Leader: Frost is right to say we need to up our game

David Frost says his memory of Edinburgh will be of overflowing bins.

The outgoing chief of the Scottish Whisky Association says he will remember the Capital as much for its “filthy streets” as its stunning architecture and vibrant cultural scene.

He points to the clutter of a Princes Street clogged with buses, the speed of getting through Edinburgh Airport, and the Georgian streets ruined by over-flowing bins.

Not finished yet, he takes aim at the delays which have led the old Royal High School to decay.

And the final killer line – Mr Frost points to Glasgow as a city which has enough “get-up-and-go to succeed”.

Now, this is just the opinion of one person, albeit a very well-placed person. We don’t agree with all his views, but city leaders should take note nontheless.

Much of what Mr Frost points out chimes with the everyday experience of living in Edinburgh. There is a constant frustration that the city succeeds in so many areas and yet is continually let down when it comes to seemingly basic services.

Things are, after much campaigning by this newspaper and others, getting better, especially in regards to street cleanliness. However as some of the latest Bin Watch pictures today show, there remains much work to be done.

Mr Frost is taking up a job as special adviser to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. A resident of the city for three years, he should be one of our most powerful ambassadors overseas. Instead it seems, he may well prove to be the opposite.

In the midst of Brexit uncertainty, it has never been more important to get these things right to encourage continued business investment and tourist spend in Edinburgh.

We need to up our game.