Kenneth Gibson

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For the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, see Kenneth A. Gibson.

Kenneth J Gibson is a former Member of the Scottish Parliament from the Scottish National Party.

From 1992-1999 Kenneth J Gibson served as an SNP councillor in Glasgow for Mosspark Ward, becoming the first ever SNP councillor in the city to serve successive terms. In his second term he secured the biggest majority of Scotland's 1245 councillors. He was then the sole SNP councillor in Glasgow. Following the defection of three Labour councillors and a by-election win, Kenneth became Leader of the Opposition on Glasgow City Council from January 1998 until being replaced on Glasgow City Council by his mother Iris in the election of 1999.

Within the SNP, Kenneth Gibson was a Shadow Cabinet front bencher for six years, as Shadow Minister for Local Government and Consumer Affairs 1997-2001 and Social Justice, Housing Urban Regeneration and Planning 2001-2003. Within his portfolios he formulated, developed and presented policy on a host of subjects such as Disability, Education, Health, Housing, Local Government, People Trafficking, Poverty, Private Finance Initiative, roortional Representation and Urban Regeneration etc.

As SNP Local Government Convenor and chair of the SNP Local Government Committee and Association of Nationalist Councillors from 1997-1999, Kenneth Gibson was responsible for co-ordinating, writing and producing the 1999 SNP Local Government Manifesto and co-ordinating the 1999 Local Government Campaign that saw the SNP field more candidates than any Scottish political party before or since and secure a higher number of councillors than ever before or since.

Kenneth J Gibson represented the Glasgow region from 1999 until 2003. In Parliament he served on 14 cross Party Groups, often as office bearer and co-founder, raised many issues for the first time, such as scotland's population decline, lack of olympic representation and high levels of suicide. He secured four members debates; two on suicide, one on missing and runaway children and one on centres of artistic excellence. He also instgated work on a Regulation of Smoking Bill, however no bill was ever produced. In 2004 the Scottish Executive were forced to concede support for a smoking ban which was implemented in 2006. Across his constituency, Kenneth Gibson held frequent surgeries, dealt with over 4,200 cases in four years and campaigned on a host of issues ranging from saving Glasgow's cardiac paediatric unit to securing central heating systems for pensioners and disabled people.He left the Parliament in 2003 having failed to gain support from enough SNP members in Glasgow to be re-elected.

In 2004 Kenneth Gibson was 3rd on the SNP's list for election to the European parliament. In 2007 he abandoned Glasgow realising that he would not gain the support of SNP members in Glasgow in order to get re-elected. Instead he is contesting the constituency of Cunninghame North and is 3rd on the SNP's list for the West of Scotland region which places him in a favourable position to be re-elected to the Scottish Parliament.