| Scott Arthur | |
| Office: | Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West |
| Term Start: | 4 July 2024 |
| Majority: | 6,217 (13.6%) |
| Predecessor: | Joanna Cherry |
| Party: | Labour |
Scott Arthur is a British academic and Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West since 2024.
In July 2024, Arthur was a professor in the Institute for Infrastructure & Environment at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University.[1]
Arthur has been a co-editor of multiple books covering the International Conference on Advances in Civil Engineering.[2] [3]
Arthur was elected councillor for the Colinton/Fairmilehead at the 2017 City of Edinburgh Council election as a member of the Labour Party.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
In 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.[9] [10]