transport committee meeting in March 2024.
At the March 2024 meeting, councillors agreed to lift the restrictions placed on the road.
The panel did note that she did not live on the portion of the road affected by the ‘quiet route’.
It was ‘satisfied a connection existed’ between both councillors and the bid to remove the traffic calming measures.
The panel stated that the councillors’ home locations may not have impacted their decision on the quiet route.
But it added that public perceptions of councillors when it comes to decisions of any kind is important.
And it stated that both councillors should have recused themselves from discussion and decisionmaking about the quiet route.
It noted that both councillors were cooperative with the investigative and hearing process, and there was no evidence either councillor benefitted financially or personally.
Cllr Ross told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had said all he wanted to say at the hearing, which was not recorded for later playback. Cllr Munro did not respond to requests for comment.
SNP group leader Simita Kumar said: “This represents a deeply troubling failure of judgement by the Lib Dem and Tory councillors involved.
“Most importantly, it raises serious concerns about the integrity of the decision to rip out measures designed to protect people walking and cycling.”
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