Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard calls for action on poverty and inequality in Edinburgh

Job support must continue to help Capital economy

Richard Leonard says he is concerned about the Capital's economy

SCOTTISH Labour leader Richard Leonard has called for urgent action to save Edinburgh’s economy and prevent large-scale job losses in the Capital due to the pandemic.

And following the failed internal coup against him, he spoke of the need for party unity and said he was looking forward to campaigning with one of his critics, city MSP Daniel Johnson.

In an interview with the Evening News, Mr Leonard said: “I am concerned about the perilous state of Edinburgh’s economy because of the damage that’s been done by the lockdown and the inability to put on the Festival and Fringe and the huge hit which tourism has taken.

“Two Fridays ago I was in Edinburgh at Summerhall with Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor, speaking to folk from the Festival and the Fringe about the huge challenges they are facing and what can be done to give them support and how they view not just this year, but next year and the year after.

“This is a principal pillar of the Edinburgh - and indeed the Scottish - economy and we can’t afford to lose it.”

He said Labour was calling for the furlough scheme to be extended - if not the full scheme, then a sectoral one.

“That would mean the arts and creative industries and those businesses in Edinburgh that are dependent on in-bound tourism - because if they don’t get support there is a real danger they could go under ad in many cases once they are lost it would be very difficult to recover. The clock is ticking. The scheme is due to come to a complete halt at the end of October.”

Mr Leonard said he had also visited the Eric Liddell Centre at Holy Corner, where he heard how difficult the coronavirus restrictions were for some of those using the centre.

And he met members of Edinburgh’s poverty commission. “We spoke about the challenges the city faces which will if anything be worsened by what has happened over the last six months.

“Edinburgh faces the blight of a low pay economy like much of the rest of Scotland - two out of three kids being brought up in poverty are being brought up in households where at least one adult is in work. There is strong case for the Real Living Wage to be adopted across the city - and I’m determined that is part of Labour’s vision for the future.”

He said low pay and the fear of joblessness led to concern about housing. Labour had been pressing for an extension to the Scottish Government’s ban on evictions.

He said Edinburgh had a high proportion of privately rented accommodation and Labour wanted to legislate for a fair rents regime and stop exploitative rent rises.

“We believe a priority for the next parliament and government has got to be to invest in council house building. If only Edinburgh City Council were given the resources to do that, it would begin to tackle what is a crisis in the city of available affordable accommodation.

“Poverty and inequality are features of Edinburgh that will be exacerbated unless there is direct intervention to prevent that.”

And he spoke up for fairer funding for the council. “Local government has been deprioritised for too long, in terms of its funding and the powers it’s got. We think there needs to be a fresh approach which is about boosting local democracy and giving communities more say over their local services, but that means properly resourcing councils like Edinburgh to provide that.”

Mr Leonard described last weekend’s meeting of the Labour’s Scottish executive committee - when a motion of no confidence in him was withdrawn at the last minute - as a watershed. And he said the party must now pull together. “If we are going to make a serious challenge in next year’s elections we need to be united.”

And despite Edinburgh Southern MSP Daniel Johnson being one of four Holyrood colleagues who called on him to quit, Mr Leonard said: “I shall hopefully be out campaigning with him soon.”

He also praised Lothian MSP Sarah Boyack as a “faithful fighter for the people of Edinburgh”.

He said: “Our priority is defending Daniel Johnson’s seat. We will be working across the party to make sure Daniel is returned and also looking at how we can bring through some new candidates along with Sarah Boyack so there is a strong Labour voice for both Edinburgh and Lothians in the Scottish Parliament.”

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