Opinion

Council social care needs a shake-up, says John McLellan

Some councillors out of their depth on social care - John McLellan John McLellan

Tim Minchin performs on stage at British Summer Time Festival at Hyde Park, London in 2014 (Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

A rare chance to experience Tim Minchin's solo show - Karen Koren Karen Koren

The new tram line to Newhaven (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

‘Pardon me if I don’t break out the bubbly’ - John McLellan John McLellan

An industrial tribunal has awarded £28,665 compensation to a Lithuanian social worker employed by City of Edinburgh Council

We were assured that disciplinary problems were behind council - John McLellan John McLellan

Cris Peploe, Claudia Cawthorne and Martha Haskins pose with a large-scale version of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 programme cover in the Old Town. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Plenty room for optimism as Fringe reaches a crossroads - Brian Ferguson Brian Ferguson

Russian rockets are launched against Ukraine from Russia's Belgorod region, seen from Kharkiv, Ukraine, early on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 (AP Photo/Vadim Belikov)

Numbers of children killed yet another tragic milestone in Russia’s war on Ukrai... Steve Cardownie

Library advisor Anna Plichta-Les pictured at the Children's Library Edinburgh

Libraries are a treasured resource - Steve Cardownie Steve Cardownie

All eyes are currently on the forthcoming UCI World Cycling Championships which will take place in Scotland in August this year

UCI cycling bolsters Scotland's international reputation - Angus Robertson Angus Robertson

In recent months the UK government has intervened in a number of ways to block, undermine, delay and frustrate devolved decision-making by the Scottish Parliament and Government

Tories are now using post-Brexit legislation as a Trojan horse against devolutio... Angus Robertson

Senior Curator of Medieval Archaeology Alice Blackwell, takes a closer look at The Declaration of Arbroath on public display for the first time in 18 years at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, to mark its 703rd anniversary

Declaration of Arbroath exhibition well worth a visit - Angus Robertson Angus Robertson

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater

Our last chance to save the planet is now - Lorna Slater Lorna Slater

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is seen by commentators as the most likely next prime minister (Picture: Rob Pinney/Getty Images)

How much do policies matter in an election? Ian Swanson

Hibernian Community Foundation has donated club strips to Kalilombe Primary School football team

Donation of Hibs’ strips to Malawi youngsters underlines power of football Susan Dalgety

Dr Elsie Inglis and her team of female medical students helped persuade politicians that a civilised country looks after all its citizens, not just the rich

Why Dr Elsie Inglis is the best Edinburgher of all time – Susan Dalgety Susan Dalgety

Edinburgh Council has employed a council official on the highest public sector salary in Scotland (Picture: Neil Hanna)

Social care staff need better pay, not Scotland’s highest-paid council boss Adam McVey

Lee Evans is a famous winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award (Picture: Ian Nicholson/PA)

Would you sponsor the Edinburgh Comedy Awards? – Vladimir McTavish Vladimir McTavish

Harry Styles tour T-shirt

Stars’ own goal on overpriced merchandise - Kevin Buckle Kevin Buckle

A time to cheer. Scotland score against Croatia in the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship (Picture: Paul Ellis/pool/Getty Images)

TV deals that mean we can’t watch Scotland games live do strange things to fans Vladimir McTavish

Former University Challenge presenter Bamber Gascoigne (Picture: Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

University Challenge, Oliver Cromwell and me – Susan Morrison Susan Morrison

Sue Webber MSP

Loopy Lorna adds to SNP-Green’s record of chaos - Sue Webber Sue Webber

These are the 15 bands and singers that our readers want to perform in Edinburgh.

All the music stars our readers want to see perform here in Edinburgh Laura Andrew

Almost like Scotty in Star Trek, Brian Cox has helped to put Scotland on the map with his role as Logan Roy in Succession (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images for BFI)

Succession spin-off? Roy family could bid to take over Beano – Susan Morrison Susan Morrison

The Cornet and his followers head for Lauder Moor (Picture: Phil Wilkinson)

Common Ridings and Gala Days help ensure we have a thriving community spirit Christine Grahame

Edinburgh's trams will soon start running from the city centre to Leith and Newhaven (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Tram extension will mean big changes for Leith – John McLellan John McLellan

Finding a plumber for a domestic dilemma is almost impossible just now

Fi, the builder can she fix it, no she can’t - Fiona Duff Fiona Duff

Questioned about the need for the deposit return scheme to include glass, Lorna Slater resorted to gobbledygook about the 'lossiness' of kerbside recycling (Picture: Steve Welsh/PA)

Slater's deposit return scheme is a 'total farce', not a cunning indy plan John McLellan

Harry Styles performs at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium on Friday last week (Picture: Lloyd Wakefield/DFConcerts/PA Wire)

SNP must stop short-changing Edinburgh – Ian Murray Ian Murray

The New Waverley site is ideal for students, within walking distance of much of Edinburgh University’s facilities (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Rent cap was well-meaning but made housing shortage problem worse John McLellan

A local resident pushes her bicycle through damaged buildings in Toretsk, eastern Ukraine, in August last year (Picture: Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images)

The West must redouble its efforts to help Ukraine – Steve Cardownie Steve Cardownie

Councillor Professor Scott Arthur

New tram route is a landmark event for the city - Scott Arthur Scott Arthur

Taking a light-hearted attitude to life can be good for you (Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Paying £16,000 for a knee op is no joke. But we've still got laugh about old age Steve Cardownie

Preston Lodge High School in East Lothian has closed off more than 20 rooms following the discovery of 'reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete' (RAAC)

Dodgy concrete in schools could be a serious risk to pupils – Alex Cole-Hamilton Alex Cole-Hamilton

Scotland's largest puppet, a sea goddess called Storm, reaches out a hand of friendship at the Celtic Connections festival in 2020 (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA)

Scotland now has a new way to build valuable relationships overseas Angus Robertson

Circular economy minister Lorna Slater. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA

Glass makes for a better deposit return scheme - Lorna Slater Lorna Slater

Astronaut Neil Armstrong signs the visitors' book at Edinburgh City Chambers in March 1972, watched by the then Lord Provost James McKay and his wife (Picture: Denis Straughan)

These are exciting times for Scotland’s space industry – Angus Robertson Angus Robertson

Learning a musical instrument can have a positive impact on young people's confidence and well-being (Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Every primary pupil will be able to get a year of free tuition – Angus Robertson Angus Robertson

Under the scheme, shoppers will return bottles and cans in a reverse-vending machine.

Getting money back on an empty bottle should not become a constitutional crisis Ian Swanson

Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt perform with The E Street Band in Amsterdam on Thursday last week (Picture: Paul Bergen/ANP/via Getty Images)

Harry Styles, Queen Bey and Lewis Capaldi are great, but there's only one Boss Susan Dalgety

Edinburgh is an expensive city for people on the minimum wage (Picture: Robert Ray)

Edinburgh is a city divided between rich and poor – Susan Dalgety Susan Dalgety

It's often the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in society who rely most on buses

Lothian Buses needs to realise its owned by the council – Kevin Lang Kevin Lang

Andy Smart performing at the Glastonbury Festival 2019 with the Stephen Frost Improv All Stars (Picture: Auntiep69 via Wikimedia Commons)

Fringe will be a less cheerful place without improv comedy master Andy Smart Vladimir McTavish

Ryanair made a profit of more than £1 billion last year (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Are Ryanair's extra charges a climate change thing? – Vladimir McTavish Vladimir McTavish

Rollerstaking can be empowering (Picture: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Women’s Fund is giving you the chance to glow like a superhero – Susan Morrison Susan Morrison

The Old Course at St Andrews, seen here in 1927, may be old, but Leith Links is the true birthplace of golf (Picture: Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Republic of Leith, not posh St Andrews, is the real home of golf Susan Morrison

The Edinburgh Evening News has been reporting on the city's affairs for 150 years (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

In an age of fake news and disinformation, good journalism matters Miles Briggs

Labour leader Cammy Day may be getting a visit from Edinburgh Council's standards people (Picture: Ian Georgeson)

Council leader Cammy Day may face questions over his union ties – John McLellan John McLellan

Lee Mack is a previous winner of the So You Think You’re Funny competition

Come and see the comedians of tomorrow - Karen Koren Karen Koren

A test tram travels along the Newhaven extension (Picture: Sacyr, Farrans and Neopul)

Politicians must learn not to put their ego before value for money John McLellan

Former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said he will not stand at the next general election (Picture: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

Tories and SNP distracted by their woes as inflation hits families hard Ian Murray

These are the constituencies proposed by Boundaries Scotland: 12) Bathgate and Almond Valley; 32) Edinburgh Forth and Linlithgow; 57) Livingston; 34) Edinburgh Pentlands; 36) Edinburgh Western; 33) Edinburgh Northern and Leith; 30) Edinburgh Central; 35) Edinburgh Southern; 31) Edinburgh Eastern; 60) Midlothian South; 59) Midlothian North and Musselburgh; 29) East Lothian.

Redrawn Scottish Parliament constituency boundaries need a rethink John McLellan

Once members of Edinburgh Council's ruling coalition, Labour's Cammy Day ousted the SNP's Adam McVey as leader after last year's election

Dear Cammy, city may have ‘historical charm' but it's got big problems too Steve Cardownie

Tackling homelessness requires more than hand-wringing from politicians (Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA)

Council pays out millions to landlords but still fails to tackle homelessness Steve Cardownie

HMS Prince of Wales, the biggest ship the Royal Navy has ever had, was built in five years in contrast to two ferries still being built seven years after work started (Picture: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

SNP's credibility shot to pieces by string of blunders – Alex Cole-Hamilton Alex Cole-Hamilton

Edinburgh is one of the best cities to live in and visit (Picture: Toby Williams)

This is a great city! But some parties just want to play student politics Cammy Day

Online comedy didn't quite take off during the Covid pandemic (Picture: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

Video chat and incoming relatives have given me a bad case of pandemic nostalgia Vladimir McTavish

Withered Hand, aka Dan Willson, is one of the most acclaimed artists on the Edinburgh music scene.

Good news for Scottish music fans this week - Kevin Buckle Kevin Buckle

Will artificial intelligence take over the music industry from the likes of Taylor Swift? (Picture: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

Swift may be replaced by AI but I'm safe until invention of Artificial Stupidity Vladimir McTavish

Typewriters have mostly been replaced by computers for the drawing up of wills (Picture: General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

Make sure you draw up a will before you 'peg out' – Susan Morrison Susan Morrison

Sue Webber is a Scottish Conservative MSP for the Lothians

We need to talk about children’s safety, Jenny - Sue Webber Sue Webber

Don't be fooled by minimalist interior design. Somewhere there's a cupboard full of junk (Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

In search of a lost treasure in the loft, we find everything but Susan Morrison

People attend an anti-monarchy rally on Calton Hill in Edinburgh on the day of King Charles' coronation (Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

Tories’ new Public Order Act is the latest injustice emanating from Westminster Tommy Sheppard

Haymarket Terrace is closed eastbound during the construction of the new cross-city cycle route

Haymarket shops hit by roadworks left to suffer just like those in Roseburn John McLellan

BBC TV's Sort Your Life Out presenter Stacey Solomon. Picture: PA Photo/BBC/Optomen TV/James Stack

Empty nester? Call Stacey to help sort you out - Fiona Duff Fiona Duff

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, seen with Humza Yousaf, can't wish her problems away (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA)

SNP must face up to schools’ problems, not bury their heads in nursery sandpit John McLellan

The Ross Bandstand was used recently to show the coronation of King Charles (Picture: Scott Louden)

Cockburn Association must take a consistent, even-handed approach John McLellan

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that politics had become even more polarised than she had believed (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA)

As SNP gives up on indy and its day job, it's time for a new government Ian Murray

Gilmerton Cove, about ten feet below ground, is thought to have been inhabited up to 300 years ago (Picture: Phil Wilkinson)

Mysterious and historic cave is a gem well worth saving – Donald Anderson Donald Anderson

Labour Leader Cammy Day at the City Chambers

Cllr Cammy Day reflects on his first 12 months as Council leader and looks forwa... Cammy Day

The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry will have specific lessons about what went wrong, but also wider ones about how to handle major projects (Picture: PA)

Tram Inquiry’s critics are wrong, its late report will be far from 'meaningless' Donald Anderson

The outgoing Children and Young People's Commissioner, Bruce Adamson, said the Scottish Government was 'absolutely failing to deliver for children'

Outgoing commissioner right to pan SNP on children's rights – Alex Cole-Hamilton Alex Cole-Hamilton

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer talk with Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle ahead of a reception for King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Hall (Picture: Arthur Edwards/pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Under Starmer, Labour is quickly moving to the right – Angus Robertson Angus Robertson

Co-leader of the Scottish Green Party,Lorna Slater

National parks must be at the heart of nature - Lorna Slater Lorna Slater