'I don’t think many politicians understand the stresses people live with'

A Conservative member of East Renfrewshire Council, Paul Edlin was a dentist before entering politics. He tells us the tooth about his Newton Mearns South and Eaglesham ward.

Describe the area you represent in one sentence 
It’s basically a suburb of Glasgow’s southside and predominantly a middle-class area.

How long have you lived there? 
Since 1985. There’s a lot of greenspace, it’s largely clean and I like my neighbours.

Tell us something we won’t know about your local area 
Some people don’t know that there are large areas of greenspace here where you can walk, because it’s really not what you would expect next to an urban centre like Glasgow. There are a lot of secluded areas away from houses and factories that are very handy.

Most of my constituents are professionals, business people or academics. They’re not all doing as well as I’d like them to be doing. Many people here have financial problems and ask for assistance, which is not always appreciated. The image is that these problems may not exist here in the same way they do in other areas, but there are young people starting out on the housing ladder, teachers [and] students staying on with their parents, all facing issues, who will contact you for assistance. 

Who is the best-known person from your area? 
Probably Jackson Carlaw MSP, the former Scottish Conservative leader, who is well-known and has done an awful lot for the area. 

What challenges are unique to your particular part of the country? 
The biggest at the moment is lack of money in the local authority. The Scottish Government has cut budgets over the years and there’s not enough money to go around. I sit on the Integration Joint Board which oversees the Health and Social Care Partnership and I see how we have to deal with lack of money to help people with severe disabilities, physical and learning. We just don’t have the money there to give them the dignity of life to which they should reasonably be entitled.

What made you stand for election? 
I used to be a dentist in another life and I worked with my local Conservative Party as an activist, and I was quite happy doing that but somebody said, “Why don’t you run?” I didn’t expect to be elected – I didn’t want to set myself up to be disappointed – but it’s been one of the best things I have done in my life. I wish I had done it when I was much younger, though I couldn’t have juggled it with being a dentist.

What’s the one thing Holyrood politicians could do that would be of greatest benefit to the area you represent? 
Release more money to councils – give us the money to do what needs to be done, especially in health-related matters, which are so important. I don’t think many politicians understand the stresses that many people live with. I have a lot of retired people in my ward and see the stress they are under. 

What’s the best bit about living where you do? 
Accessibility – it’s next to Glasgow, you can get to Edinburgh in an hour and you’re 35 minutes from the Ayrshire coast. People in the west of Scotland in general are very friendly and all the people I’m dealing with are tremendously friendly towards me. 

If you could live anywhere else where would it be? 
Edinburgh. I just like the city, the ambience of it. I love visiting Stockbridge and the museums. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is a favourite of mine.