Leader's Report

Taking the fight to poverty

Nearly a quarter of a million children are experiencing poverty in Scotland, while too many people face a day-to-day struggle to balance low-paid, insecure work with an ever-higher cost of living. This is according to the latest Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, published earlier this month.

Here in Edinburgh, meanwhile, over 80,000 of our residents are still struggling to make ends meet, with one in five children living in relative poverty. It’s simply unacceptable that so many people are being forced to go without or choose between heating and eating.

Earlier this month, I attended the End Poverty Edinburgh conference, where I heard from people with lived experience of poverty and homelessness. It’s clear that the complexity of the benefits system remains a massive barrier for people trying to access support. From becoming homeless after fleeing domestic abuse to having to stop work to care for loved ones, the stories I heard bring to life the people behind these desperate numbers.

It's equally clear that we can’t solve the challenge of poverty alone and I welcome the new approach we’re taking as a Council to focus more on prevention, early intervention and mitigation. In setting up five new Neighbourhood Prevention Partnerships, we can bring key services together under one roof and make support easier to access for local people. I also welcome the Pride in Place funding announced by the Secretary of State for Scotland in Granton last month and look forward to the positive difference this will make.

Key to all of this is the ongoing work of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission. In 2020 they published their landmark report ‘A Just Capital’ setting a ten-year mission, alongside clear calls to action for the steps needed to eradicate poverty in Edinburgh. Five years on, they’re due to publish their mid-term report (on 31 October), which we should all read with great interest.

Creating a cleaner, greener city

The impacts of climate change are sadly already being felt across the globe – as they are here in Edinburgh. As our economy and population continue to grow, we need to make sure that this growth is sustainable and does not worsen the crisis, while also adapting our city to reduce the impact of future weather extremes.

Six years ago, we declared a climate emergency and made a commitment to become a net zero city by 2030 – recognising both the importance of the challenge and the role we must play as Scotland’s capital. While this has always been an ambitious target, it’s helped us to bring together services across the Council and the city to help reduce emissions – providing the sense of urgency we need to make a real and lasting difference.

Having been recognised nationally and internationally for our action on climate, we’re continuing to lead by example with the £1.3bn transformation of Granton Waterfront into Europe’s first net-zero coastal town, while the completion of the tramline from the Airport to Newhaven has seen passenger numbers grow to over one million a month.

This is exactly the sort of shift we need to become a cleaner, greener city – but there’s clearly a lot of work still to do. In our updated 2030 Climate Strategy, agreed this week, we highlight the areas of work we need to focus on. The City Mobility Plan and the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy, in particular, will be key to decarbonising Edinburgh’s transport and buildings – our two highest carbon emitters.

This is a goal we cannot reach on our own and every resident, community and organisation has a role to play. Every action and every gram of emissions that we avoid matters now more than ever, which is why we must remain ambitious and stick by our target. Doing nothing is simply not an option.

Keeping Edinburgh moving

Very much with this in mind, we continue to seek the public’s views on our proposals to expand the tram network from Granton to the BioQuarter and Royal Infirmary.

Expanding the network has the potential to transform our city and wider city region. You need only look at the success of the existing line to see the huge social, economic, and environmental benefits it could bring to our residents, businesses and communities.  

We’ve already received over 5,700 responses to the consultation and spoken to hundreds of residents, community groups and other key stakeholders at our public drop-in events and engagement sessions. There are still a few weeks to go until the consultation closes and I’d urge everyone to make their voice heard.

We’re also seeing great numbers with our trial cycle hire scheme. Since going live at the beginning of September, we’ve seen over 21,700 individual trips by more than 5,800 riders, covering almost 60,000 kilometres in total.

Given this demand, we’re working with Voi to move to the second phase, which will see around 340 e-bikes on our streets from next week and the boundary of the scheme extended west to include Holyrood Park and Meadowbank and further north, taking in Bonnington, Leith and Newhaven. We’re keeping a close eye on the management of the scheme and remain on track for full coverage of the city by the end of the year.

Staying safe this Bonfire Night

As we count down to Halloween and Bonfire Night, I want to recognise the huge amount of work being done by colleagues across the Council, Police and blue-light services, Lothian Buses and other partners to prepare for this year’s events.

Sadly, we know the impact the disorder we’ve endured in recent years can have on our communities and I’m desperate to avoid a repeat of these horrific scenes.

Our new Firework Control Zones are a direct response to community concerns and, alongside police dispersal zones, they will make a real difference – but this is only part of the solution. We’re supporting community-led events across the city and our schools teams are partnering with local community groups to create alternative options for young people on Halloween and Bonfire Night.

I want to thank Fearless, Crimestoppers’ youth service, for hosting a youth summit where pupils from 19 of our high schools, Council officers, and other agencies shared their views and discussed how we can address these challenges together. The feedback from the event was extremely positive – with our young people helping to shape the forthcoming Fearless social media campaign, which will launch alongside Police Scotland’s campaign later this week.

Through these joint efforts across the city, we want to make this Bonfire Night a safer and more enjoyable experience for all.

Remembering our war heroes

Having marked 80 years since the end of WWII earlier this year, there are sadly very few veterans left with us to thank for their outstanding service and bravery. All the more reason, then, for us to continue to remember them – and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Yesterday (20 October), the Lord Provost led the annual dedication service to Edinburgh’s Garden of Remembrance. Located beside the Scott Monument, the Garden is made up of thousands of symbols of Remembrance, including poppies and crosses, many of which come from Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. The Garden will be open for the public to visit, reflect, and pay their respects throughout the Remembrance period. 

Meanwhile, veterans and ex-service personnel in Edinburgh will once again be able to benefit from free taxi journeys to Remembrance Day events, thanks to the return of Poppy Cabs. If you, or anyone you know, wishes to use the service, please email Jonny Bates at the Association of Hackney Carriage Drivers of Edinburgh or call 07496 238040.

Keeping Edinburgh Beautiful

Finally, with our internationally renowned gardens and greenspaces, it comes as no surprise that Edinburgh has once again been recognised at this year's Keep Scotland Beautiful awards.

Working in close partnership with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society and Royal Botanic Gardens, the submissions celebrated the very best of Edinburgh – highlighting some of our best-loved parks, gardens and community spaces, such as Bridgend Allotments, Holyrood Park, Cyrenians Royal Edinburgh Garden – and the newly opened Jock Tamson’s Gairden.

Judges were impressed by the vibrant culture of volunteering and great visitor experience, with particular praise for the longstanding tradition of the Floral Clock in West Princes Street Gardens.