Rolling the dice in the casino politics of the city chambers - Steve Cardownie

The City of Edinburgh Council meets tomorrow to set out its budget priorities for the next financial year and, quite frankly, anything can happen.

Kenny Rogers' hit The Gambler could provide the background music for the planning committee in the city chambers

After witnessing the toss of a coin at last week’s Planning Committee to determine whether a developer should contribute one or three million pounds to the council coffers it wouldn’t surprise me if the successful budget went through depending on which raindrop reaches the bottom of the City Chambers window first.

The Convenor of the Planning Committee is paid a Special Responsibility Allowance for a reason – the clue is in the name. To abrogate that responsibility by throwing her toys out the pram and refusing to break the four-four vote impasse by using her casting vote (because her attempt to get the planning application tossed out previously failed to attract enough votes) thereby holding the council up to more scorn and ridicule, was playground politics.

That the developer now must cough up an extra two million quid must have made it the most expensive coin toss in history. No, if she did not intend to use her casting vote, then a simple motion to continue consideration of the matter to the next meeting should have been all that it took to avoid this debacle, either that or a short adjournment to bang heads together.

I would respectfully suggest that the committee room for the next planning committee meeting be called “The Casino” with background music of The Gambler by Kenny Rogers: “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, Know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away, And know when to run.”