Edinburgh New Town communal bin hubs: Labour, SNP and Greens candidates tie themselves up in knots amid public fury – John McLellan

Labour, SNP and Green candidates were doing more twisting than Chubby Checker at the City Centre hustings last week when it came to the public fury created by Edinburgh Council’s New Town communal bin hubs.

A Conservative attempt last April to delay introduction of communal bin hubs in Edinburgh's New Town was voted down by other parties

“In terms of consultation, especially with Edinburgh World Heritage, we were incredibly lax,” the SNP’s Finlay McFarlane told the event organised by the Broughton Spurtle website.

“If we're elected, communal bins hubs will be something in the dim and distant past,” promised Labour’s Margaret Graham, who is bidding to replace Karen Doran, the deputy environment convener who imposed the scheme on her own constituents in the first place.

But prize for creativity must surely go to Claire Miller, the Green councillor who seemed to suggest it was all for the best because “the work that has been done very recently with the residents associations and community councils… has raised some really great opportunities”.

Splendid, just make everyone livid and you get better results?

Last April an amendment was brought to the transport and environment committee to “defer a decision on the change… to the communal bin hub service until consultation and engagement had been carried out with the relevant community council and street associations… as had been previously committed to.”

It was defeated by the SNP, Labour and Greens because, guess what, it was a Conservative proposal.

“I’ve also tried to get the ear of Lesley Macinnes,” Mr McFarlane told last week’s meeting. After publicly lambasting her consultation as “incredibly lax”? Best of luck.

John McLellan is a Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston