Callum Leslie (Scottish Liberal Democrats)

Who is he?

Liberal Democrat candidate for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

Callum is 23 and lives with his partner Sarah and their cat Sesame.

He previously stood for election in 2012 in the Kirkcaldy East council ward.

 

Workin life:

Attended to Balwearie High School before studying at the University of Edinburgh.

Callum now works as a computer games industry writer and broadcaster for an international media outlet.

Scottish Liberal Democrats election pledges:

  • To balance the budget by cutting less than the Conservatives and spending less than Labour or the SNP. 

  • To Increase tax-free allowance to £12,500, and increase tax on high earners. 

  • To spend £2.5 billion to guarantee education funding from nursery to age 19 and to ensure a qualified teacher is in every class. 

  • To increase NHS focus on mental health issues and invest £8 billion in the health service. 

  • New laws to tackle climate change and help wildlife.

About Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Kirkcaldy is officially the most populated town in Fife, home to just under 50,000 people, and nicknamed "the lang toun" due to its historic high street, which at one time stretched to four miles long.

The town was the world leader in Linoleum manufacturing until the 1970's, but has since become an administrative, service, and retail centre for the wider Fife area. 

Cowdenbeath is a forming coal mining town with a population of around 11,640.

Burntisland, Dalgety Bay, Dysart, Kelty, and Lochgelly are the other towns in the constituency, which includes the villages of Aberdour, Auchtertool, Ballingry, Crosshill, Glencraig, Kinghorn, Lochore and Lumphinnans.

Some of the highest levels of deprivation in Scotland have been recorded in parts of the constituency, including the worst off areas within the two main towns.

There are six secondary schools in the area - Balwearie, Beath, Kirkcaldy, Lochgelly, St Andrews, and Viewforth - and around 20 primaries.

The area is home to Raith Rovers and Cowdenbeath football clubs, who both play in the SPFL Championship, and Elite League ice hockey club Fife Flyers.

Famous philosopher Adam Smith, who has influenced economists for generations, was born in Kirkcaldy and wrote 'The Wealth of Nations' there.

Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath is considered possibly the safest parliamentary seat in Scotland, with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown winning 65% of the vote in 2010, compared to the SNPs 14%.

Mr Brown, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer for 10 years, has been the local MP since the constituency was formed in 2005, having previously served Dunfermline East for over 20 years.

However the SNPs David Torrance took Kirkcaldy in the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections. Helen Eadie won Cowdenbeath for Labour. Following her death in 2013, former Fife Council leader Alex Rowley won the by-election for the party in early 2014.

The main constituency issues - in his opinion:

Who else is standing here:

Dave Dempsey, Conservatives

Jack Neill, UKIP

Kenny Selbie, Labour

Roger Mullin, SNP

Why Callum Leslie thinks you should vote for him: