Edinburgh Council looks like it's in trouble given deluge of angry emails from residents – Nick Cook

As a senior Edinburgh councillor, I find it depressing the degree to which the political functions of the council have, in so many respects, failed to rise to the city’s needs throughout the Covid pandemic.

As people, families and organisations worldwide looked upon an unprecedented public health emergency, we all relinquished a degree of freedom. We placed additional trust in our local, regional and national governments.

In the council’s case, this meant that, at the outset of the pandemic, the unelected chief executive, alongside the council leader and deputy, wielded sweeping power over Edinburgh, with precious little democratic accountability.

Subsequent to this was a “Group Leaders’ forum”, followed by extended operation of just one of the council’s plethora of executive committees, Policy and Sustainability, meeting fortnightly.

Gradually added was a limited return of the Governance and Risk committee, with the full council now having held a few sessions, too. All meetings fully virtual.

Some might argue the council has done its best to restore a degree of democracy. In reality, council efforts fare poorly in comparison to the regular hybrid sessions and digital voting of Holyrood. At the height of the pandemic, even Westminster – the bogeyman of all debating chambers – provided more comprehensive participation.

This apparent lack of ambition sits awkwardly, not least given the SNP/Labour administration’s love of grandiose schemes. Tram extension, ma’am? How about a sky bridge over the Waverley valley with your bicycle, sir?

Let us also not forget the administration’s love of “playing parliament”, debating all manner of UK Government policy and international affairs. This instead of the bin collections and road repairs councillors are actually responsible for. Of course, the third entity in the SNP and Labour’s strained political marriage, the Greens, are always on hand to help.

As my Edinburgh Conservative colleagues and I have highlighted throughout the pandemic, prolonging rule by diminished democracy has suited the SNP/Labour administration from the get-go.

Pre-coronavirus, personal relations between members of the city’s different political groups were already at an all-time low. Inter-group complaints were a recurring theme. Covid has probably provided many in the administration some respite from an oh-so-inconvenient level of opposition scrutiny.

On transport, under the guise of Covid emergency powers and with limited oversight, the administration has pushed through gravely unpopular measures like its Spaces for People programme.

Overwhelmingly, feedback suggests the extra space is largely going unused by pedestrians and cyclists. Local traders report that the measures are deterring trade. Worried loyal customers have even taken to lobbying on their behalf. But the SNP/Labour administration isn’t listening, as they feel they don’t have to.

On culture, legitimate opposition calls to engage a willing breadth of esteemed historians to accurately reflect the gamut of views around Henry Dundas’s role in prolonging slavery were rebuffed. Far better to just be seen to be doing something, seems to be the position taken by Cllrs McVey and Day. They didn’t listen, again because they felt they didn’t have to.

On finance, questions of basic scrutiny on taxpayers’ behalf repeatedly go unanswered, such as about the number of council staff placed on the UK Government’s furlough scheme. I could continue.

Readers will be forgiven for not breaking out the violins of sympathy for any politician. But to so blatantly ignore the views of the public is unforgivable.

Covid may have seen large facets of democracy put on ice these past months. But the increasing deluge of emails from angry residents flooding councillors’ inboxes is like nothing I’ve seen before.

A flame appears to have been lit under an Edinburgh public who are finally waking up to the cost of Edinburgh’s out-of-touch council administration.

Nick Cook is a Conservative councillor for the Morningside ward

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