Latest news from the Council Leader Jane Meagher.
Community spirit
I want to begin this month by reflecting on the shocking events of Monday 2 March and to pay tribute to Council colleagues, Police and emergency services for the speed of their response.
You may be aware that one of our colleagues was attacked and badly injured but thankfully he is out of hospital and recovering at home. I’m sure you’ll join me in sending him our very best wishes.
We know now that this was an isolated incident and the suspect remains in police custody, but I would like to repeat my appeal for people not to speculate or share misinformation online.
I took the opportunity last week to visit the community and to spend time with our teachers, young people and housing colleagues who were affected by the incident. Clearly, they had witnessed something awful, but their bravery, stoicism and pride in their community shone through.
The preparedness, professionalism and dedication displayed by our staff and by the emergency services on the scene was incredible. And by the very next day, everyone was back at work, delivering for their community and those who live there.
I was also struck by the conversation I had with the local shopkeeper whose store was badly damaged by the attacker. Despite what he’d been through, he spoke proudly of the kind-hearted support he’d received from across the community and how they’d helped him clear up his shop.
Moments like this remind us of the need to stand together – and of the importance of community spirit. While, sadly, there are people who will seek to spread hate and division on the back of this incident, the way in which people who live and work in the Calders have rallied together over the past week fills me with hope and pride.
These were also the overriding emotions I felt when we marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine late last month – a moment to reflect on the role our communities have played in hosting, welcoming and befriending thousands of Ukrainians since 2022. Many of them now call Edinburgh home, as do thousands of others who have sought sanctuary in our city.
We should be proud to be regarded as such a welcoming and diverse city. Our strength lies in those who live here – people from all walks of life, cultures, and backgrounds – and we all have a part to play in ensuring it stays that way.
Setting a budget to meet our residents’ needs
I’m proud that once again we’ve delivered a balanced budget that focuses on meeting the needs of Edinburgh’s residents.
This includes a record £1.6 billion towards house building – one of the largest interventions of its kind by a local authority in modern times – alongside a package of spending priorities that reinforces our commitment to tackling poverty, prioritising prevention and protecting frontline services for those most in need of our support.
We also pledged an additional £6 million towards social care and prioritising support for some of our most vulnerable children across the city, as well as investment in early family support and school pupils with additional support needs. We’ll be focusing on protecting frontline services too – investing in areas that residents have told us are important to them, such as roads, pavements and parks – while keeping Edinburgh’s increase in Council Tax to the lowest in the country.
A huge amount of work has gone into producing this budget – just as it did to preparing the first set of spend programmes for the incoming Visitor Levy scheme, agreed last month – and I want to thank officers across many of our teams who have helped make this possible.
The first scheme of its kind in the UK, and set to be worth over £90 million to the city in the next three years, the Edinburgh Visitor Levy will help us not only to sustain and enhance the things that make our city so special, but also to better manage the effects of tourism and major events on those who live here all year round. Page 3 Agenda Annex
Growth benefits as City Region Deal hits midway point
Last month we marked the halfway point in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. Since its launch in 2018, the Deal has already contributed £3.6 billion in economic growth, created or supported over 30,000 jobs and built more than 8,000 homes across the region – generating the greatest additional investment of any Scottish city region or growth deal.
It has led to the delivery of the Bayes Centre, National Robotorium, Edinburgh Futures Institute and hundreds of new affordable homes in Granton, to name just a few. But, just as importantly, it has generated thousands of training and career opportunities for young people right across the region.
It’s this kind of innovative investment that helps to maintain our reputation as such a great place to live, work and visit. The Capital’s recent ranking as the UK’s more attractive city (outside London) in Resonance’s coveted Best Cities in Europe 2026 list is testament to its appeal and our high scoring for ‘liveability, lovability, and prosperity’ demonstrates just how much the city has going for it.
Stay on your bike, Mike!
I’ve spoken many times in this report about our investment in active travel and the continued success of our new cycle hire scheme. It was no surprise, then, to see new figures released by Cycling Scotland last month, which show an increase in cycling journeys at 11 different sites across Edinburgh.
The West Coates section of the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL) recorded its highest cycling rate yet when compared with other journey types (9.3%), with York Place seeing 1,921 bikes pass in the 48-hour survey period. Leith Walk also saw a new record of 9.7%, with 4,744 journeys recorded.
Put simply: if we invest in good infrastructure, people will use it – whether they’re nine or 90. It was great, then, to read the inspirational story of Michael Owen, who turns 90 on this birthday, and who regularly gets on his bike to do his shopping and get around the city. Long may that continue!
Make your voice heard
With less than two months to go until Scotland heads to the polls, preparations here in Edinburgh are well underway. With our 16- and 17-year-olds able to vote in this election, it’s timely then that this week is the Electoral Commission’s Welcome to Your Vote Week, which aims to promote greater understanding of democracy and voting in young people.
I was delighted to learn that, in half of our schools, 70% or more eligible pupils have already registered – but there’s still more work to be done and our education and election teams are working hard to ensure that as many young people as possible can vote for the first time in May.
The deadline for registering to vote is 20 April, and I’d urge everyone to make sure they do this in plenty of time. Further information is available on our website.
Building a more diverse and inclusive workforce
A key aim of our new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is to develop a culture where everyone in our workforce feels recognised, respected, included and involved.
As part of this, we’ve been working with two expert organisations (amongst others) to learn from and improve our practices – Close the Gap and Stonewall – who, I’m pleased to report, have both recently recognised our progress.
First of all, we have received bronze accreditation for #EquallySafeatWork, which rewards our move towards more gender-sensitive policymaking and preventing discrimination, harassment and violence against women and girls. The Equally Safe at Work programme is a tried and tested way to improve practice, tackle the gender pay gap and better support victim-survivors in the workplace.
Alongside this, we participated in the first year of the new Stonewall benchmarking and accreditation tool, Proud Employer, which has allowed us to be independently assessed on our progress towards LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace and to receive expert support based on proven good practice.
This has led to us being accredited as a ‘Champion Employer’ in the Proud Employers Accreditation Scheme – which means we’re “demonstrating consistent success, with our actions taking root and having a growing impact on LGBTQ+ inclusion in our workplace”. Very well deserved.
Fitting rewards and awards
With nominations now open for the 20th Edinburgh Award, we have another chance to honour individuals whose work and achievements have brought global recognition to our city. I’d urge you to consider nominating someone who inspires you, or goes above and beyond to make Edinburgh the extraordinary city that we all know and love.
One such person is Ali Bowden, who received the Award last year in recognition of her decades of passionate work to promote Edinburgh as the world’s first City of Literature.
I’m quite sure Ali would agree that our libraries lie at the heart of our communities, and be equally delighted to hear that Craigmillar, Oxgangs, Kirkliston and South Queensferry have been named as Library of the Year finalists – a great achievement that reflects the dedication of our library teams and the vital role they play for residents across the city.
Meanwhile, having won a COSLA award last year, our Education team’s Construction Skills Pathways project, which creates real-world career opportunities for our young people, has now been shortlisted in the prestigious local government MJ Achievement Awards in the ‘Innovation in Children’s and Adults’ Services’ category. Best of luck to all involved!
A century of visits to Lauriston Castle
Finally, this year marks an important milestone in Edinburgh’s history as we celebrate 100 years since Lauriston Castle was gifted to the people of our city. Since then, the Castle has become a much-loved place for residents and visitors to explore the past, enjoy the surroundings, and take part in the wide range of events and activities on offer.
From talks and creative workshops to film screenings and family events, the 2026 programme has plenty for everyone to take part in and enjoy – with much of it taking inspiration from the 1920s, when the Castle first opened its doors to the public.
Next month also sees the return of the Japan Sakura festival, which promises another weekend of free family fun, including the opportunity to try on a Kimono, learn the ancient art of origami and enjoy the breath-taking cherry blossom in our Japanese Garden (created in celebration of Edinburgh’s twinning with Kyoto).
Many events in the programme are free to attend, with some ticketed experiences available by booking in advance. Full details of all events are listed on the Culture Edinburgh website.