Edinburgh needs noisy champions, not timid politicians in shadowy corridors - Councillor Joanna Mowat

I took a trip to London with my family earlier in July. It is always instructive to go away for a visit and see your surroundings with new eyes.

Edinburgh City Chambers, the home of Edinburgh City Council. The capital needs noisy champions, just like Manchester and Birmingham, says Councillor Joanna Mowat. PIC: CC.

London sparkled – it was clean, bins emptied, street sweepers were keeping the streets spic and span every day. London was ready for life to return. We commented on how clean the city was to friends who were surprised that clean streets should be surprising. Londoners, it seems, expect clean streets.

Unfortunately the same can not be said of the streets of Edinburgh on our return – the city is dirtier than London. Not only are there frequently over flowing bins, the streets are grimy and unswept, gullies are blocked and the weeds have taken advantage of the warm dry weather to shoot up as if Jack has been throwing round his magic beans.

Local Government is the delivery arm of Government and in Edinburgh it appears that the SNP/Labour administration prefers to deliver high level vision papers but not the basic services people rely on. The visions are not accompanied by funded implementation plans. A city centre operations centre was proposed as part of the City Centre Transformation. This was welcomed by all parties but two years later we are no closer to seeing a plan to put this in place. Given the impact the various lockdowns have had on the city centre, this is badly needed. Residents and businesses will tell you that making changes to streets without having a plan to manage the activity that fills these spaces can be very difficult to live with. We need a recovery that works for business and respects residents and that means a dedicated resource which is not identifiable.

Local Government should be accountable but the SNP/Labour administration seems to struggle with this. It holds a lot of consultations but never seems quite sure what to do with the results. If a large majority disagree with the proposal but you decide to go ahead with the plans – what was the point of the exercise? My inbox is full of residents telling me that they are furious that the administration decided not to consult on removing gull-proof sacks. The residents like the sacks because they deliver clean streets – something they have in common with Londoners.

Local Government should also be a noisy champion for the people it represents – in England elected Mayors have a profile they use to champion their area. We know of Andy Burnham and Andy Street and instantly think of Manchester or Birmingham. Our civic leadership is less clear, the voices more timid. There appears to be an unwillingness to stand at the Mercat Cross and deliver our message to the national Governments clearly and boldly, preferring the shadowy corridors of Holyrood or a fleeting meeting at a bus stop. It is time that Edinburgh’s administration realised that standing up for the city you are elected to represent, making their case proudly and loudly should come before politics.

If you have big visions you need firm foundations on which to build them – this Administration has neglected the cornerstones of local government; delivery, accountability and advocacy.

Councillor Joanna Mowat is the Conservative councillor for City Centre ward

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