Latest news from the Council Leader Jane Meagher.
Princes Street back in business
I’m sure it came as a huge relief to residents, visitors and businesses that we were able to fully reopen Princes Street sooner than planned on 29 August following, what was, an incredibly challenging few weeks for the city. While painstaking remedial work on the former Debenhams building continues, our focus now is to get back to business as usual.
I want to repeat my thanks to our dedicated council teams and specialist engineers for their tireless work to secure the building as quickly and safely as possible. I’m also grateful to our transport operators for keeping our city moving during this time – and to our residents and visitors for their patience and understanding.
The timing really couldn’t have been worse. For many businesses, it is a time of year that they rely on for increased footfall, and I know that the disruption, particularly along the tram route, has severely affected them. That’s why, alongside our ongoing recovery efforts, around a third of the Scottish Government funding package has been set aside to help businesses get back on their feet.
Our More by the Shore campaign is taking shape and will launch at the start of October. The campaign will promote those businesses most affected by the disruption to the tram service, encouraging visitors and residents to visit and spend money in the Leith, Shore and Newhaven areas of the city. There’ll be taste trails offering a chance to try dishes, products and drinks from local restaurants and shops – and exclusive rewards for residents when they make a purchase.
Our teams have been meeting businesses, both in person and online, to make sure that they can make the most of the campaign, which, I’m pleased to report, will run all the way to the festive period and into the new year.
The Knife Angel – a powerful and important lesson for us all
The Foot o’ the Walk in Leith has welcomed an unusual but important visitor this month in the shape of a giant sculpture made entirely out of knives. The Knife Angel statue is made from around 100,000 knives and blades seized by the Police across the country – serving as a poignant reminder of the lives affected by knife crime and the devastating impact it has on individuals, families and communities.
My thanks go to everyone who worked to bring the sculpture to the city, including Police Scotland and Places for People. I want to pay tribute to the remarkable Lisa Petrie for all she is doing to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying a knife having tragically lost her son to knife crime last year.
For all the Knife Angel is a stark physical reminder of the lives and families affected by violence, it is vital that we help young people in particular to understand the dangers of knife crime.
Our Schools team arranged for over 500 of our secondary school pupils to see Fringe show, Code – a captivating piece of theatre centred on knife crime, which I’m pleased to hear sparked important conversations amongst our young people. Thousands of our pupils will also see an educational play, Balisong, which shows the dangers of carrying a weapon, as it tours schools across the city this term.
As well as remembering those we’ve lost to knife crime, our focus must be on preventing violence and anti-social behaviour – and creating safer communities for us all.
Festivals that benefit everyone
It’s been another memorable summer for our festivals as the city played host to just over 4,000 shows across 206 venues, with over 2.8 million tickets issued – with the Fringe reporting its highest ticket sales since before the pandemic.
It’s fantastic that more than 5,500 artists benefited from services at the new Fringe Hub in its first year on Infirmary Street, a building we made available at no cost so the Fringe could have a new permanent home.
This is an example of the year-on-year support we continue to provide to our festivals – both financially and behind the scenes. Of course, we will do all we can to back our festivals, as we have done since the 1940s and will continue to do as they enter their 80th year, and beyond. My door is always open, and I’m pleased to have now met with festival chiefs to discuss how we work together more positively.
For all we recognise the economic benefits that the festivals bring to the city and understand the challenges they are facing, we have to remember that there’s so much more to Edinburgh than the month of August.
Thanks to the Visitor Levy we are already strengthening the services and public spaces we all depend on all year round, while better managing the effects of tourism and major events.
I’m proud of what we’re already delivering – more policing, investment in our parks, public toilets, bins and our setted streets renewal programme – while ensuring Edinburgh remains a world-class cultural destination to be enjoyed by us all. Our £8 million combined investment in the Leith Theatre and former Royal High School as a new national centre for music is testament to this vision.
Setting things straight
I’m pleased that we’ve been able to end the temporary suspension of the Allocations Policy, originally introduced to prioritise those facing homelessness. During the suspension, more than 350 households, including 200 families, were able to move out of unsuitable temporary accommodation and into a settled tenancy.
Everyone has the right to a safe and suitable place to call home and, while there is still much to be done, I’m encouraged to see the progress we’re making to end the housing emergency.
I was sad and angry to see a national newspaper inaccurately reporting how we allocate housing – and how this was amplified in racist and far-right posts on social media. It’s worrying to see people in the public eye once again using their platform to fuel the spread of hate. The sharing of misinformation can and does create division and we will always take a stand to proactively call out false reporting.
Despite this, I’m proud that Edinburgh remains a diverse and broadly welcoming city that people from across the world can call home – and we continue to celebrate the many benefits that immigration brings through our ‘Edinburgh is our Home’ campaign.
Last month, I hosted an event attended by around 100 representatives from faith and community groups and partner organisations from across the city – and I was pleased that Simita Kumar MSP, Minister for Equalities and International Development, was able to join the session. We heard first-hand from those who were there that there is still work to do to make sure our communities are safe, supported and able to live their lives without fear.
Later this week, our Community Cohesion Working Group will meet to look at the actions that we need to take with our partners to tackle the rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric and make sure that Edinburgh is a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
Investing for a greener, fairer capital
I wrote in last month’s report about the pressing need to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, so I’m pleased that just last week we launched a new way for residents and businesses to support projects that can help us make a meaningful difference.
Through our new investment initiative, Edinburgh Green Investment, we’re aiming to raise £1 million to deliver projects across the city to reduce emissions, improve access to nature, offer cooler spaces during heatwaves, reduce flood risk during heavy rainstorms and boost biodiversity. The first phase will include tree planting and delivery of sustainable drainage systems, such as rain gardens and rainwater planters in key parts of the city to prevent flooding.
Residents and businesses can invest any amount from £5 and up, with interest at a rate of 4.84%, paid every six months over five years – and, with £400,000 already invested, we’re off to a great start!
A warm welcome to our new Councillors
And finally, I’m delighted to welcome Councillors Ruth Elliott (Scottish Labour Party) and Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens) to the Chamber, following the by-elections in Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar last week. I have no doubt they will represent their constituents passionately and very much look forward to working with them.
I want to thank our elections team and other council colleagues for their hard work over the past few months to make sure the by-elections ran smoothly and local residents were able to make their voices heard.