Latest news from the Council Leader Cammy Day.
Her Majesty at rest: Edinburgh's fitting final farewell
Seven decades ago, stepping through crowds of well-wishers to climb to the top of the Mercat Cross, Edinburgh’s then Lord Provost James Miller took part in a momentous occasion: the Proclamation to the people of Scotland that Princess Elizabeth had become our Queen.
Who there that day could have foreseen the length of her devoted service and single-minded dedication to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth? Seventy years on and it was a poignant moment when our present Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant Robert Aldridge joined the Lord Lyon to remember the Queen and herald our new King.
The Lord Provost has represented our city during this incredibly historic and moving week with tremendous dignity, joining me in undertaking countless interviews for the world’s media to discuss Edinburgh’s role and provide guidance to viewers during this very special time. I don’t think there was a single morning we turned on our televisions or scrolled through our phones and the city didn’t fill our screens.
I have no doubt that Westminster Abbey will provide a magnificent setting for the state funeral on Monday – and I’m delighted to announce we’re broadcasting it on a giant screen in Holyrood Park – but scenes from Edinburgh’s commemorations will also rightly be remembered forever.
The city truly shone as well over 100,000 people welcomed The Queen’s cortège to Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon, with The King and members of the Royal Family following on Monday to participate in the Ceremony of the Keys. They then joined an historic procession up the Royal Mile and a service at St Giles’ Cathedral, where the Queen lay at rest until her final departure for London on Tuesday.
And who can forget the pictures of 33,000 people queueing peacefully into the small hours to pay their respects at St Giles’ Cathedral? And the scores of volunteers who supported them through the night.
All in, this was a hugely significant operation, involving an unparalleled level of planning to ensure the comfort and safety of everyone in the huge crowds. An astonishing achievement and display of hard work in honour of a remarkable Queen, a monarch who openly cherished her Scottish Capital and its people and continued to work until the end.
I’d like to thank the people of Edinburgh for turning out in their thousands to pay their respects. And I also want to thank the many Council colleagues, partners and volunteers, who each played their part in delivering – gracefully and flawlessly – this unique series of events at a scale and pace many cities would find unimaginable. You have done Edinburgh, Scotland and Her Majesty proud.
Fair pay for a fair day's work
As these momentous events unfolded and eyes of the world looked on, our Capital City truly was looking its beautiful best. This was due in no small part to the hard work of our waste and cleansing teams, further emphasising their immense value to our city – all year round.
Clearly then, it was welcome news that the recent strike action was suspended– and I’m cautiously optimistic that members will accept the improved pay offer on the table. I’ve already expressed my disappointment that this dispute has dragged on for so long and the Scottish Government and COSLA leadership would do well to reflect on this.
There’s no doubt the strike action resulted in a challenging few weeks for our Capital city and for our residents and businesses. I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding – but I hope, like me, they’ll agree it’s been worth it to hopefully secure a fair deal for our hard-working colleagues.
Tackling the cost of living crisis
With Autumn almost upon us, the true scale and difficulty of the cost of living crisis is becoming ever clearer. We’re expecting significant numbers of people in Edinburgh to struggle with bills under spiraling inflation and energy costs and there is a real concern that more people will experience poverty as a result.
Clearly, the size of the challenge is so big that we need real action at a national level, by the UK and Scottish Governments. They must use the powers and resources only they have - through market regulation, social security systems, and taxation. But there is a lot that local government and partners are doing that we think will make a difference for people in Edinburgh.
I’ve spoken before about the extra £7.5 million earmarked in the Council’s February budget which will provide crisis support and additional use of the Scottish Welfare Fund crisis grant. And in August we outlined an additional £1.2 million for families on low incomes – money which is arriving in bank accounts this Autumn.
We’ll be providing funding for energy crisis help through Home Energy Scotland, money for emergency food projects and extra support for third sector providers. Our money advice and income maximisation services are in place and a public awareness campaign will launch shortly.
Do please keep an eye on our dedicated webpages, which will continue to feature the latest advice on reducing bills, heating and health.
A visitor levy to keep our city sustainable and beautiful
I have no doubt that the stunning images of our city, which have been beamed around the world over the last few days, will translate into additional interest in Edinburgh as a place to visit. This is, of course, welcome – particularly for our businesses following the hardship of the pandemic. But we must acknowledge that spikes in visitor numbers are not without their challenges. We remain a small city on the global stage and we need to sustainably manage how this affects our people and impacts our streets.
That’s precisely why we’ve worked so hard to convince the Scottish Government to give us the necessary powers to introduce a tourist levy. We’ve led the way in Scotland – and the UK - and I’m pleased, at long last, that the City’s hard work has finally paid off. We estimate that a levy could raise in the region of £15m per year here in Edinburgh. And, when we consulted with residents and businesses – including accommodation providers – 85% had strong support for its introduction.
I’ll be pushing the Scottish Government hard to ensure that any income generated is in addition to our block grant funding – not instead of it. And I’ll be making sure that the city – not government – decides how best to spend the additional money this generates. We’re fully committed to working together with hospitality and wider tourism industry partners to co-produce a scheme that works best for the whole of our Capital City.
After decades of centralisation, we need to see more powers like these devolved to local government. Our campaigning won’t end here. I’ll continue to make the case for powers to be transferred to our city to better manage local issues and provide the very best outcomes for our people.