Speakers
Plenary Session
Robert Aldridge has been a Councillor in Edinburgh since 1984, where he represents the Drum Brae Gyle ward.
Between 2007 and May 2012 he was the City’s Environment Leader with responsibility for recycling, refuse collection, street cleaning, parks, carbon reduction and clean air.
Until his appointment as Lord Provost he was Group Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the Council.
Robert has been a board member of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and was its chairman from 2007 to 2012.
Robert has retired from his position as Chief Executive of a national homelessness charity (the Scottish Council for Single Homeless and latterly Homeless Action Scotland). In this role he sat on a broad range of Scottish Government advisory groups and forums (including those relating refugees, homelessness, health and drugs). He was for 20 years the UK representative on the European Federation of Homelessness Organisations (feantsa) and is a past President of that body.
Robert was educated in Edinburgh at George Watson’s College and attended university at the University of East Anglia where he obtained a 2.1 Honours degree in Comparative Literature and Linguistics with German.
Robert entered a civil partnership in 2008. His civil partner is a medical consultant in paediatrics. They have been together since 1990.