Concern about John Swinney's 'shameful' lack of response on Princes Street fire goes deeper than Edinburgh blaze
Deeply-felt dismay about way Edinburgh treated
It wasn't what she was meant to say. But when council leader Jane Meagher branded John Swinney's lack of response to the Princes Street fire "shameful" she was giving voice to a deeply-felt dismay at the way Edinburgh had been treated.
Her comment came after a meeting with Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth and her announcement of £5 million of Scottish Government support to help the city recover from the July 9 blaze.
Everyone was quick to point out Glasgow had been handed £10m to help it deal with the impact of the Union Corner fire in March.
But it wasn't the money that Cllr Meagher was unhappy about. After all, £5m was what the level of support the council had asked for and Ms Gilruth had pledged an ongoing dialogue with the prospect of more support if necessary.
What dismayed Cllr Meagher was the delay - it was four weeks before the support was announced, whereas Glasgow's had been promised within days - and the First Minister's silence about the Edinburgh fire.
John Swinney was on site at Union Corner in high-vis very soon after the fire, voicing his concern and pledging support. It is understood he was on holiday immediately after the Edinburgh fire, but he didn't even manage a quick social media post to express concern, even though he posted about his new constituency office and Ann Widdecombe’s murder, as well as paddleboarding and attending concerts at the Tiree Music Festival.
Cllr Meagher welcomed Ms Gilruth’s visit to see the damage at the former Debenhams store and also the funding she announced. But she said she was “extremely disappointed” that Mr Swinney had not responded to her request for a meeting. “Edinburgh is the capital city of this country and a driver of the Scottish economy and if we don't get the attention we deserve from the First Minister of this country I think that's shameful.”
The official statement from the council “wholeheartedly welcomed” the government funding and didn’t mention Glasgow.
But for Cllr Meagher, it seems there is a worrying problem. She pointed out that Edinburgh is the lowest funded council per head in Scotland.
And she said: “It's not just about this fire. It's about, in my view, the absence of an understanding of Edinburgh's pivotal role in the economy of the whole country.”