Edinburgh Council deserves credit for delivering the Visitor

As a former council leader, I know how hard it is to run a city. You face opposition councillors every day, while behind you sit group colleagues, many of whom did not vote for you and a few who want your job.

You also depend on council officers. Many I worked with were outstanding, others were – let’s just say, less impressive. Either way, when things go wrong, you answer for them in public. Then there is the press, social media, constituents and the wider Edinburgh public.

Edinburgh residents are among the smartest and best educated people in Britain. They know their rights and they know how to complain. No administration gets a free ride here.

Sadly I can bore anyone with stories about running Edinburgh. Recently I told two senior council figures that it is completely different from running a city like Manchester.

Manchester is, in effect, a one-party state. Speak to the council leader or chief executive and you can invariably predict the council decision on your proposal or project. Edinburgh has never worked like that and proportional representation makes decision-making even more complex.

I described it using the line often attributed to Ginger Rogers - she did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels. That is what governing Edinburgh can feel like.

It is, therefore, even more remarkable that, despite many changes in administration, the city has continued to thrive and bold decisions have still been made.

The tram extension was one such decision. Tomorrow’s historic introduction of a Visitor Levy is another. Since tourists first came to Edinburgh, the costs linked to tourism have fallen on residents. For the first time, the Visitor Levy changes that equation.

The extra income is already being used for practical improvements, from more policing to cleaner streets. It will make Edinburgh stronger and change Scotland too.

Following Edinburgh’s lead, no less than 22 councils have either approved or are considering a Visitor Levy. All those in the council who helped deliver it should take a bow for what they have achieved — “backwards and in heels!”