Early departure for city leader

Donald Anderson hopes to become an MSP

The leader of Edinburgh City Council is to step down months earlier than planned to give the Labour group more time to put a successor in place.

Donald Anderson had already announced he would not be standing for election as a councillor again, but he now intends to leave office this summer.

The 43-year-old has said he intends to fight Holyrood's Edinburgh South seat at the 2007 election.

Liberal Democrat Mike Pringle took the seat from Labour at the last election.