There’s no room for a rammy in city council meetings - Steve Cardownie

For instance, Cllr Neil Cuthbert states in his motion that “Council is currently consulting on the proposed North-South tramline between Granton and the Royal infirmary. As part of this consultation process a meeting was arranged with Drylaw and Telford Community Council on 7 October 2025.

Proposals for a new North-South tramline are out to consultation

"Media reports indicated that the Transport Convener, who had been invited to attend and had confirmed his attendance two months previously, did not attend this meeting, citing safety concerns.”

He goes on to request that “Measures to ensure committed meaningful public engagement on projects put forward under the City Mobility Plan and other transport proposals be considered at an early opportunity.

“These measures should address both safety concerns expressed by council representatives and the need to rebuild public trust in the consultation process.”

Now I don’t know why transport convener Cllr Stephen Jenkinson got cold feet at the last minute and gave the meeting a body swerve, but it must have been something fairly significant for him to make the decision not to attend.

There is a view, held by many (with some justification) that the council’s efforts in public consultation have proved to be disingenuous.

Some previous consultation exercises conclusions have only been acted upon if they met the council’s objectives, particularly on transport issues. So, given the council’s track record, it is not difficult to see why some people might get a wee bit disgruntled and agitated at a public meeting.

However, it is of paramount importance that these public meetings are conducted safely for all those in attendance.

Opposing views should not be shouted down - the last thing anybody needs is for the meeting to degenerate into a full-scale rammy!