East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance facts for kids

The East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance was a small political group in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It had members on the East Dunbartonshire Council for several years. The party was represented by councillors Jack Young and Charles Kennedy. They were elected to serve the local community.

What Was the East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance?

This group was a political party that worked in the area of East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It aimed to represent local people's interests. The party had councillors on the East Dunbartonshire Council. These councillors helped make decisions for the local area.

How It Started

The East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance was formed by two councillors. Their names were Charles Kennedy and Jack Young. They had both been members of the Labour Party before.

From Labour to Independent

Charles Kennedy was first elected as a Labour councillor in 1984. He served on the council for many years. He was even a leader of the Labour group. Jack Young also became a Labour councillor in 2003.

In 2004, Charles Kennedy left the Labour Party. This happened because he supported another politician, Jean Turner. She was an independent Member of the Scottish Parliament. Jack Young then also left the Labour Party to support Kennedy. Both decided to continue as independent councillors. This meant they did not belong to a big political party anymore.

Forming a New Group

In November 2004, Kennedy and Young announced a new group. They first thought of calling it the "Strathkelvin People's Independent Labour Party." Their goal was to work on local issues. For example, they wanted to help keep services at Stobhill General Hospital. They also wanted to help people who were unhappy with how the East Dunbartonshire Council was working.

The group officially registered with the Electoral Commission. The name they registered was the East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance. This is the name they used for their political activities.

Elections and Members

The East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance took part in local elections. They wanted to get more people elected to the council.

First Elections

In the local elections on 3 May 2007, the party had six candidates. These were people who wanted to become councillors. However, only Charles Kennedy and Jack Young were re-elected. They continued to represent their local areas.

Later Elections

Both Charles Kennedy and Jack Young were re-elected again on 3 May 2012. At this election, the party only put forward two candidates. These were Kennedy and Young themselves.

The End of the Party

Charles Kennedy passed away on 13 July 2012. After his death, no one from the Independent Alliance stood in the special election that followed.

The party was officially removed from the Electoral Commission's list on 11 October 2012. Jack Young then became an independent councillor again. He retired from the council at the next election in May 2017.