Lothians' most expensive Council Tax set to rise again
Plus: 24-hour bookshop success; Labour MSP under pressure; and 7am pub World Cup opening
Highest and lowest Council Tax bills as above-inflation rises set to be approved
Households are facing above-inflation Council Tax rises across Edinburgh and the Lothians as local authorities struggle to balance their books.
Pressure to bridge the gap between their central government funding and growing demand on their services is seeing all the region’s councils propose rises of between 5% and 9%. UK inflation dropped to 3% last month.
The council with the highest and likely fastest rising bills (Midlothian) and the lowest and likely slowest rising one (Edinburgh) might come as a surprise.
Councils receive most (about 60%) of their funding in a direct grant from central government with Council Tax topping it up. That’s used to provide services from social care and schools to housing and street cleaning and repairs.
Proposed rises and projected average (Band D) bills
Midlothian 9% £2,468.48
East Lothian 7.5% £2,349.94
West Lothian 8.4% £2,295.07
Edinburgh 5% £2,294.01
(all projected bills include £652.32 water and sewerage charges)
The proposed rises - which are broadly in line with other councils plans across Scotland - are due to be approved at meetings in the coming days. Interventions by opposition parties could yet change some of the final figures.
Midlothian is looking to impose the highest increase in the Lothians following a 10% increase last year. The council says it has nowhere else to go to tackle an £11m projected overspend after making widespread cuts and dipping into its reserves.
East Lothian is proposing a slightly lower increase at 7.5% after also bumping bills up by 10% last year in the wake of the Scottish Government lifting a cap on rises.
West Lothian is including specific rises of £2m each for social care and road repairs as part of a package that will see a rise of 8.4%.
Edinburgh is expected to agree the lowest rise in the region - and one of the lowest in the country - at 5%, as The Inquirer revealed last month. Councillors say they are mindful of the strain on household budgets due to the cost of living crisis.
Alternative plans put forward by the city’s Conservatives and Greens would see increases of 2.5% and 6% respectively, but neither are likely to secure the support needed to pass.
For context, an increase of 9% would raise roughly £15m more than a 5% rise, or around half the funding shortfall facing the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB), which oversees social care in the Capital, faced last year.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
24HR (READING) PARTY PEOPLE: People queued for up to 45 minutes in the rain in the early hours of Sunday morning to buy books as Typewronger Books all-night opening proved a smash hit. Staff said they were likely to repeat the all-nighter after customers queued down Haddington Place, at the top of Leith Walk. The bookshop and small press publisher staged the event to raise funds to help keep its doors open in the face of rising costs.
ONLY TWO? Two city stores have been shortlisted for the title of Britain’s Independent Bookshop of the Year. Argonaut Books and Book Lovers Bookshop, the UK’s first dedicated romance bookshop, are joined by Linlithgow’s Far From the Madding Crowd on the shortlist compiled by trade magazine The Bookseller. Why, we have to ask, with so many brilliant bookshops in the Capital, only two?
BREAKFAST BEERS: Pubs with licenses to show World Cup football matches this summer could stay open as late as 7am under proposals due to be discussed by the Capital’s licensing board today. Scotland’s games kick-off as late as 2am UK time, but some games start at 5am, meaning bars could remain open until after 7am, allowing for injury time and 30 minutes opening after the final whistle.
BAFTA GLORY: There were celebrations for Edinburgh author Maggie O’Farrell last night as the screen adaptation of her novel Hamnet picked up the Outstanding British Film award at the BAFTAs. Its star Jessie Buckley won leading actress. Frankenstein, which was largely shot in Edinburgh and East Lothian, was also a multiple winner, recognised for best costumes, production design, and hair and makeup.
KILT HIRE HISTORY: Bowdens Kilt Hire on Easter Road is being wound up after almost 110 years. The company described itself as the city’s “oldest independent formal hire company”.
LEGIONELLA-RISK GPs: Two city GP practices have been ordered to make improvements after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found a “risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria” at the premises they share at Cameron Toll. The Conan Doyle and Braefoot Medical Practice have been issued with a notice to carry out work before the end of March.
ALMOST EMPTY OFFICES: Civil servants in the Capital appear to be resisting moves to get them back to the office for 40% of their working week, The Herald reports. Victoria Quay in Leith had a 12% occupancy rate, Saughton House 8% and St Andrew’s House 24%, according to IT log-in data published by the Scottish Government. Staff are being encouraged to return to the office but no disciplinary action is taken against those who resist.
LABOUR LIST SURPRISE: A senior Labour MSP will be under increased pressure in May’s elections after being surprisingly beaten to the top spots on the party’s list for Edinburgh and Lothians East. Labour’s Scottish business spokesman Daniel Johnson is facing a close fight with the SNP in Edinburgh Southern. He was expected to have a safe fallback as one of the party’s top picks on the list - the proportional representation element of the Scottish Parliament’s complicated election system. However, he has been beaten into third place by former SNP and Alba candidate Irshad Ahmad and party activist Katherine Sangster, leaving that prospect looking remote.
FLOOD DEFENCE DELAYS: A £54m flood defence scheme at Musselburgh faces delays after national funding was capped. The proposals are the subject of a public inquiry, which is likely to last two years, but even if it is approved funding restraints mean it will have to then be built in phases. Extra £50m plans to repair the town’s sea wall are likely to be shelved for years.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
Businesses urged to help staff avoid cyber threats
West Lothian firm Workflo Solutions is warning small businesses to be on the alert against increasing cyber-attacks driven by AI.
At the start of CyberScotland Week, they maintain “human error” is at the root of more than 95% of data breaches in the UK, rather than any technological weakness. The firm says that insufficient numbers of employers are working with staff to ensure they can keep pace with the levels of risk they face.
Significant cyber-attack incidents are estimated to be costing the UK economy almost £15 billion per year. The most common human errors include falling for phishing scams, using weak or compromised credentials, misconfiguring security settings, and falling victim to social engineering.
Workflo Solutions’ managing director Michael Field urges businesses to stay vigilant; “CyberScotland Week is an opportune time to remind businesses of the need to create a culture where cyber security feels simple, relevant and part of everyday work.”
BEER CHEER: City-based sour beer producer Vault City has shrugged of a downward industry trend through pouring on sales up by 38% year on year between April and December – putting the specialist brewer on track for its best-ever year and turnover set to top £10 million in the next two years. Recent industry figures showed craft beer sales down, and brewery closures up.
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: Edinburgh Airport’s Chief Executive of 14 years, Gordon Dewar, is stepping down with a departure expected towards the end of the year. During his time at the helm he has overseen a growth in passenger numbers of 85% - from nine million to a record-breaking almost 17 million last year.
COURSE LEADER: The University of Edinburgh Business School’s full-time MBA has maintained its position in the Financial Times Global MBA ranking, at 91st in the world and tenth in the UK. The School also hit one global top-spot this year, ranked 1st for the percentage of female students (62%).
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
ANARCHY IN EH14: The Sex Pistols have announced a gig in the Capital as part of their 50th anniversary tour. Old Pistols Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock will once again be joined by frontman Frank Carter for their at the Corn Exchange on 9 December.
WALK THE WATER: Walk the 22-mile length of the Water of Leith, or join fundraisers for a part of the route, and help raise money for clean drinking water in Africa. The charity walk from Balerno to The Shore in Leith is being organise by city resident Matt Murphy in aid of Africa Access Water on Saturday, 7 March, starting at Balerno High School, at 10am. You can join for part or all the route or support the fundraiser by donating.
SECRET HISTORY: Discover the secrets of possibly history’s most awkward love triangle and other undiscovered tales from the Capital’s LGBTQ past. Edinburgh Street Historians LGBTQ Walking Tours are fascinating, fun and welcoming. Pay what you think it’s worth, starting on the Royal Mile, on Fridays, 6pm-7.30pm.
QUICK BITES
MOSS TOP: The influential Time Out travel and hospitality publisher has named its top Edinburgh restaurant. Moss, which launched in Stockbridge a year ago, gets the nod. Chef and owner Henry Dobson cut his culinary teeth at the world renowned 3 Michelin star Noma in Copenhagen, now closed, and the kitchen is led by Dylan Pinder, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons.
PRAISE FOR THE EAST: A platter of city Chinese restaurants have been praised by foodie bible The Good Food Guide, with the city in general praised for its variety of high-quality Chinese eateries. Topping the list were the Imperial Palace, in Inglis Green Road; Xuzhou Ground Pot, at W Preston Street; Taste of Home, 53 Clerk Street; Noodles Home, in Nicolson Street; and Wò Hǔ Chán Lóng (Tiger Dragon), at 87 St. Leonard’s Street