Edinburgh needs a thorough cleaning. But Tory plans will get short shrift for one bad reason – John McLellan

With 24 motions and 44 written questions, today’s full council meeting is not going to be short, but that’s only to be expected in the first proper meeting since the election as new councillors find their feet and returning ones try to mop up unfinished business.

Councillor Iain Whyte wants to clean up Edinburgh

Unfinished, or ongoing as the case may be, and that’s certainly the case with Conservative group leader Iain Whyte’s motion on cleaning up the city.

Views may differ on stuff like trade union involvement in community hubs, young people’s assemblies, stinging working people with a parking levy when inflation will be running at 11 per cent, or turning nightclub bouncers into drug overdose paramedics, but who would argue that Edinburgh hasn’t needed a damn good scrub for years?

Senior council officers would no doubt beg to differ, but then council social media was celebrating the weeding of one street this week when miles of pavements and verges are overgrown and littered.

Conditions around street bins are deteriorating and graffiti scars the public realm, and such attitude surveys as the council has been able to conduct show deteriorating satisfaction levels with council management and care for the environment.

Councillor Whyte’s motion, which calls for a city-wide “spring clean”, a fly-tipping enforcement team, a graffiti taskforce and a review of the botched communal bin hub scheme – amongst several other proposals contained in the Conservative election manifesto – should receive full support, but will inevitably be attacked.

Not because it doesn’t make sense, but because of who’s proposing it.