Edinburgh council's refusal to debate damning report 'a disgrace to the capital city' says whistleblower

The vote by councillors not to debate the damning report which found “illegality, maladministration and injustice” in Edinburgh’s secure accommodation is “a disgrace to the capital city”, a whistleblowers’ spokeswoman has said.

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Christine Scott, who was the first person to use the council’s whistleblowing system when it was introduced, said the move smacked of collusion between senior officials and council leaders to stop scrutiny.

An internal council investigation, prompted by a whistleblower complaint in 2020, found inappropriate restraint, assaults on young people, abusive language and a toxic management culture in Edinburgh Secure Services, the section of the council’s children and families department responsible for secure care.

Although the full report was only made available to councillors on a confidential basis, a summary report by the council’s monitoring officer was on the public agenda at last week’s full council meeting. However, it was only reached after the 5pm cut-off when remaining items are voted on without discussion, and a Tory bid to vary the rule so there could be a debate was defeated by 36 votes to 19.

Ms Scott said: "I think it's disgraceful they didn't have a debate on it and that they didn't suspend standing orders to extend the time of the council meeting to allow for that. This is obviously another example of major scandal and cover-up within the children and families department of the council.

“It was brought to full council, but without a full debate on that whole report it does not allow for scrutiny and questions to be asked. I and others feel there is collusion between senior officials and the council leaders.

"This is vulnerable children. It’s a disgrace for the capital city of Scotland.”

The report highlighted inappropriate restraint, abusive language and a toxic management culture.

Ms Scott was among those who spoke to top QC Susanne Tanner for her review of the council’s organisational culture, which included examination of several previous scandals. But Ms Scott has said whistleblowers view her report as a whitewash.

The secure accommodation allegations were only mentioned briefly in the Tanner report.

Ms Scott said: “I can't understand why Susanne Tanner didn’t really include it in her report but was quite happy that the monitoring officer was handling it.

“That’s why we’re calling for a public inquiry. There are all these scandals and the scope of Susanne Tanner's report and the terms of reference were too narrow to allow the real truth to come out.”

Thursday’s full council was the last before the local elections in May and there will soon be a new council administration. Ms Scott said: “New administrations normally don't want to be saddled with what happened before. Have they got the ability or the appetite or bravery to say, ‘This is outrageous, we can’t have this happening to our children’?

"I'm a mother and a grandmother, and in my previous job child protection was at the heart of what I did on a day-to-day basis. It absolutely pains me to hear serious mistakes are being made and it's mostly vulnerable children and adults that are at the receiving end of all of this.

“But things will keep coming out of the woodwork. If you suppress the truth something else comes out or some other person comes forward with an allegation or a story of wrongdoing. It keeps coming out.

“It's like a sewer where the manhole cover has just come loose and they can't put it back.

"We’re not giving up.”

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