Ariane Burgess

Ariane Claire Burgess (born 20 November 1965) is a Scottish politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Highlands and Islands since 2021. A member of the Scottish Greens, she has served as the Scottish Parliament's Convener of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee since 2021.

Early life and education Arianne Claire Burgess was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was a facilitator for the Gaia Education's Ecovillage Design Education in Thailand and Findhorn Ecovillage from 2008 to 2019 and an adviser to Gaia University from 2012 to 2016. Burgess has a Certificate in Permaculture Design (New York Open Center 2007).

Political career At the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Burgess stood as the Green candidate in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey. She finished in fifth place.

Burgess was one of the twelve Scottish Greens running as a candidate for a constituency in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. She contested in the Inverness and Nairn constituency, but failed to win, coming fourth. Burgess was elected as an additional Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Highlands and Islands region.

Burgess has campaigned against Highland Council’s decision to grant planning permission to a golf course development at an environmentally sensitive site at Coul Links near Embo, Sutherland.

In February 2025, Burgess said that Council Tax should be replaced, not reformed. She said it should be replaced with "a fairer and more progressive system that would see most households paying less while the wealthiest would pay more".

Personal life Burgess lives in Forres, Moray, in the north of Scotland.