Leader's Report - February 2026

Putting our money where our mouths are

With an election looming in May, you could have been excused for expecting more from the Scottish Government budget announcement earlier this month.

Like many across the country, including COSLA, I was amazed by how little there was to address our nation’s biggest challenges, not least tackling the acute shortage of housing we face, together with the unacceptable levels of homelessness it brings with it. Meanwhile, it seems inevitable that councils will once again be left to pick up the tab for social care following years of chronic underinvestment.

As Scotland’s lowest funded council, it’s increasingly clear that, if we’re truly going to face into these challenges, we’re going to have to do it alone. We were the first city to declare a housing emergency and now we will be the first to do something meaningful about it.

That’s why our draft budget strategy has housing at its core, including a proposed £1.6 billion investment for affordable homes over the next five years – one of the largest housing interventions by a local authority in modern times.

If agreed at our budget meeting on 26 February, spending plans would prioritise prevention, putting poverty reduction at the heart of our decision-making. Alongside housing, significant investment would go into homelessness, support for vulnerable children and families and sustaining our third sector partnerships – while investing properly in our health and social care services.

We need to make sure we protect our frontline services, but we also need to protect our residents and businesses from bearing too much of the financial burden that goes with it. That’s why we’re proposing one of the lowest, if not the lowest, Council Tax rises in Scotland and why we’re proposing to freeze most fees and charges for the next 12 months.

Alongside our incoming visitor levy scheme, and the tens of millions of pounds it will generate for the city, we’re proposing transformational changes to how we raise and spend money – focusing on delivering the best services we can for the people of Edinburgh.

A city of sanctuary

I think it’s fitting that, as we mark Holocaust Remembrance Day today (27 January), we remind ourselves of our role as a city of sanctuary – as we have been, and continue to be, for so many.  

Edinburgh is a proud, welcoming and diverse city. Our biggest strength lies in those who live here – people from all walks of life, cultures, and backgrounds. We always welcome those who come here in search of a better life, particularly people escaping persecution and violence.

Unfortunately, however, with the horrific attacks we saw recently in Manchester and Sydney, and a rise in racist language and political rhetoric on migration, we know that some in our communities are feeling less safe just now.

This was heightened recently with the targeting of the Edinburgh Central Mosque with hateful graffiti. The Mosque is a place of welcome and worship that serves members of the Muslim community and beyond, and I want to strongly condemn any and all acts of hatred and intimidation.

More positively, I do want to pay tribute to our cleansing team who worked swiftly to remove the graffiti and minimise the offence it caused.

Moments like this remind us of the need to stand together – and of the importance of community spirit and tolerance. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home, on their street, and in their neighbourhood.

We’re fully committed to working with our partners to build a safer, fairer, and more inclusive city for all, and I’m looking forward to exploring what more we can do when our new cross-party working group meets.

Keeping our young people safe and engaged

With a far wider debate taking place on how we can keep our children safe online, I’m proud of the progress we’ve made towards keeping our classrooms smartphone free.

Councillors have agreed that restricting the use of mobile phones in our schools is a positive move (as has the Education Secretary this week) and it’s now a case of looking at the practicalities of how we make this work.

Two of our secondary schools, Portobello and Queensferry, are part way through a two-year pilot, using lockable pouches to restrict access to phones during the school day. It’s encouraging that feedback has been mostly positive so far, with young people telling us that it’s helped them to focus more on lessons and to be more sociable during break times.

We’ve just launched a city-wide consultation to gather views from pupils, families and school staff, helping us to make sure this bold move has the intended positive effect on our young people.

Levelling the playing field

Well done to the South Morningside Primary School girls’ football team that made the headlines for taking a stand against gender inequality.

When the girls won the Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association cup last summer, they were presented with a small plastic trophy which paled in comparison with the grander one awarded to the winning boys’ team on the same day.

The team took it upon themselves to write to the competition organisers to, quite rightly, highlight this blatant inequality and I’m delighted that they’ve now been presented with a new trophy of equal size.

Having now also featured on the Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2 and received an invitation to Prime Minister’s Questions, I’m sure the girls are celebrating their second victory, which I hope will help to level the playing field not only in football, but in all sports.

Make your voice heard!

With exactly 100 days to go until polling day, our teams are working hard behind the scenes to prepare for the Scottish Parliament Election on 7 May.

I’d urge everyone who is eligible to vote, particularly our first-time voters, to register before the deadline of 20 April and also to check which constituency you live in, given recent changes to the boundaries. All of this information is available on our website.

With 16- and 17-year-olds eligible to vote, we’re working closely with our colleagues in schools, colleges, and universities to encourage young people to take an interest in democracy and, most importantly of all, to make their voices heard in May.

Hogmanay back with a bang

I was relieved to see our world-famous Hogmanay celebrations back to their colourful best this year. Our ‘Midnight Moment’ was enjoyed across the world and, thanks to broadcaster CNN’s decision to focus on Edinburgh, coverage reached audiences in more than 200 countries and territories, with global views running into the billions.

More widely, with over three million residents and visitors enjoying our Winter Festivals, it’s clear how vital they are to the city’s economy, supporting jobs, attracting visitors during the colder months and showcasing Edinburgh as a city that delivers major events with professionalism and care. This is not just about celebration; it’s about sustaining livelihoods and strengthening confidence in our city.

I want to thank Unique Assembly, who deliver the Winter Festivals on our behalf, our council teams, emergency services and other partners who all worked tirelessly to make the celebrations the success they were, while making sure our city remained safe and welcoming throughout.

Saddling up

I was pleased to join the Deputy First Minister and others at Edinburgh Castle earlier this month to announce the route for the opening leg of the 2027 Tour de France. The race for the yellow jersey will begin right here in the Capital next summer, with the Grand Départ getting underway on 2 July.

As I said above, we’re well used to hosting major festivals and events, and this is yet another opportunity to showcase our city to the world. From boosting our local economy, through to promoting an active lifestyle, and persuading people to get on their bike, I’m confident that the wider legacy of the Tour de France will be a positive one for our residents and businesses.

Staying in the saddle, I’m delighted that our cycle hire scheme keeps going from strength to strength. Since launching last August, we’ve seen over 170,000 trips, covering almost 330,000 kilometres – equivalent to nearly ten times around the world! With further extensions to the scheme due in the coming months, we’ll continue to work with Voi to make sure the roll-out is as smooth as possible.

Marking 30 years of our World Heritage Site

Finally, it’s been three decades since Edinburgh was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognising the Old and New Towns (collectively) as one of the most extraordinary urban landscapes in the world – while, crucially, helping us to make sure its beauty is preserved for generations to come.

To help celebrate this landmark, we’re running a photography competition in partnership with Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland, encouraging people to share an image capturing what makes Edinburgh so special. There are 12 categories to choose from, ranging from the Medieval Old Town to the Living City.

Winning images in each category will become part of a year-long calendar to be sold at our Museums and Galleries shops, Historic Scotland sites and at Edinburgh World Heritage events to raise money to help manage the site going forward. Get snapping!