Edinburgh Council election campaign has begun. Here's why city needs to ditch SNP-Labour coalition – Miles Briggs MSP

In May 2022 Edinburgh residents will have the opportunity to vote for change and restore civic pride in the Capital.
Weeds on Edinburgh's streets are becoming a problem once againWeeds on Edinburgh's streets are becoming a problem once again
Weeds on Edinburgh's streets are becoming a problem once again

An SNP-Labour coalition has been in charge of Edinburgh Council since 2017 and has failed in its responsibility of preserving our beautiful city. The burning of memorial benches in Princes Street Gardens, as well as leaving the gardens like a mud bath after the Christmas Market, show real errors in judgment from the administration.

The state of the roads has deteriorated over the last four years, with thousands of potholes across the capital, which simply aren’t being repaired at a fast enough rate.

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On top of potholes we have seen an outbreak of weeds cropping up across the capital, with people perplexed about why the City of Edinburgh Council has given up on killing them. On almost every street you walk down there are huge weeds growing up through the streets, making Edinburgh resemble something out of The Day of the Triffids.

This brings me on to Spaces for People. The mere mention of the Edinburgh Council scheme is enough to get some people riled up. The SNP-Labour-run council brought the cycle lanes and bollards in under emergency legislation, forgoing the usual consultation.

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The lack of planning showed, with countless safety hazards and road planning which simply was bizarre, despite hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on consultation fees. I have spoken to a number of businesses across the capital who have been negatively impacted, from older customers not being able to park, to deliveries being problematic – all at the time when the pandemic has seriously impacted on the viability of their businesses.

It is staggering that SNP and Labour councillors have pushed on with Spaces for People, despite so much opposition from people and businesses in Edinburgh. Elected representatives should be there to listen to people and make decisions on their behalf, which this administration simply hasn’t done.

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It is clear that people are increasingly angry about the state which the Capital has been left, residents are rightly furious at the mismanagement and scandals we’ve seen and they want change.

We have other serious challenges to deal with in Edinburgh, such as the social care crisis, with not enough spaces in care homes. Elderly people are becoming stuck in hospital after treatment because there is not an appropriate place in the community where they can go and be looked after.

There is also a lack of affordable housing, with thousands of children every year being stuck in temporary accommodation, which is detrimental to their development. We need to build more houses to tackle the homelessness crisis, an issue which is close to my heart and which I want to solve by 2023.

In Edinburgh Council, we have an excellent group of Scottish Conservative councillors, who listen to their constituents and who are ready to work to restore services and civic pride in the Capital.

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Over the next eight months, I will be campaigning to help deliver change and return the councillors we already have and add new Scottish Conservative councillors who are committed to listening to residents and business and delivering for them as we all recover from the pandemic.

It’s time to restore civic pride in Edinburgh.

Miles Briggs is a Conservative MSP for Lothian

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