Eye Pavilion: Why Edinburgh's SNP council leader should condemn SNP government over U-turn – Steve Cardownie

Tomorrow’s meeting of Edinburgh Council has two motions on its agenda which largely say the same thing and that is that a replacement for the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion should be sited in Edinburgh and instructs the SNP council leader to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport demanding that funding be allocated to make it so.

The NHS Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion on Chalmers Street (Picture: Greg Macvean)

The interesting thing is that one motion has been submitted by the leader of the Tory group, Councillor Ian Whyte, and the other by Labour Councillor Lezley Cameron which, on most issues, would make strange bedfellows indeed.

The vexed question of the replacement of the Eye Pavilion with a new facility in Edinburgh was originally planned by the government but which has since reneged on its promise.

Both Councillors Whyte and Cameron, undoubtedly fuelled by indignation over this reversal, have sought to enlist the support of the council in an effort to get the funding restored and if that means that the SNP leader of the council must write to the SNP Health Secretary condemning the decision and demanding a rethink on behalf of the city – all the better.

There are very good reasons why the government should stick by its original pledge and the council should rightly adopt a position of opposition to the dispersal of services throughout the Lothians and demand that they be retained in Edinburgh.

After all, it’s not very often that Tory and Labour councillors sing from the same hymn sheet but in this case it’s understandable.

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