Edinburgh's SNP-Labour coalition gets yet another alarming audit report – Iain Whyte

Barely a week goes by when Edinburgh Council doesn’t prove it has little interest in acting on residents’ concerns, but you’d think it might listen to its own officers.

No private corporation would operate like Edinburgh City Council, says Iain Whyte

Yes, for four years in a row its internal auditors have sounded the red alert about the council’s ability to manage risks and to meet its objectives. Once would be bad enough, but four consecutive red ratings in the “traffic light” system smacks either of wilfulness or gross incompetence.

Audits shows how well the organisation is doing the basics: how well individuals are following the processes and procedures that we all follow to do our jobs safely and well and how well customers are being served, in this case the council tax payer. For four years, the conclusion from the internal auditor is the council is not.

The judgement that “only limited assurance can be provided that risks are being managed and that the council’s objectives should be achieved” means an organisation responsible for care of the elderly, the education of our children, the safety of vulnerable young people, and the quality of our transport network is not on top of the job.

For four years, each year the SNP has led this authority, the audit report shows managers and politicians can’t be sure that what they are doing is working, and thousands of residents will confirm it isn’t.

No major private corporation would work like this. One red audit rating and action would be taken. The same again the following year and the shareholders would ensure managers responsible would be getting their jotters.

The council’s shareholders are you the public, but all your representatives in the SNP-Labour administration do is to shower praise on management like needy children anxious to please the teacher, and conveniently blame the pandemic for every failure.

A former senior council official summed it up on social media this week, saying, “there is a lack of real consequence for managers who don’t deal with risk appropriately or who don’t close out audit actions”.

Red actually isn’t the worst rating, but the higher black mark for “inadequate” is only used sparingly. We don’t know the detail because this issue was reported in private, but it will be no surprise for readers that the one black rating this year relates to how the council is handling tram contracts. Which fool would accept repeated assurances that the lessons of the past have been learnt?

I’ve said before the problem with the council is its ‘we know best’ culture, and by ignoring and downplaying all these findings politicians are setting themselves up to fail. The implementation of Spaces for People caused huge anger and frustration to the public and again it’s no surprise it was rated red.

Flagship policies on zero carbon and ending poverty have no costings or delivery plan, while basic services struggle. Roads crumble in the cold, overflowing bins create health hazards and weeds trap litter everywhere.

Too often our services are run for the benefit of those who provide them and not the public they are meant to serve.

This couldn’t-care-less attitude of meek acceptance pervades the political culture set by successive SNP and Labour administrations and their Green chums. Next year you have a chance to change it.

Councillor Iain Whyte is Conservative group leader

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