David Alexander (Scottish politician)

David Alexander (born 20 June 1958[1]) is a former leader of Falkirk Council from February 2001 to May 2007 and led the SNP Group on the council for twenty years.[2] He is one of two SNP councillors for Falkirk North Ward. He is a non-executive board member of the Scottish Ambulance Service.[3]

This article is about the Falkirk SNP Councillor, and not the Fife SNP Councillor, David J Alexander.

David Alexander
Leader of Falkirk Council
In office
February 2001 – May 2007
MonarchElizabeth II
Personal details
Born (1958-06-20) June 20, 1958

Political career

Falkirk Council

Before entering politics, he worked as a support worker with a housing association.[4] He was first elected as councillor in 1988 for the Victoria ward, then elected as a councillor for the former Middlefield Ward in 1999, then the North Ward.[5]

In 2000 he was the best value spokesman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).[6] After gaining a seat in a by-election in February 2001, the SNP formed a new administration with the independents and Alexander became the council leader.[7] Falkirk council then withdrew from COSLA.[8]

Other political activity

He was the SNP candidate for the Falkirk West seat at the 1997 general election, where he finished as runner-up to Dennis Canavan, winning 8,989 votes (23.43% of votes cast).[1][4]

In 2004 he was appointed by Alex Salmond as the SNP spokesperson on local government,[9] a role he continued in until the elections in May 2007.

On 1 December 2007 he was elected to the position of the SNP's first ever Convenor of Local Government, winning 110 of the 150 votes cast by party delegates at the SNP's National Council.[10]

Board roles

He served as a member of the Central Scotland Joint Police Board; the Forth Valley Area Waste Strategy Working Group; the NHS Forth Valley Board until resigning in protest at the board's decision to build the new hospital at Larbert using PFI; and the board of Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley.

He was first appointed to the board of the Scottish Ambulance service in 2008.[11]

References
  1. "The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1997", Times Books, 1997, p. 137.
  2. "Falkirk's SNP chief quits as group boss". Falkirk Herald. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  3. "Scottish Ambulance Service Directors". Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  4. "Red blood in main artery". The Herald. 1 April 1997. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. "Cllr David Alexander". Falkirk Council. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. "Best value profile: David Alexander". Local Government Chronicle. 1 September 2000. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. "Andrew quits". Linlithgow Gazette. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  8. "Falkirk Labour leader backs bid to rejoin COSLA fold". The Scotsman. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  9. Robbie Dinwoodie, "Fallen SNP duo look ahead to back benches", The Herald, 13 September 2004, p. 7.
  10. "SNP Falkirk press release". Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  11. "Scottish Ambulance Service" (Press release). Scottish Government. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2015.


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