Edinburgh Council's court defeats over strip club ban and scrap metal do not reflect well on how it does business – John McLellan

It’s been a tough few days at Edinburgh Council’s legal services department with a couple of bloody noses in the courts, most notably the overturning of the ban on strip clubs.

A planned ban on strip clubs in Edinburgh was overturned by the courts (Picture: Tony Marsh)

It always struck me that claiming a zero limit was not a ban was just sophistry and, sure enough, Lord Richardson in the Court of Session ruled the ban was illegal and so the bars in the infamous Pubic Triangle can continue to entertain the sad, lonely and inebriated clientele. But what will be worrying for councillors is that the ruling effectively said they were given duff advice by their officers who will inevitably be required to explain how they got it so wrong on such a high-profile case. I expect it to start with “we still believe his lordship has erred…”

Although it went through almost unnoticed, another defeat in the Court of Session does not reflect well on the way Edinburgh Council does business, in this case, a breach of contract with the well-known scrap dealers Dalton. Dalton had a deal to buy scrap metal from the council for recycling, but after they complained about contamination, particularly that the scrap contained pressurised gas canisters, the council went to another company and ignored the three-months’ notice of termination it was contractually obliged to give.

Dalton sued to recover lost profit and the court found in its favour, so all council suppliers should double-check their contracts. If it can happen to a well-known outfit like Dalton, it can happen to anyone.