Edinburgh's low-emission zone: Council coalition knows the Greens will ride to their rescue in the end (as long as they get some goodies) – Steve Cardownie

It was interesting to note that the City of Edinburgh Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Cammy Day, is confident that Edinburgh’s low-emission zone should be in place by the start of the new year.
Edinburgh Council wants to introduce a low-emission zone to cut air pollution and greenhouse gases from vehicles (Picture: Scott Louden)Edinburgh Council wants to introduce a low-emission zone to cut air pollution and greenhouse gases from vehicles (Picture: Scott Louden)
Edinburgh Council wants to introduce a low-emission zone to cut air pollution and greenhouse gases from vehicles (Picture: Scott Louden)

He took to the pages of this newspaper yesterday to proclaim: “It will go ahead. There will be a rethink and we’ll bring it back to committee with an update plan and we’ll have to do a bit more work behind the scenes to get another party on board with us and I’m very confident we will.”

The Tories and the Liberal Democrats have firmly nailed their colours to the mast with the latter warning the administration leadership not to try and bring back the same proposals and attempt to “ram” them through.

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So, the Greens are no doubt cupping their ears, waiting to hear the knuckles of transport convener, Councillor Lesley MacInnes, gently knocking at their door with a basket of goodies designed to enlist their support.

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The pressure is on her as she failed to grasp the situation at last week’s transport committee meeting when she decided to let the Green motion go through to a “run off” with the administration’s motion, rather than choose the less palatable, unsupportable, Conservative motion – with the predictable result that the other parties would unite behind the Greens.

Having inadvertently engineered the administration’s defeat, Councillor MacInnes must now resurrect the low-emission zone application as quickly as possible if Councillor Day’s prediction is to be realised.

However, she can rest safe in the knowledge that the Greens will ride to the rescue and bail the administration out – again!

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