HALLOWEEN DISORDER IN HAY DRIVE MARKS START OF BONFIRE SEASON
Council Leader Cammy Day yesterday repeated his calls for a complete ban on the public sale of fireworks and tougher sentences for those misusing them and causing public disorder – but trouble flared up in Niddrie last night.
Councillor Daysaid: “We all remember vividly the shocking scenes we saw last year with emergency services being attacked while trying to do their jobs. And more recently the appalling reports of violence and antisocial behaviour with buses and cars coming under attack.
“Whilst this isn’t an issue unique to Edinburgh, or indeed Scotland, I’m clear that this sort of behaviour has no place in our city.
“It’s long been my view that we need to ban the public sale of fireworks, given the potential risk to health, if misused, but also the unnecessary fear and alarm they cause in our communities.
“I will be writing to my colleagues in the UK Government to request a review of the legislation, as well as the Crown Office to ask for tougher sentences for those found guilty of committing these crimes.
“I’m determined to do everything within our power to prevent a repeat of last year. Earlier this week I chaired the latest multi-agency meeting with colleagues, the police and fire service as part of our ongoing preparations, and the implementation of our firework control zones, which come into effect tomorrow (1 November).
“In addition to FCZs, we’re also increasing patrols from our waste services to collect items that could potentially be set alight.
“Bonfire Night should be an opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate and spend time together. I would urge everyone in the city to only attend organised displays and look out for one another.
“Please work with us and our fantastic emergency services to help make it a safe and enjoyable occasion this year. If you witness any criminality, please call the police on 101.
“I want to thank our emergency services once again for the professional and measured way they carry out their duties under the most difficult of circumstances. Police officers, firefighters and paramedics have a tough enough job already without being subjected to violence and abuse.
“Please show them the respect they deserve this Bonfire Night.”
Chief Inspector Mairi Creanoradded: “We know that certain areas of Edinburgh experienced unprecedented levels of disorder during Bonfire Night last year, and because of this a significant number of officers responding to the incidents that arose sustained a range of injuries.
“The unacceptable actions of a minority of individuals left communities in a state of alarm and put the safety of emergency service workers at serious risk of harm.
“Such offences cannot and will not be tolerated and detailed planning has been undertaken since last year to ensure we have appropriate resources in key areas and can provide additional support should they be required.
“It is an offence to use fireworks in any manner within a Fireworks Control Zone and we will take appropriate action against anyone in breach of an FCZ over the Bonfire Night period.
“This is just one of the tools at our disposal and we’ll continue to work with key partners to keep our communities safe and bring those intent on causing harm to justice.”
Firework Control Zones will come into effect in four areas of the city – Niddrie, Calton Hill, Seafield and Balerno – from 1 to 10 November, making it a criminal offence to use fireworks (excluding sparklers and indoor fireworks) unless part of a licensed display.
UPDATE: Council Leader @cllrcammyday has responded to reports of disorder taking place across Edinburgh last night.
Police officers attended the Hay Avenue area following reports of disorder. Police vehicles and public transport providers were targeted with fireworks and missiles, including bricks.
Roads in the area were closed during the incident, but were reopened by 11pm.
Cllr Cammy Day said: “I’m shocked and saddened to hear of the mindless violence and disorder taking place in areas across the city tonight.”
It is crucial that the City of Edinburgh Council continues to engage with and then act on the views of its residents and communities as it considers options to make the significant savings needed, says spending watchdog the Accounts Commission.
The council isn’t alone in Scottish local government in having to make substantial savings. But the scale of savings needed – over £100 million by 2029 – means senior officers and councillors must work together to find sustainable ways to deliver differently, improve performance and ultimately reduce costs.
The council has ambitious plans to borrow money to improve housing and school buildings. But this will need to be managed carefully to ensure that plans are affordable and don’t have a detrimental impact on services.
Progress has been made since the Commission last reported, and many services are performing well. But now the council must address declining performance in areas including housing, waste and some aspects of street cleaning.
The Accounts Commission recognises the council’s ambitious plans to end poverty and become a net zero city by 2030.
Given current progress, however, there remains a significant amount of work to achieve these targets, not least in establishing cost implications.
Jo Armstrong, Chair of the Accounts Commission said:“We cannot underestimate the scale of financial challenge.
“The council has successfully achieved savings over recent years. But given increasing demand and financial pressures, the council must accelerate its transformation and change programme.
“Listening to and acting on the views of staff and local communities will be vital.
“The council has real opportunities, including the potential to raise more income. It shouldn’t use the potential of future income, however, to delay making difficult decisions now as challenges will only intensify.”
Council Leader, Cammy Day, said: “We’re encouraged by the Commission’s findings, which recognise the good progress the Council has made since 2020.
“We’ve delivered a lot of change at a time of huge pressure on our services and on our budget, but we’ve stayed true to our priorities of protecting day-to-day services and investing in a fairer, greener future. Our aims to eradicate poverty and become net-zero by 2030 are ambitious, but we need to be aspirational to make sure they stay at the top of our priority list.
“Our focus on getting the basics right for our residents, meanwhile, is also bearing fruit with Edinburgh now a top performing Council in Scotland for street cleanliness, and continued improvements in key areas such as road conditions.
“We acknowledge, however, that there is still much more to be done and we’ve targeted substantial additional resources into key services such as housing, where we know performance has to improve if we are to tackle Edinburgh’s housing emergency.
“We’re continuing to adopt new technologies to make it easier for residents to come to us for help and, as recognised in the report, we’re looking forward to realising the huge benefits our Visitor Levy proposals will bring from 2026 – which we forecast will raise over £100m for the city by 2030.
“It’s no secret, however, that ever more difficult financial decisions lie ahead. Despite the unique pressures that come with being Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh remains the lowest funded council per head in Scotland, which is having a huge impact on our finances.
“The latest projections show that we will face a budget shortfall of at least £30m next year and we’ll need to work even harder to ensure we can keep on delivering best value for the people of Edinburgh.”
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has written to Cllr Cammy Day, City of Edinburgh Council Leader, urging the Council to urgently re-open the People’s Story museum.
The museum has been closed in advance of a debate on a proposal for the temporary closure of the museum.
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: ““The People’s Story is unique in Edinburgh, the only place in Scotland’s capital city that documents the experience and conditions of working class people in the city.
“We are deeply concerned that the council has pre-empted the debate on a proposed temporary closure and has already closed the museum’s doors, depriving locals of access to one of the only free attractions in the city centre.
“The old town has been laid bare by corporate developers and over tourism, driving locals out as prices soar. This museum documented the experiences of working class Edinburgh and needs investment. Instead, it has been abandoned by the Council.”
Lothians MSP Foysol Choudhury, Shadow Culture Minister for Scottish Labour, has urged the First Minister to protect Scotland’s museums and culture sector, following the proposed closure of The People’s Story Museum in Edinburgh until April 2025.
“The People’s Story Museum is the only museum in Edinburgh dedicated to teaching the history of working-class people, it would be a great loss to the city and Scotland, depriving the public of a chance to discover history they can identify with.
“I have written to Councillor Cammy Day, Leader of Edinburgh City Council, following the proposed closure of the People’s Story Museum for seven months due to an “urgent” need to cut costs.
“I am asking the Council to delay its decision on this proposal to look at all alternatives to ensure The People’s Story can remain open.
“For years Scottish Labour has pressed the Scottish Government to resource our councils properly, we are now seeing the consequences with more and more being forced to close museums and cultural venues. I will continue to press the Scottish Government to ensure there is sufficient investment in our museums.”
The People’s Story Museum was opened in 1984 in the Canongate, to create a collection which reflected the working-class history of Edinburgh and the city’s proud history of protest and organising for the rights of people at home and around the world.
Union tells councils to expect eight days of industrial action
GMB Scotland today confirmed bin strikes will begin within weeks.The union has formally served notice on councils across Scotland to expect eight days of industrial action by members in waste and recycling starting on August 14.
Bins will go unemptied from the smallest villages to the biggest cities, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the Fringe and International Festival starts this weekend.
The industrial action comes after pay talks with Cosla, representing Scotland’s councils, stalled. The Scottish Government joined negotiations yesterday [TUESDAY].
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said a rejected pay offer of 3.2% had failed to match the escalating cost of living or the rise offered to council workers in England and Wales.
He said: “We had constructive talks with the Scottish Government and Cosla yesterday but our members are less interested in constructive talks than fair pay.
“The process has gone on too long with too little progress.
“We are more than halfway through the year and there is no more time to waste discussing old offers with new wrapping. Enough is enough.
“Industrial action will start in two weeks unless ministers and local authorities identify the money needed to make an acceptable offer.
“These strikes will be disruptive to all the Scots who rely on our members’ work but would not be necessary if councils had shown a greater urgency and sense of realism.”
Unite announces strike in 18 council areas
Today we served notice to 18 councils that Unite members in Waste and Cleansing, and other services, will strike in 18 councils for 8 days from 14th August.
Strike action is set to begin at 5am on Wednesday 14 August and end at 4:59am on Thursday 22 August at the following 18 councils:
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeenshire Council
Angus Council
City of Edinburgh Council
Dumfries & Galloway Council
Dundee City Council
East Ayrshire Council
East Renfrewshire Council
Falkirk Council
Fife Council
Glasgow City Council
Inverclyde Council
North Ayrshire Council
North Lanarkshire Council
Renfrewshire Council
South Ayrshire Council
The Highland Council
West Lothian Council.
In Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, all Unite and GMB members in Waste and Cleansing will strike. Unite members in Fleet Services will also strike. Unison’s reballot in Waste and Cleansing opened on 26 July, so results are awaited – this does not impact the timetable of the strike action.
On 24 July, Unison began balloting members across the country in schools, early years and family centres, to prepare for a second wave of strike action if needed. Their ballot closes on 29 August.
Unite local government committee will soon meet to discuss balloting these areas.
Talks with the Scottish Government
Yesterday, Unite officials, including your branch secretary Brian Robertson, and those from Unison and GMB, held ‘positive talks’ with Shona Robison MSP, cabinet secretary for finance and local government and COSLA. Unite warned, however, that a new ‘credible offer’ must be tabled ‘imminently’ and said it would not suspend its scheduled strike action until that occurs.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Thousands of Unite members will take strike action next month unless there is a new credible pay offer put on the table.
“Our membership has waited months for an offer which reflects their professionalism and the dedication which they put into delivering vital local services.”
Scottish council workers offered less
The current COSLA pay offer amounts to a 3.2% increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Unite has said the pay offer ‘grossly undervalues’ Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC). This equates to a rise of 67 pence per hour or 5.2% for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.
Members should note that Unite members south of the border rejected this offer.
In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2% equates to £800 or a 41 pence per hour increase. The pay offer difference means that a Scottish council worker would need to earn above £40,000 to match the offer being made to council workers across the UK. This means the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s current pay offer.
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite stands ready to enter into meaningful negotiations at any time but our members need to see a significant shift in the coming days to avert strike action. Strike action is not yet inevitable but action from the politicians must be imminent.
“There is a window of opportunity to resolve this dispute but the politicians should be under no illusions that our members will take strike action if necessary to secure the pay offer which they deserve.”
The city council commented online: ‘Members of the trade unions GMB & Unite are planning strike action in Edinburgh from 14 – 22 August.
‘Bin collections & street cleaning services will be severely disrupted across the city during this time.’
The following services are not expected to run during the strike: – Waste & recycling collections, including all communal and kerbside bins & boxes – Street cleansing including litter bins – Recycling centres – Flytipping collections – Bulky uplift service – Public toilets.
‘This is a national dispute over pay, with strike action planned in other councils across the country unless agreement is reached. Discussions are ongoing between COSLA, trade unions and the Scottish Government with a view to agreeing a pay deal and resolving the dispute.
‘Please prepare for the strike action by visiting our website regularly for the latest updates and advice. Please tell neighbours, friends and family who may not have heard about the upcoming strike so they can prepare.’
Council Leader calls for urgent resolution to pay dispute
Cammy Day has called on the Scottish Government, COSLA and trade unions to find a solution to the national pay dispute and prevent significant disruption during Edinburgh’s busiest month.
Trade unions Unite the Union and GMB today announced plans for strike action across the waste and cleansing service in the Capital from 14–22 August.
Strike action is planned in other councils across Scotland unless agreement is reached to end the dispute.
Councillor Day said:“I’m disappointed that negotiations between Scottish Government, COSLA and the unions have so far failed to avert this action across Scotland.
“While acknowledging that talks are ongoing, including yesterday’s meeting with the Cabinet Secretary, urgent progress needs to be made if we are to prevent significant disruption during one of the most important and enjoyable periods in Edinburgh’s calendar.
“I firmly believe that all council colleagues deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do and have every right to take this action and have their voices heard. As the lowest funded council in Scotland, it’s time for the Scottish Government to properly fund our capital city and its services.
“I’m extremely concerned about the impact this will have on bin collections and street cleaning services, as well as the cleanliness of our city. But I want to assure residents that we’ll be doing all we can to minimise any impact on essential services.
“We’ve published advice on our website for residents and businesses on how to safely and responsibly store their waste – and will continue to post updates as the situation develops. I’d ask residents to please share this information with any friends, family or neighbours who may not be online.
“We’ll also be writing out to businesses to encourage them to remind their customers that they can return their litter back to their premises for disposal, and to use reusable packaging where possible. We’re also working with our transport and hospitality partners to ensure visitors are aware of the strike and its impact on the city.
I urge the Scottish Government and COSLA to stay round the table with the unions and find a way of averting, what will be, a hugely damaging dispute for Edinburgh – and for Scotland as a whole.”
Council Leader, Cammy Day looks to the year ahead – and beyond
Starting the year on a high
2024 is upon us and, with 40% of the world’s voters heading to the polls in the next 12 months, it promises to be a fascinating year of political debate – and change.
Here in the Capital, we’ve already enjoyed a great start to the year, welcoming in 2024 in style with our world-famous Hogmanay celebrations – bringing great pride to our residents and an estimated £48m to the local economy.
Overall, our Winter Festivals proved once again to be a great draw and the city centre welcomed a 6.4% increase in footfall in December 2023 compared to the same period the year before. In fact, we bucked the national trend, with the Capital the only city in Scotland to register an increase and the top performing city in the UK. Add to that hotel occupancy rates of well over 90%, shows just how attractive Edinburgh is and how far we’ve come since the pandemic.
Striking the right balance
But with this success, comes the other side of the same coin: the pressure on our core services and on the people who live and work here. Of course, we’re glad that so many people want to visit our beautiful city and recognise the importance of tourism to our economy. But we also acknowledge the impact this has on residents and that we have a responsibility to manage that impact.
One way we can do this is to introduce a visitor levy, which would present a major opportunity for us to generate millions of pounds in additional revenue to support, sustain and develop the city and this visitor economy – just as so many other major cities do so successfully. With MSPs endorsing the principles of the Visitor Levy Bill in Holyrood, I look forward to progressing our plans this year and keeping Edinburgh on track to become the first city in Scotland to introduce it.
Another way in which we can relieve this pressure is to better manage the number and quality of Short Term Lets in the city and I remain convinced this is the right thing to do – both for our residents but also for the businesses running them. Following the recent Judicial Reviews, we now have greater clarity on the legislation, and its application, and will publish a report outlining our next steps in the coming weeks.
Working towards net zero
Sticking with our business plan priorities in 2024, we remain determined to play our part in the global fight against climate change. We’re sticking with our bold and ambitious target to be a net-zero city by 2030 and, as our Climate Strategy and city-wide carbon emissions report demonstrates we’re continuing to make progress against these targets.
Coming on the back of a series of national and international awards and other accolades recognising our action on climate – most recently being named the world’s most sustainable travel destination and featured on the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Global A list – we’re at the forefront of driving the change we need to make real and lasting difference.
We’ve also published a new Climate Ready Edinburgh strategy to address the impacts of climate change on the city. This new strategy will address issues around flooding and overheating whilst supporting the city to protect and enhance our beautiful greenspaces and biodiversity.
Cleaner, greener transport
Did you know that 91% of travel emissions in the UK are caused by road traffic? That’s why creating a better connected, environmentally friendly transport system is a must and, in the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing a major package of proposals for the way we move people and goods around the city. These will include recommendations for a consultation on a north–south tram line between Granton and the Bioquarter for public consultation and first sight of our new circulation plan, Our Future Streets.
This work will complement significant investment in active travel routes too and, in the coming year, we’ll see the completion of both the City Centre West to East Link, a major walking, wheeling and cycling route between Roseburn and Picardy Place, and the Roseburn to Union Canal route, which will transform public spaces and bring disused areas back into community use. The introduction of our LEZ from 1 June, meanwhile, will not only improve air quality in our city centre but is expected to have benefits citywide. For our part, we’re continuing to improve our own council fleet and 30% of our vehicles will be upgraded to electric by the end of 2024.
Over the coming years, through schemes like Meadows to George Street, we’ll significantly improve walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport, and reduce the dominance of cars on city centre streets. We’re already making great strides towards delivering our flagship city centre transformation project, George Street and First New Town,and this year will see us engaging in our final designs before beginning construction in 2025.
Of course, 2023 was a hugely significant year for trams, with the completion of the line to Newhaven and passenger numbers already well ahead of expectations. Taken alongside the outstanding work of the team at Lothian Buses in returning patronage to almost pre-covid levels, the future looks bright for our transport companies, not least as we continue our work to bring them together as one. This can only be good news for Edinburgh’s travelling public – better integration, better service and better value for money.
A catalyst for sustainable growth
The development of our tram network has been – and will continue to be – pivotal to the city’s evolution. From the huge and growing investment in the west of the city – think Edinburgh Park and the potential for an 8,000 capacity music venue or the £2bn West Town development, to the transformation of Haymarket and the West End. The ever-changing face of Princes Street – book-ended by the Johnnie Walker Experience in the west and ambitious restoration of the former Jenners building in the east. The latter sitting proudly on the corner of St Andrew Square, which has itself been completely transformed and rejuvenated.
Then, in between, we have a boutique Red Carnation Hotel due to open in the former Royal Overseas League building later this year, a £100m redevelopment for the luxury Ruby Hotels chain planned for the former Zara, Next and Russell and Bromley stores and Japanese clothing retailer, Uniqlo, moving into the former BHS building in the spring.
Not forgetting, of course, the unbridled success of St James Quarter – whose £1bn investment depended heavily on tram and significant support from the Council, the regeneration of Leith Walk and the Waterfront, with the long-awaited £250m reinvention of Ocean Terminal set to bring 500 much-needed homes and a direct pedestrian link to the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Just along the coast, the £1.3bn transformation of Granton Waterfront into Europe’s first net-zero coastal town, complete with 3,500 new, sustainable homes, will rely heavily on tram, while the prospect of taking the line south past the Cameron Toll to the Royal Infirmary, Sick Kids and beyond will be truly transformational for that part of the city.
I’m eagerly anticipating the completion of the Granton Gasholder refurbishment by spring 2025, which alongside the improvements to the public spaces surrounding it, will be a great resource for the local community and a beacon of hope for a bright future for North Edinburgh.
Like many in the city who spend their very first hours and days in the old Royal Infirmary, I’m also really looking forward to seeing inside the Edinburgh Futures Institute when it opens later this year – the latest product of the £1.3bn City Region Deal. And then there’s the Usher Institute at the Bio Quarter, ensuring we stay at the forefront of Life Sciences innovation in the UK and internationally.
Elsewhere, work is also beginning on designs for hundreds of new homes at the site of the old Liberton Hospital and good progress is being made on new housing at the old Sick Kids site. Having declared a Housing Emergency at the end of last year, we’re continuing to create as much new affordable housing as we can afford, from Pennywell to Greendykes and Wester Hailes, and buying homes that are already built at scale while turning empty homes around to help increase our housing supply.
Getting the basics right for our communities
As our city continues to grow, we must provide the right infrastructure and amenities in our local communities, and our 20-minute Neighbourhood Strategy will help us develop places where everyone can meet most of their daily needs within a short walk or wheel from their home. We’re approaching the next stages of exciting town centre improvement programmes in Dalry, Portobello and Craigmillar and are due to consult on our proposals in the spring.
This extends of course to the ‘everyday’, but no less important, services we provide, such as fixing roads, keeping streets clean and collecting waste. And the evidence tells us that these services are improving thanks to the additional investment we’ve put into them.
For instance, we’ve doubled the amount of money we put towards roads and pavement projects and, having delivered approximately 420,000m2 of carriageway improvements and 170,000m2 of footway improvements in 2023/24 – the highest ever delivered in one financial year in Edinburgh – our Road Condition Index (RCI) has improved yet again over the period 2022/24, having also improved in the two years before that. The investment is clearly paying off.
Likewise, we’ve seen year on year improvements in our street cleanliness scores. This is thanks to investing £3m towards keeping the city in a good condition, including £750,000 to give the city a deeper clean, tackling problem areas like fly-tipping and graffiti. Added to that the similar £3m boost we’ve given to our beautiful parks and open spaces, recognising their importance to everyone’s wellbeing, we’ve helped to keep Edinburgh’s 38 Green Flags flying – which is more than anywhere else in Scotland.
Tackling inequality and giving our young people the best start in life
Turning now to another key priority: tackling poverty. Over the past year we’ve doubled our homelessness budget, helped over 4,000 people into work or learning, and, through our advice partnerships, helped put more than £20 million directly into the pockets of residents who need it most. We’ve also begun to narrow the poverty related attainment gap in our schools and recorded the best performance we have ever seen on the proportion of leavers moving on to positive post school destinations.
Despite all this hard work, I remain deeply concerned that one in five children in this city still grow up in poverty. The cost of living crisis means that the wealth divide continues to widen and it will take urgent and consistent action from us and from both governments to meet this challenge. This year, we’re committed to carrying on our work with partners to deliver our End Poverty in Edinburgh plan, help people keep their family’s heads above water and ensure the very best future for Edinburgh’s children and young people.
We also have big plans for new schools and early years centres taking shape. The new Maybury Primary School will open its doors in October with new early years centres opening this year in Kirkliston and Ratho. Development is progressing at a pace on the replacement Currie High School and construction work on new schools and teaching blocks at Liberton, Wester Hailes and Trinity Academy has started in earnest.
Alongside delivering the best start to our young people in school, we also have a huge responsibility as corporate parents. All children deserve to have a safe place to live, where they feel loved and supported and, following recent inspections, I’m encouraged by the progress we’re making in our children’s and residential services.
We also have the responsibility of supporting our older residents in care homes and in receipt of at home care and everyone in between. We need to prioritise health and social care services across the city, ensuring faster and more effective early intervention – and, following a challenging period for the service, I’m heartened by the steps being taken under the new management team.
Fighting for fairer funding for our Capital City
To finish, then, 2024 promises to be yet another exciting and rewarding year for the Council and for the city; a year full of opportunities – but also of challenges.
For our part, we’ll continue to focus on our key priorities for Edinburgh: to face into the climate emergency, tackle poverty once and for all and to consistently deliver high quality services for our residents and businesses. With Chief Executive, Andrew Kerr, leaving us in June to enjoy his well-earned retirement, I look forward to working closely with his successor (once appointed) to build upon the progress we’ve made so far.
What’s clear, however, is that we can’t do this alone. As a Council, we can shape and influence change through our policies and plans, but this needs to be a team effort, a pulling together of resources and plans across the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Where we’re lacking commitment, unfortunately, is from the Scottish Government who, rather than backing our plans, are systematically stripping away their support. You need look no further than December’s budget announcement, where, once again Edinburgh remains the lowest funded local authority in Scotland.
We will, of course, continue to develop sustainable financial plans for the future, but It’s imperative that we find a better way to work together more collaboratively, and my first big task this year will be to fight for fairer funding for our Capital City.
EDINBURGH councillors have passed a budget focused on ‘getting the basics right’ and making Edinburgh a ‘cleaner and greener city’. However that budget was not the one put forward by by the ruling Labour administration – council rejected that, and instead eventually backed a Liberal Democrat budget.
This means a Labour-led council will now be promoting and implementing a budget put forward by the Liberal Democrats, the council’s third biggest party.
Trade unions are concerned about elements within the budget passed by the council – particularly over compulsory redundancies and outsourcing- and some senior Labour figures believe Council Leader Cammy Day’s position is now untenable.
There are calls for him to resign: both from the SNP – the biggest group on the council – and, perhaps of more concern, from within the city’s own Labour group.
The humiliating budget defeat shows the fragility of Labour’s leadership position within the council.
With thirteen councillors Labour needs the support of other parties to run the city.
Labour chose to break their ‘Capital Coalition’ agreement with the SNP and instead joined forces with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats following last May’s local government elections, despite assurances from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar that there would be ‘no deals’.
With 18 councilllors the SNP is the biggest group on the city council by some way. Labour (13) is second followed by the Lib Dems (12), Greens (10) and Tories (9).
Lib Dems, doubtless boosted by their Budget coup, are bullish about their chances of increasing their representation in the City Chambers following a by-election in Corstorphine/Murrayfield on 9 March.
SNP Group leader (and leader of the former ruling ‘Capital Coalition’) said: “What Labour actually voted for: -£600k saving by ending no compulsory redundancy policy NOW. -£500k saving THIS YEAR by privatising waste & cleansing services.
“You can’t trust a word from Labour on this.”
He also tweeted: “Labour “administration” budget defeated – Labour instead backed the LibDem budget in full. If my budget had been voted down as Council Leader I’d have had the integrity to resign.”
While rejecting a series of savings proposals in education and speech and language therapy, councillors agreed to allocate substantial additional money to improve roads, paths and pavements and carry out additional resurfacing works for the long term.
Additional funding will also be made available for the city’s parks and greenspaces, tackling fly tipping, graffiti removal and street sweeping, and additional resource for flood defences and gully cleaning in light of the increasing impacts of climate change.
The Climate and Sustainability Team will also be bolstered, enabling a greater focus on the city’s ambition of becoming net zero by 2030 and the King’s Theatre will also benefit from funding to secure its future, with £3m set aside – a move supported across the council.
Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Kevin Lang said: “I’m delighted that our budget got support from councillors – and that, in the midst of the cost of living crisis, we’ve been able to limit the rise in council tax to 5% for Edinburgh’s residents.
“This is a Council budget that delivers. A budget that stops £5 million of education cuts, injects £11 million extra to tackle our broken roads and pavements, more investment for parks and new money for climate change action.
“Despite continued funding cuts from the Scottish Government, residents still rightly expect high quality local services in return for the increasing amounts of council tax they pay each year, which requires a budget which focuses on essential core services, delivered well.”
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “Despite the unique demands of a Capital city, Edinburgh continues to receive the worst grant funding of any local authority in Scotland. Years of local government cuts have now come to a head, forcing us to find close to £80m of savings this year – on top of the hundreds of millions we’ve made already.
“It’s a position none of us wanted to be in and our residents deserve better. Despite this, we presented a positive, fair and responsible set of proposals, aimed at protecting vital frontline services on which our communities and residents rightly depend.
“So, I was deeply disappointed we didn’t secure the backing from other groups, particularly in the manner in which it came about. But, for all that, I remain absolutely committed to leading this council and to working with all other groups to deliver the best for the people of Edinburgh.”
GMB Scotland, Unison and Unite trade unions have suspended next week’s strikes after receiving an improved pay offer from local government umbrella organisation Cosla.
The unions are recommending their members accept the new deal.
Responding to the revised offer for local government pay, and following a meeting of GMB Scotland’s local government committee,GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services Keir Greenaway said:“GMB has been very clear that more must be done for the lowest paid in local government and this latest offer delivers a significant amount of consolidated money for these workers, including the frontline refuse and schools’ staff that everyone depends on.
“It’s not a perfect offer but it is the view of GMB Scotland’s local government committee that it’s worthy of members consultation and their acceptance, but ultimately our members whose campaigning and strike actions have improved these terms will have the final say.
“In the meantime, we have agreed to suspend all planned strike action so this consultation process can take place and our GMB organisers and workplace reps will be visiting as many workplaces as possible to engage our members on this.
“Most importantly, we want to pay tribute to our members. Strike action is not easy, it requires sacrifice and solidarity to deliver outcomes that make work better, and they have fought long and hard for an improved offer to help confront this cost-of-living crisis.”
After days of intense negotiations with the First Minster, the Deputy First Minister, Scottish Government and COSLA. UNISON has now secured an improved offer from COSLA that they will put to their members with a recommendation to accept.
The offer consists of: • An increase of £2000 for those earning up to £20,500 • An increase of £1925 for those earning between £20,500 to £39,000 • A 5% increase for those earning between £39,000 to £60,000 • A maximum increase of £3k for those earning above £60,000 • The removal of SSSC fees where application (social care registration fees) • 1 extra days annual leave • All increases based on a 36hr week calculator
Three UNISON sticking points were overcome late last night with the First Minister. The first is that the pay envelope has been increased to £600m, second that the pay increases will be fully consolidated from the date of implementation and the calculations will be based on 36-hour week (rather 37hr wk).
In March council workers were offered a paltry 2%. In July they were offered 3.5%. And now, through the strength of UNISON’s collective industrial muscle and members willingness to stand up to their employers we have now achieved a total increase to the pay bill of 7.5%, with 8 in 10 UNISON workers getting increases of between 5 – 10 %.
Johanna Baxter, UNISON head of local government said:“This offer is a victory for UNISON members. It has taken 8 months and the industrial might of UNISON members in schools and early years and waste and recycling workers to drag £600m out of Scottish government and COSLA and into the pockets hardworking people.
“COSLA originally offered 2%, then 3.5%, then 5% – we now we have £600m on the table, which is a 7.5% increase to the total pay bill and 87% of our council workers will receive fully consolidated increases between 5% to 10%.
“UNISON want to get this money into the pockets of council workers now while we continue the campaign to support people through the cost of living crisis,
“It is only through the collective action of our members in school and early years staff threatening strike action and our waste and recycling workers taking action that we have forced these extra funds out of government and the employer.
“Our member’s message was clear and unequivocal – UNISON’s local government members are no longer prepared to be treated as the poor relations of the public sector. They will stand up, speak up and organise to win change together. There is always more to do but this is a welcome step in the right direction.”
Mark Ferguson, chair of UNISON Scotland local government committee said:“Do not underestimate the scale of the achievement for UNISON members. We have won significant increases from where we started 8 month ago. We have had to drag the employer to the table to even talk to us.
“This will go someway to help them through the cost of living crisis but by no means is the fight over. UNISON will now continue its campaign to improve pay and conditions for all workers in local government.”
Unite the union can confirm that following talks involving the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, COSLA and the trade unions, a new ‘credible’ pay offer has been formally put on the table.
Unite can confirm that the substance of the new offer has led to a recommendation by its local government committee to accept.
Strikes scheduled to take place in waste and education services from 6 to 13 September are now suspended. Unite will hold a consultative ballot of its local government membership on the offer which it aims to complete by 22 September.
Unite can confirm a flat rate fully consolidated offer of £2,000 for those earning up to £20,500. This is the equivalent to an increase of around 10 – 11 per cent for the lowest paid who are estimated to be around 18 per cent of the total workforce. The offer is consolidated into overtime, allowances and pensions.
It further includes a £1,925 flat rate offer which is fully consolidated for those earning between £20,500 and up to £39,000. This is the equivalent to an increase of 8 per cent for those earning around £24,000. The offer would also be backdated to April.
Unite estimates that trade union negotiators have been able to secure around an extra £460m for local government since the dispute in waste services began in Edinburgh on 18 August.
Wendy Dunsmore, Unite’s lead negotiator for local government, welcomed the new offer, she said:“After the latest round of intensive talks a new credible offer has finally been put on the table by COSLA. Unite wants to acknowledge the First Minister’s direct involvement as a primary reason for the breakthrough.
“The offer on the table is fully consolidated and as such there will be more cash in the pot going forward for local government workers. It provides a degree of security for the lowest paid with a flat rate offer of £2000 which is an uplift worth around 10-11 per cent.
“We now have a credible offer which our local government representatives can recommend to the membership for acceptance.”
It is reported that more than half of Scotland’s 250,000 council workers are earning less than £25,000 a year for a 37-hour week.
COSLA has said it was delighted to get to a point in this year’s pay negotiations whereby a fresh pay offer has been put to the Trade Unions.
Commenting yesterday [Friday 2nd September 2022] following a meeting of Council Leaders, Councillor Katie Hagmann, COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson, said: “Firstly I would like to thank all our Trade Union colleagues for the constructive discussions.
“The revised offer made shows that Scotland’s Council Leaders have listened to the concerns of our workforce and have responded positively.
“Council Leaders have said consistently throughout these negotiations that we very much value and are grateful to the Local Government Workforce.
“We have sent letters to our union colleagues following today’s meeting and hope that this enables strike action to be suspended and allows our workforce to get back to doing what they do best, delivering high quality essential services for the people within our communities right across Scotland.”
Commenting on the new pay offer for local government workers from COSLA, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Unions work. This offer could not have been possible without the solidarity of our collective movement. As it should be, it’s now up to the members whether to accept this proposal.
“We’re facing the gravest cost of living emergency seen for generations. When there is the political will to do so, instigated by Scotland’s workers and with the assistance of political leaders, the Scottish Government can indeed intervene to help those most in need.
“Other workers across public services will welcome this precedent as they too seek pay justice in the face of the cost-of-living crisis. We intended to make this loud and clear at our cost of living pay march outside the Scottish Parliament this Thursday, September 8th.”
The City of Edinburgh Council has updated its advice to residents following this afternoon’s announcement that industrial action is to be paused.
Strike action was due to restart in Edinburgh on Tuesday but, following the latest offer from COSLA, Unite and GMB trade unions have agreed to suspend the action while they conduct a consultative ballot of their members.
The Council has updated its recovery plan to take account of this and residents are being advised that kerbside collections (grey and green wheelie bins, plus food waste) will resume as normal from next week.
This excludes garden waste and blue box glass collections, which will restart from 13 September. As previously communicated, garden waste customers will be compensated for any missed collections resulting from strike action.
Any residents who were due a collection on Thursday 1 or Friday 2 September whose bins haven’t yet been emptied are being advised to leave them out for collection – they’ll be emptied as soon as possible.
Street cleaning teams, meanwhile, continue to make good progress with the city-wide clean-up, focusing their efforts on high-footfall areas and working closely with waste collection teams to clear excess litter around bins.
Full details of the recovery plan and the latest guidance have been published on the Council website: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/binstrike
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “Clearly, I’m pleased that next week’s strike action has been suspended while union members consider this latest offer – and I’m cautiously optimistic that they’ll follow their unions’ recommendation and accept.
“This dispute has already dragged on way too long and the Scottish Government and COSLA leadership would do well to reflect on this going forward.
“I know this will come as a relief to residents and businesses across Edinburgh who’ve had to endure a difficult few weeks for our Capital city – but I hope, like me, they’ll agree it’s been worth it to secure a fair deal for our hard working colleagues.
(NOTE – Cammy Day voted to offer those ‘hard working colleagues’ just 3.5%!)
“Our teams have put in an incredible shift since returning to work on Tuesday – collecting an eye-watering 3,500 tonnes of waste in the process and underlining their immense value to our city and its reputation.
“The clean-up will continue in the coming days and most kerbside collections will resume as normal from next Tuesday. Unfortunately, for this to happen, we do still need to divert some resources away from garden waste and glass collections, but I’m pleased they’ll be able to resume from the following week.
“I appreciate that this has been, and continues to be, an extremely challenging period for us all and I would like to thank our residents, businesses and visitors for their continued patience and understanding.”
SNP VOWS TO HOLD ‘RIGHT WING COALITION’ TO ACCOUNT
Edinburgh’s Labour Group has formed an administration to lead the City of Edinburgh Councilfollowing a controversial deal with the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
Detailed discussions have been ongoing across political groups since the Local Government Elections on 5 May and, following a vote at today’s Council meeting, Labour councillors will convene the Council’s six executive committees.
Cllr Cammy Day has become Leader of the Council with Cllr Mandy Watt appointed as Depute Leader.
Cllr Robert Aldridge had earlier been appointed as Lord Provost, taking the chair for the first time, with members of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups appointed as Conveners and Vice Conveners of quasi-judicial committees, including the Licensing and Development Management Sub-Committees.
The full list of appointments is below.
The convener of the Governance, Risk and Best Value committee will be decided at the next Council meeting on 30 June.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: I’m delighted and extremely honoured that we’ve reached agreement to lead the City of Edinburgh Council today.
“We’re committed to addressing the issues that matter the most to the people of Edinburgh, making the case for the funding we deserve as a Capital City and protecting our front-line services; taking forward the work of the Poverty Commission to tackle the cost of living crisis, promoting fair work and ensuring our children and young people get the best possible start in life.
“We’ll continue to focus on the fight against climate change and our ambitious target of being net zero by 2030, boosting our affordable house-building programme, taking Trams to Newhaven and delivering the pioneering regeneration of the Granton Waterfront and north Edinburgh.
“I’m confident our collaborative approach will lead to far more consensual and co-operative decision-making and I look forward to working closely across all parties, delivering positive changes and policies for the good of our great Capital City and its residents.”
The Lib-Dems, who doubled their number of councillors at this month’s election, justified their reasons for voting as they did:
Chief Executive, Andrew Kerr, said: I would like to congratulate Councillor Day and the Labour Group on forming an administration today.
“I look forward to working with all councillors over the next five years to deliver the best possible services for the people of Edinburgh.”
The full list of appointments is
Leader of the Council – Cllr Cammy Day (Lab) Depute Leader of the Council – Cllr Mandy Watt (Lab) Lord Provost – Cllr Robert Aldridge (Lib Dem) Depute Lord Provost – Cllr Lezley Marion Cameron (Lab) Convener of Culture and Communities – Cllr Val Walker (Lab) Convener of Transport and Environment – Cllr Scott Arthur (Lab) Convener of Housing and Economy – Cllr Jane Meagher (Lab) Convener of Education, Children and Families – Cllr Joan Griffiths (Lab) Convener of Finance and Resources – Cllr Mandy Watt (Lab) Licensing Board Convener – Cllr Louise Young (Lib Dem) Licensing Board Vice Convener – Cllr Jason Rust (Cons) Convener of Government, Risk and Best Value – to be decided 30 June Planning Committee Convener – Cllr James Dalgleish (Lab) Regulatory Committee Convener – Cllr Neil Ross (Lib Dem) Convener or Vice-Convener of Integration Joint Board – Cllr Tim Pogson (Lab) Development Sub Committee Convenor – Cllr Hal Osler (Lib Dem) Licensing Sub Committee Convenor – Cllr Joanna Mowat (Cons)
The SNP has run the city with Labour as a ‘Capital Coalition’ for ten years, and the SNP was the biggest party once again following this month’s election.
Capital Coalition III was very much on the cards until Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar announced that there would be no coalition deals with the SNP or the … em, Tories!
Former council leader Adam McVey said: “The Lab/Tory/Lib coalition is held together by nothing more a burning hatred of the SNP & a carve up of jobs.
“We will keep our focus on delivering the change needed for Edinburgh & will hold this right-wing coalition to account.”
Green Group Co-convener Cllr Claire Miller said: “We are disappointed not to have passed our proposal for a council which would have delivered on the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis.
“However Greens will continue to work constructively in the council, as we have always done.”
SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY PAYMENTS
Lord Provost – Robert Aldridge (Liberal) – £44.039.
