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Edinburgh Reporter
7 hours ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
Senior Edinburgh councillors back giving themselves a pay hike
Senior Edinburgh councillors have backed giving themselves a pay hike, with only one member speaking out in opposition. In February, Edinburgh Council agreed to freeze pay for senior councillors – including political group leaders and committee conveners – at the previous year's levels. But at Thursday's meeting all political groups except the SNP voted in favour of raising pay for senior councillors, with most getting an uplift of £4,637 to their annual pay packets – an 11.6% jump. Council committee conveners, as well as the SNP, Conservative and Liberal Democrat group leaders, will all get £4,637 added to their annual pay, bringing them to £44,644 per year, up from £40,027 from the previous year. And the depute council leader, Labour's Mandy Watt, will also get a £4,637 pay hike, bringing her total compensation to £52,669, up from £48,032 before. A council spokesperson said the increase in pay for senior councillors was intended to match the pay hike given to non-senior councillors by the Scottish Government. While local authorities have the power to set the pay of senior councillors, the rates for all other councillors are set by the Scottish Government, including the council's leader and Lord Provost, based on the fidings of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC). Earlier this year, it mandated that the salary for most councillors be raised to £25,982 per year, up £4,637 from their previous pay of £21,345, which stood unchanged for several years. Labour councillor and council leader Jane Meagher is paid £71,519 per year, while Lord Provost Robert Aldridge is paid £53,640. Depute council leader, Labour councillor Mandy Watt, said: 'I sat down and read the guidance, and it does say that in your approach to this, you should be doing councillor remuneration from the bottom up, not the top down. 'I very much appreciate the support that I've had [from officers] to get all this together.' An SNP source said: 'Councillors have been chronically underpaid for decades, and normally I'd take the view that we remunerate the position held, rather than the individual holding it. 'But the current crop of administration conveners are so inept that we could not support them getting a pay hike.' A council spokesperson said: 'While we don't set the rates of pay for non-senior councillor roles it's appropriate that we publish them and provide elected members with the opportunity to scrutinise rates for full transparency. 'The increase in Senior Councillors' remuneration was agreed by Council yesterday, and now includes the increase to the Councillor basic pay set by the Scottish Government.' Only one member, Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda, spoke out against the pay hikes. She said: 'I think you should take note of which councillors are getting extra money, and you should work out whether you are getting value for money from those councillors. 'Since this is public money, and I don't think anyone in here would support the misuse of public money, I'd ask the public to have a look at that, and work out if they think that in Edinburgh Council, the extra money they have to spend to subsidise councillors is being used in the right way.' Cllr Faccenda, who will not financially benefit from the pay increase for senior councillors, voted to support the hike. Meanwhile, independent councillor Ross McKenzie voted with the SNP to oppose the pay hike. Green co-convener, councillor Chas Booth, said: 'Greens think it is right that people are paid appropriately for the work they do, and we welcomed the recommendations of the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee around councillors' salaries. 'Pay is a significant barrier to people from marginalised groups entering politics, and if we want to see more diversity in our councillors to reflect the rich diversity of the communities we serve, then we need to ensure people without independent income can become elected representatives. 'However, we acknowledge that while so many people in Edinburgh continue to face a cost-of-living crisis caused by years of austerity which is now being continued by the Labour government at Westminster, the Labour council administration doesn't feel that big increases in senior councillor pay were not appropriate. 'Therefore Green councillors were happy to support their proposals around this.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
11 hours ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Live
Senior Edinburgh councillors to get £4k pay rise despite pledge to freeze wages
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Senior Edinburgh councillors have backed giving themselves a pay hike, with only one member speaking out in opposition. In February, Edinburgh Council agreed to freeze pay for senior councillors – including political group leaders and committee conveners – at the previous year's levels. But at Thursday's meeting all political groups except the SNP voted in favour of raising pay for senior councillors, with most getting an uplift of £4,637 to their annual pay packets – an 11.6% jump. Council committee conveners, as well as the SNP, Conservative and Liberal Democrat group leaders, will all get £4,637 added to their annual pay, bringing them to £44,644 per year, up from £40,027 from the previous year. And the depute council leader, Labour's Mandy Watt, will also get a £4,637 pay hike, bringing her total compensation to £52,669, up from £48,032 before. A council spokesperson said the increase in pay for senior councillors was intended to match the pay hike given to non-senior councillors by the Scottish Government. While local authorities have the power to set the pay of senior councillors, the rates for all other councillors are set by the Scottish Government, including the council's leader and Lord Provost, based on the fidings of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC). Earlier this year, it mandated that the salary for most councillors be raised to £25,982 per year, up £4,637 from their previous pay of £21,345, which stood unchanged for several years. Labour councillor and council leader Jane Meagher is paid £71,519 per year, while Lord Provost Robert Aldridge is paid £53,640. Depute council leader, Labour councillor Mandy Watt, said: 'I sat down and read the guidance, and it does say that in your approach to this, you should be doing councillor remuneration from the bottom up, not the top down. 'I very much appreciate the support that I've had [from officers] to get all this together.' An SNP source said: 'Councillors have been chronically underpaid for decades, and normally I'd take the view that we remunerate the position held, rather than the individual holding it. 'But the current crop of administration conveners are so inept that we could not support them getting a pay hike.' A council spokesperson said: 'While we don't set the rates of pay for non-senior councillor roles it's appropriate that we publish them and provide elected members with the opportunity to scrutinise rates for full transparency. 'The increase in Senior Councillors' remuneration was agreed by Council yesterday, and now includes the increase to the Councillor basic pay set by the Scottish Government.' Only one member, Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda, spoke out against the pay hikes. She said: 'I think you should take note of which councillors are getting extra money, and you should work out whether you are getting value for money from those councillors. 'Since this is public money, and I don't think anyone in here would support the misuse of public money, I'd ask the public to have a look at that, and work out if they think that in Edinburgh Council, the extra money they have to spend to subsidise councillors is being used in the right way.' Cllr Faccenda, who will not financially benefit from the pay increase for senior councillors, voted to support the hike. Meanwhile, independent councillor Ross McKenzie voted with the SNP to oppose the pay hike. Green co-convener, councillor Chas Booth, said: "Greens think it is right that people are paid appropriately for the work they do, and we welcomed the recommendations of the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee around councillors' salaries. 'Pay is a significant barrier to people from marginalised groups entering politics, and if we want to see more diversity in our councillors to reflect the rich diversity of the communities we serve, then we need to ensure people without independent income can become elected representatives. 'However, we acknowledge that while so many people in Edinburgh continue to face a cost-of-living crisis caused by years of austerity which is now being continued by the Labour government at Westminster, the Labour council administration doesn't feel that big increases in senior councillor pay were not appropriate. 'Therefore Green councillors were happy to support their proposals around this."
The Herald Scotland
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
'Do we want Edinburgh as a Harry Potter theme park?'
Regularly ranking among the world's best cities, boasting postcard-worthy views around virtually every corner, and hosting the globe's largest performing arts festival, The Fringe - alongside increasingly bustling Christmas markets - the city has become a year-round tourist destination for culture vultures, influencers, history buffs, and Harry Potter fans alike. This supports tens of thousands of jobs, stimulates significant investment in business and keeps Edinburgh squarely on the global map. But for the local population, especially in the city centre where the majority of visitors congregate, it often means overcrowded streets, an escalating cost of living and strained infrastructure. Balancing the mass tourism driving what some call Edinburgh's 'Disneyfication' - or perhaps more accurately, its Potterfication - with the needs of residents remains a key challenge for the city. The introduction of the UK's first Transient Visitor Levy (TVL), or 'tourist tax', comes as a direct response to these pressures. However, it is unlikely to be a silver bullet. In the second of an exclusive two-part interview for The Herald's series looking at the Future of Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh Council's leader Jane Meagher and chief executive Paul Lawrence reflected on the impact of tourism and opportunities of the forthcoming visitor levy. Councillor Meagher acknowledged there are a 'whole lot of issues relating to the city centre' as a result of Edinburgh's strong visitor economy. 'One concern is about managing what kind of city centre we want this to be,' she said, adding: 'Do we want it to be a Harry Potter theme park or do we want it to be a living city centre where people live and work? Read more from our Future of Edinburgh series: 'That's where things like the visitor levy come in. Clearly, one of the aims of the visitor levy is to make the visitor experience more sustainable. 'What that means is providing visitors with a reason to move outwith the city centre and go and visit Lauriston Castle, Craigmillar Castle, go and visit the other World Heritage Site out at Queensferry and take advantage of the shorefront that people can enjoy. 'What tends to happen is some people congregate around the Royal Mile to the exclusion of even places like the Botanical Gardens, so part of the visitor levy is going to be to make what we're packaging as sustainable. 'In other words, not concentrating on the middle of the city. 'As well as thinking about the city centre we need to bear in mind there are areas outwith the city centre that will become in their own right visitor venues. The Granton Gasholder is a recent excellent example of that park and its attractions.' The proliferation of city centre gift shops, sometimes dubbed 'tartan tat' retailers, is a hot button issue for locals in Edinburgh who complain about a lack of essential amenities like grocery stores in the centre of town. On this point, Meagher said: 'I think there's an overprovision of certain types of shop. I have friends, some of whom live at the foot of the Royal Mile, and it is quite difficult to find corner shops. I think we need a better mix.' Mr Lawrence agreed there are 'too many of a certain kind of retail offer in certain places' and said it was 'clear to see' this needed rebalancing. However, the council's chief officer contended Edinburgh has 'the best blend of restaurants, pubs and shops in the UK by a mile'. He said: 'A lot of places suffer from only having chain pubs, restaurants and so on. We have a thriving independent sector, which through the visitor levy we also want to support. So if you look at the diversity as a whole, walk from here to Leith, and in Leith Walk we have one of the most exciting streets in the UK. I think the mix compared to others is spectacular. 'If you're on the Royal Mile you can be at a Lidl on Nicolson Street in five minutes, that's not the case in most places. 'But are there pockets where there are over concentrations of a certain kind of provision? Of course there are.' This issue was debated in the City Chambers last year after a councillor said the number of gift shops on the Royal Mile in council-owned commercial units had become "embarrassing,' and complained the capital's 'window on the world has a See You Jimmy Hat in it'. Lawrence said: 'If we own something then we can decide who to lease it to. So, for example, if we want to ensure that some of our properties are used for charitable or social purposes we can, but the council has a policy of no concessionary lets on our property estate because our property estate cross-subsidies some of the council's core services, so there is a consequence. 'Both as a property owner, as a licensing authority and a planning authority we have a lot of policies that dig into these issues, and like most things there's always a balance involved in all of this.' Another ongoing challenge for the authority is reducing traffic levels while increasing pedestrian space to handle heavy footfall. Questions persist over how the council plans to meet its target to cut car kilometres driven in the city by 30% by 2030, especially after the Scottish Government recently ditched its less ambitious target of 20%. Meanwhile, plans to remove through traffic from key city centre roads including the North and South Bridges and The Mound were delayed last year due to a lack of funding from the Scottish Government. The Royal Mile (Image: Colin Mearns) At the time, former transport convener Scott Arthur said it was 'not just as simple as putting planters in,' while senior officer Gareth Barwell added it was 'very hard to go cheap and nasty' in a World Heritage Site'. However, the slow progress to make the centre of Edinburgh more pedestrian friendly and less congested has made some question how committed the council is to implementing changes. Lawrence highlighted the closures of the Old Town's Cockburn Street and Victoria Street to through traffic 'at little or no cost because we have not done large scale new street designs'. He said: 'We've simply said you can't drive your car down there anymore and some people have agreed with that and some people have disagreed with that. 'There's somewhere like George Street, potentially the finest street in Edinburgh, one of the finest streets in the UK, where I don't think that approach would be right. 'We have a scheme from Meadows to George Street which would improve the public realm significantly. We're under a lot of pressure, and understandably so, from organisations like Living Streets to improve the pavement experience both in the city centre and elsewhere. 'In a World Heritage centre, that has to be done right. And that's not cheap. 'There are some times when we can take a relatively low intervention approach, if I can call it that. There are others where we need substantive street redesign from building line to building line. We have to do that respectfully to the heritage of the city. We've inherited some of the most spectacular street designs in Europe and we can't ignore that.' Read more: Meagher added: 'Edinburgh is one of the easiest places to walk around as opposed to any other ways of getting around the city, but there's no doubt - I mean look at Princes Street, the pavements on Princes Street are in a shocking state.' The council chiefs said a potential £50m a year generated by the visitor levy - a 5% charge on overnight stays capped at five nights from July 2026 - will fund essential improvements to pedestrian spaces including the neglected Princes Street. 'We now have the opportunity with the visitor levy before us,' Lawrence said, 'we are working to bring forward proposals via the new Visitor Levy Forum to elected members later in the year on the first tranche of visitor levy investment. 'Those issues of the quality of the public realm in the city centre, whether it's from a day to day point of view - so graffiti removal and so on - or more substantive works like the quality of Princes Street, we are working hard on those to bring them to members later in the year to be considered, only considered because there's a lot of claims on that money, to be considered as first priority.' Meagher said: 'That £50m anticipated from the visitor levy has been spent many, many times over in people's imaginations. But I think it would be hard not to justify something to be done on Princes Street on things like improved lighting. 'We need to think long-term and have some sort of staged, strategic approach to the use of the visitor levy, rather than a whole random collection of one-off pieces of investment. We also need to see that over the years it's going to be spent in a strategic way.' Read more on the Future of Edinburgh: Lawrence stressed his team of officers 'will be looking for a balance between the city centre and other parts of the city in the visitor levy proposals'. He said: 'If we say it should all be spent on one square mile we know what the political reaction would be. What we are working on is basically everything we have heard from communities and elected members and others over the years to go 'what does a balanced package of investment look like so we can hopefully get political support for that later in the year?'. Public toilets are a good example.' Addressing the soaring cost of performing at Edinburgh's world-famous festivals could also be aided by TVL money, he added. 'If you talk to folk in the festival communities, they do talk about affordability both for audiences and performers as a challenge. So we need to work with them to go 'what interventions can help with that affordability challenge'. 'People have said for 40 years it's incredibly expensive to put on a show in Edinburgh and all the rest of it. People still come, but there's lots of other cities catching up with us and we need to stay ahead of the pack. If affordability is a challenge to people coming here, then what interventions might address that in the right way? 'The conversation we want to have with the festival community, in particular, is not just whether it's expensive, but how that relates to the programmes they want to put on. Jane Meagher has been City of Edinburgh Council's leader since December 2024 (Image: Gordon Terris) 'If you want more international performers to come for the Fringe or the International Festival then how do we create packages? So it's based on their development ambitions and their programme ideas, not just a kind of blanket approach. 'Affordability is clearly a challenge, but what are our shared ambitions and therefore what is the right intervention to make? 'That's why we're having those conversations which is why it's going to take time to bring forward proposals. 'Whether members want to spend the money on paving Princes Street or somewhere else, we will put forward a menu of choices later in the year.'
The Herald Scotland
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scots tourism chiefs 'very sceptical about visitor levies'
City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher has previously declared the levy, capped at five nights in a row, will provide a 'once in a lifetime opportunity to invest tens of millions of pounds towards enhancing and sustaining the things that make our city such a great place to visit – and live in – all year round'. Businesses will be required to apply the levy to any advance bookings made from October 1, 2025, for stays on or after July 24, 2026. While council chiefs agreed to push the start date back by three months to give businesses more time to prepare, the prospect of visitors being taxed on overnight stays, and hotels being handed the responsibility of collecting the tax, is continuing to rankle within the tourism and hospitality industry. Industry chiefs wrote to Minister for Public Finance Ivan McKee last week warning that legislation allowing councils in Scotland to introduce tourist taxes will 'fail at the first hurdle' and harm Scotland's economy and businesses. The letter, spearheaded by the Scottish Tourism Alliance, urged the Scottish Government to change the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act to remove from businesses the burden of collecting the tax by introducing a QR code system paid directly to local authorities. 'We share the Scottish Government's ambitions to build a stronger economy and to make Scotland a world-leading visitor destination but are frustrated and very concerned that the visitor levy in its current form risks undermining that success,' the letter states. 'Taking a different approach to the rest of the UK on this policy is putting the sector at a competitive disadvantage and causing considerable complexity and unnecessary cost to businesses. Unfortunately, it is another example of a well-intentioned policy being badly implement.' Preparations for the levy are being made as hotels, bars, restaurants, and visitor attractions are continuing to battle a cost of doing business crisis which was recently exacerbated by sharp increases in employer national insurance contributions and national living wage that came into in April. Domestic tourism in Scotland has also failed to recover from the pandemic as strongly as the overseas market, as UK consumers continue to feel the pressure of the cost of living crisis. Read more: Leon Thompson, director of UK Hospitality Scotland, told The Herald that the industry is concerned the levy will undermine the competitiveness of Scottish tourism on the world stage, and highlighted the burden it will place on businesses at a time when they are grappling with high costs. 'Our position has always been that we are very sceptical about visitor levies, not just in Edinburgh but generally,' he said. 'The reason for that is just around costs [and] price competitiveness. It is possible for destinations to price themselves out of the market. We are very keen we don't see that happening anywhere in Scotland. 'The levy also comes with some costs for our businesses as well. They will have to collect the money on behalf of the council so therefore I think it is really imperative there is some financial benefit coming to businesses. The most obvious way to do that is to ensure that there is a steady flow of visitors coming to the city so that there are opportunities to increase revenue right across hospitality but particularly for the accommodation businesses that are going to need to collect the money.' Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, raised concern over the cost of the levy due to be introduced in Edinburgh, and shares Mr Thompson's concerns about the responsibility to administer the scheme being delegated to businesses. He told The Herald: 'Whilst there is a recognition that there is a need for more monies to be invested in the tourism and visitor experience and a transient visitor levy is a means to raising such monies, it is all about striking the right balance – both in the timing of the introduction of a levy, the amount that would be charged to the person staying overnight, and fully assessing the economic and competitiveness risk before introducing it. 'The 5% levy charge being applied on top of the accommodation rate is being mooted by many as too much, [as] most had expected a levy fee to be circa £3-£4pp [per person]. Nor is the percentage methodology approach acknowledged as being simple and easy for business and the visitor to work with, as well as it being costly to administrate. 'It is the firm view of many in the sector and among some local authorities that a much better approach to the charging and collection of a levy would be to apply a flat rate per person and for the levy to be paid via a digital-first approach, using QR code technology. In adopting this approach, the visitor pays straight to the authority, which takes away the cost, time burden and VAT (valued added tax) implications for the accommodation business, and benefiting the authority, who gets the money into their account quicker to spend. Read more: 'Most importantly, when levies are raised, they should only be used for investing in projects that directly enhance the visitor experience. Currently there remains concern [held] by many about where monies will be spent, the cost of administration and that the levy will be too much on top of already high costs, especially for Scottish and domestic visitors but not excluding international tourists, who may well go elsewhere or have a reduced stay. 'We also continue to be concerned that without more weight being given to the visitor levy forums, set up to advise on how the monies raised will be invested in enhancing the visitor experience and made up of representatives from both the sector and communications, then there is a risk that Edinburgh councillors could spend the revenue on local vote winners rather than on how the legislation intends.' Neil Ellis, group operations director Places Hotels in the capital and chair of Edinburgh Hotels Association, agreed that it is vital any revenue raised by the tax is used to enhance the visitor experience in the city. 'Business, leisure and event visitors are all contributing significant sums over the next few years so Edinburgh must communicate its intentions as loudly as possible,' he told The Herald. 'The majority of visitors to a destination don't mind paying as long as they know and can see where their money is being spent. I'm confident the new Visitor Levy Forum will succeed in ensuring a balanced approach is taken when reviewing and proposing levy projects.' Mr Ellis, who runs the Place Hotel on York Place, highlighted business rates and the recent rise in employer taxation were among other challenges currently facing the industry, noting that business rates are higher in Scotland than England, where relief is in place for hospitality firms. Michael Golding, chief executive of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, said a recent survey of businesses had underlined the depth of concern about financial pressures in the sector. Some 78% of Scottish attractions said they were being affected by financial challenges, including the rising cost of energy, staff and reduced funding for the public sector and charities that make up a large portion of the sector. Just over half (51%) of attractions highlighted challenges around transport as a barrier to progress, following by staffing (35%), and seasonality (20%). Mr Golding said: 'There is widespread recognition across Scotland that investment is needed in our infrastructure as well as to fund the ambition of our national tourism strategy to be world leaders in 21st century tourism. However, we are in a post-pandemic economy, with high cost pressures, a lack of funding, staffing issues, seasonality, transport and more. 'Focussing on the combination of the cost of business, and the ability of our visitors to spend, making Scotland more expensive does create a risk that less people visit, or that they stay less long, and most importantly for attractions that visitors ability to spend on activities is reduced. So, we must seek to balance our need for investment, while mitigating the risks, that should be underpinned by a well evidenced economic impact study to show that the benefits.' One other ongoing challenging facing tourism and hospitality operators in the city concerns is access to labour supply. Mr Thompson hopes that the UK and EU reach agreement on a youth mobility scheme which would allow young people from countries within the bloc to sample life and experience work in Scotland. The UK and EU recently agreed to work towards agreement on a youth experience scheme that would make it easier young people from the bloc to work and study and vice versa. 'We still have some issues around workforce supply, so it is quite heartening to see the UK Government is looking very favourably upon an extension to the youth mobility scheme to help ensure our businesses can access young people from the EU to come and work here,' he said. 'I think a place like Edinburgh would do very well from being able to attract that talent from across Europe. That's a positive development in that space. If it does happen, certainly Edinburgh will be well placed to take advantage.'
The Herald Scotland
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
We are the city of growth and opportunity - the future is bright
According to the individuals responsible for ensuring this growth is carefully managed and inclusive, Edinburgh's future is 'bright' as long as those most in need aren't left behind. Edinburgh, they say, must 'move forward in a way that's going to enhance our success rather than cause further problems'. It is no small task, and one which many rapidly-expanding cities around the world have struggled to overcome. In the first of an exclusive two-part interview for The Herald's series looking at the Future of Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh Council's leader Jane Meagher and chief executive Paul Lawrence discussed the challenges facing the city and the solutions being explored. 'We've got a growing city, we've got a successful city and we've also got a city that faces a huge number of challenges,' said Meagher, who stepped up from her previous role as the authority's housing convener just five months ago after former council leader Cammy Day resigned over allegations of inappropriate behaviour. 'If we are going to continue to grow as a city, for obvious reasons we need to make sure that we can provide enough places for people to live. It's as simple as that.' Read more from The Herald's Future of Edinburgh series: When it comes to the capital's continued economic success compared to most UK cities, the figures speak for themselves. A new and as yet unpublished Scottish Cities Outlook report by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) shows Edinburgh accounts for around 18% of Scotland's economic activity, more than any other city, and recorded strong average GVA growth of 5% between 2017 and 2022 - significantly outperforming the Scottish average of 3.7%. It also shows workers in Edinburgh produce more value per hour than anywhere else in Scotland — £49 an hour, compared to the national average of £38.50. Furthermore 82.2% of Edinburgh's working-age population is economically active, above London (78.6%) and Glasgow (73.6%). The capital's 2.6% unemployment rate is the UK's lowest and its median hourly pay of £17.70 is the highest outside London. Highlighting huge innovation growth in artificial intelligence and life sciences, Lawrence likened Edinburgh to the Oxford-Cambridge corridor which, while attracting major investment, has resulted in pressure on infrastructure, particularly transport and housing. 'The challenge is to ensure that growth is inclusive not exclusive,' he said. 'If you look at innovation cities around the world, particularly in western economies, often the most innovation strong also have significant amounts of poverty and inequality as well. We need to ensure that innovation-driven growth, which all the stats show is unarguable, is accompanied by an inclusive approach to employment.' Edinburgh's BioQuarter health innovation hub, he said, has the 'largest concentration of stem cell scientists in the UK with growing companies in life sciences, a world-leading cluster of healthcare and life sciences academics'. But he noted it sits between some of the city's most deprived neighbourhoods. Edinburgh's population is growing three times faster than any other Scottish city (Image: Colin Mearns) 'The challenge for us is to make sure those jobs of the future at the BioQuarter provide meaningful routes to high-quality jobs for the people of Niddrie, Craigmillar and Moredun, as much as postdocs from San Francisco or Singapore,' he added. The Forth Green Freeport is another key driver of the city's growth. Meagher said the council is making it clear to any potential investors that 'local people should not be left behind'. She said: 'What we're doing is drawing together not only investors and potential employers, but also the colleges and universities so they can make sure things like training are happening which equip young people that, for example, will be needed at the Forth Green Freeport so investors go ahead with the development that their planning. 'Then we need to start thinking now about things like apprenticeships, about what kind of college courses are going to be put on so that, in the interests of the company, they've got on their doorstep the right kind of people to make their business a success.' Meanwhile, one of the largest urban extensions in the UK is planned in West Edinburgh, where planning permission was granted for 11,000 new homes in the last three months of last year. 'Here, you have two huge motors of economic development,' Lawrence said, 'one being the airport and the other being Heriot-Watt University, and you have areas of significant deprivation on the other side of the bypass. 'Edinburgh airport is the fastest growing airport in Scotland, Heriot Watt has amazing plans, a big part of the City Region Deal with the National Robotarium. So what does that mean if you live in Wester Hailes? And is there a meaningful route to a meaningful career, not just at entry level but right through the employment spectrum? 'So that allying of Edinburgh's growth with the people who historically have been excluded from it, whether it's in Leith, West Edinburgh; that's the challenge. And to make sure the city, while all that growth is happening, and obviously we see the public saying this, the city doesn't come to a standstill through the growth in car use and public transport not keeping up. 'Transport is a huge part of that. Employment and wider infrastructure to mean that growth is for the city's good, rather than things that for the city's continued division, polarisation if you can call it that, and that the infrastructure needed doesn't keep up. We see examples all around the country where there's been a lot of housing growth and members of the public saying to their elected representatives 'but what about the public services that are needed to support this?' 'It's the challenges of growth that Edinburgh has historically faced into, historically we've actually done pretty well, but those are big challenges for us to address.' But in a climate of increasingly underfunded local government and gaping holes in budgets for housing, transport and education, is the city really up the challenge? The short answer, Meagher said, is yes, 'but only in partnership'. More on The Future of Edinburgh: She said: 'If we're going to take forward these big issues we can only do it with the right people on board. I think there are lots of strands that need to be drawn together and some of them lie in the hands of the Scottish Government, and it's important to keep them in the equation because that's the only way we can make sure that not only do we need enough homes for people to live in, we also need the right types and tenures of homes. 'We need social rented homes and the way the figures stack up at the moment, one of the ways we can achieve that is through grant funding from the Scottish Government. There are other ways we can work out what kinds of financial mechanisms that we can use in order to attract increasing investment and not to rely entirely on government funding. 'We're not saying we need to go to the Scottish Government with a begging bowl, but we are saying we're looking at all different kinds of financial mechanisms.' Lawrence said there is 'no question' significant public funding is required for the housing and transport infrastructure needed to support Edinburgh's projected growth. Some of the figures on this, he added, are 'pretty stark'. The council's plan to deliver 11,000 new affordable homes in the next five years faces a gap of £665 million, while it's estimated a north-south tram extension from Granton to the Royal Infirmary will cost £2 billion. 'A new tram line will need direct investment from the government, there is no question about that. You will not be able to build that at scale otherwise,' he added. 'There are parts of the UK where they've used something called land value uplift where you can say 'this land is currently worth X because it's not being used', transport infrastructure goes in, as a result the value of the land increases and you can capture some of that. That's more difficult to do in a dense, already urban built city like Edinburgh. So while there are mechanisms we can look at, there is no question that for us to take the tram forward will need some very tough decisions from the Scottish Government to prioritise mobility in a major city like Edinburgh. 'What's happened over the past 10 to 15 years with large scale house building outside the city is a lot of people are living outside the city, because frankly house prices are cheaper, but are coming into the city for employment. So we have to plan that together and something like public transport expansion, whether that's tram or bus - and bus is extremely important to that - that we do that as a region. 'We are the fastest-growing region in Scotland and that means that infrastructure investment in public transport needs to keep pace.' He said the Growth Accelerator Model (GAM) used to deliver the St James Quarter 'has got a lot more potential' in Edinburgh. 'This was effectively a way of recycling tax uplift which wouldn't have happened if the development hadn't happened, and then partially reinvested it into the development to support viability and the quality of the public realm. 'That was a partnership between the council, Scottish Government and the private sector investor. It took us a long time to design and deliver that but it was done very successfully, we see the public enjoying Edinburgh St James. We think there's more like that can be done where it's not just us with a hand out, it's also creating mechanisms that we think will work.' Jane Meagher has been City of Edinburgh Council's leader since December 2024 (Image: Gordon Terris) Meagher added: 'If you think about the benefits to the Scottish economy as a whole, it's an undeniable fact that the central belt is what, at least in part, drives the whole of the Scottish economy. 'If we're bringing in all these jobs then clearly that's going to increase revenue in terms of taxation, etcetera. We think this is not just for Edinburgh's benefit but for the benefit of the whole country. 'The future is bright provided we don't leave behind the people and parts of the city who suffer most from things like poverty. 'We've got major challenges to address in order to move forward in a way that's going to enhance our success rather than cause further problems.'
