Want a council house? Definitely maybe in 2027
Plus: Oasis bring bucket hat crowds to the Fringe; and major wild fire on Arthur’s Seat.
Capital prepares to suspend council house applications for two years
Anyone seeking a council house faces waiting until 2027 for the chance to apply for a property in Edinburgh under new emergency measures.
After initially putting council house applications on hold in March, city councillors are expected to agree tomorrow to keep the restrictions in place for a total of two years.
That means no council house applications will be considered until March, 2027, with all local authority-owned properties instead reserved for those in critical need.
Virtually all homes will go to people facing homelessness, with the only exceptions likely to be patients who face being stuck in hospital long-term, so-called bed-blocking.
How did we get here? Years of low investment in public housing and rising numbers of people being declared homeless - more than 14,000 at the latest count - has left the Capital with a massive shortage of emergency accommodation. Legal pressure to get hundreds of families out of unsuitable temporary accommodation - unlicensed houses in multiple occupation - has forced the council to take drastic action.
Will things be better by 2027? A little, but the problem won’t be sorted. With the council building new homes and buying up private properties, it expects to see its stock increase from 4,800 properties to 7,000 within 18 months. That won’t be enough to keep up with demand. Even with the suspension, the council expects more than 500 families will still be stuck in unsuitable accommodation in March, 2027.
‘Impossible task’: In response to the latest move, Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland, said the local authority needs more support from national government to tackle its housing crisis. She said: "Edinburgh Council is facing an impossible task without enough homes or resources. The situation has not emerged overnight; it is the result of decades of underinvestment in social housing and a failure to provide councils with the tools they need to fulfil their legal duties."
Garages to homes: Council officials are investigating innovative solutions which could help deliver more low-cost, good-quality housing quickly. They are looking at schemes involving modular housing and Portakabin-style flats in Cardiff and Blackburn, as well as work converting garages into homes in Renfrewshire.
What happens next? Councillors on the Capital’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee meet tomorrow to decide whether to accept their officials recommendation to extend the suspension of applications.
The bigger picture: One of the SNP Government’s rising stars Mairi McAllan has just taken over the housing brief. All eyes will be on what she can do over and above her predecessor to help tackle the affordable housing crisis in Edinburgh and other parts of the country.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
ARTHUR’S SEAT BLAZE: Firefighters were still tackling a huge gorse fire on Arthur’s Seat this morning. Four fire engines and a water-dumping helicopter were called out after the fire was reported just after 4pm yesterday and spread across a large part of the hillside on the Duddingston side of the park. Much of the park was closed to the public. No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is as yet unknown. It comes as Scotland experiences a record level of wildfires this summer.
BUSY, BUSY: It’s very hard to get a clear indication of the impact two Oasis concerts and an Orange Order march might have had on Fringe audiences over the weekend, until all the box office statistics are collated. However, anecdotally, many venues reported being extremely busy - “insanely” so in the words of one - with long lists of sold-out shows. Some saw Oasis fans taking in shows during the day ahead of the concert. The Inquirer counted 30 folk in Oasis t-shirts or bucket hats in about half an hour on the Royal Mile during the afternoon. Full marks to the sole guy proudly wearing a Blur t-shirt.
Snakes and adders: The city council were cast as the panto villains by Liam Gallagher when he called them “a bunch of snakes” from the stage on Friday night. He hasn’t forgotten an official described Oasis fans as “drunken” and “rowdy” at a planning meeting ahead of the gig. He will no doubt be consoled by counting up the takings from the three Murrayfield shows. Sales of tickets, £40 official tour bucket hats and other tour merchandise are raking in an average of £9.7million per show across the tour, according to a University of Birmingham study.
(Orange) Marching on: Responding to criticism of an Orange Order march being staged in the city centre on Saturday involving 20 road closures, city centre councillor Finlay McFarlane said on X (formerly Twitter): “So tricky one. The council doesn’t give “permission” to marches and processions. We are simply ‘notified’ in advance and have a duty to make it as safe as possible, sometimes applying conditions (which are limited).”
Beer we don’t go: Some Oasis fans were left slightly less “drunken” than they had planned after complaining of queues of more than an hour at the stadium bars before the band took to the stage.
You’re nicked: Rowdy behaviour has also been limited at Murrayfield, with only three arrests so far inside the stadium. Two women and a man, all in their 40s, were arrested on Friday night, for offences including abusive behaviour, assault and possession of drugs.
HOY’S CANCER CHECK CALL: Six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy has met First Minister John Swinney to discuss better ways of tackling prostate cancer. Sir Chris was told he had terminal cancer after being diagnosed last year at the age of 47. He is campaigning, alongside Prostate Cancer UK, for the NHS to take more proactive action to target the those at greatest risk - such as men aged over 50 - to invite them to take a test.
AI DATA CENTRE: Data centre specialists Apatura have submitted plans to the city council for a huge AI data centre next to the Heriot-Watt University campus and National Robotarium. The company says the Wester Hermiston AI Data Centre Campus, which would be built on green belt land west of Hermiston House Road, in Currie, would be a "game-changing investment" in the city, resulting in investment of £1.4 billion over the project’s lifetime.
BLAST OFF: Edinburgh-based Skyrora has become the first UK-based rocket firm to receive a space launch licence. The company aims to be the first in Britain to make and launch a rocket into space. It hopes to launch the rocket up to 16 times a year by 2030 from the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland.
DEAR DEER
LUXURY SHOPPING TIME: The Swiss luxury watchmakers whose products feature in the new Formula One movie starring Brad Pitt has opened a store on Princes Street. IWC Schaffhausen says demand for high-end bricks-and-mortar stores has returned internationally after a hiatus during the pandemic. The new store, on the corner of Princes Street and Frederick Street, is the brand’s first boutique in Scotland. Entry level watches cost around £5,000.
TREE-MENDOUS MAZE: Dalkeith Country Park has lodged plans for a giant tree maze, on land the size of nearly four football pitches, with Midlothian Council. have been lodged with planners. The Buccleuch Estate plans to work around existing trees, mainly Douglas Firs, rather than remove any.
PREGNANCY SUPPORT THREAT: The Edinburgh Pregnancy and Parent Centre (EPPC) is facing the threat of closure after more than 40 years of providing support through classes, workshops, and drop-in groups. The charity has launched a crowdfunding campaign and submitted an application to Edinburgh Council’s Third Sector Resilience Fund in a bid to raise £40,000.
THE BUSINESS
Change needed to maximise the potential of recycling
Edinburgh-based Change Waste Recycling – which works with a number of Capital businesses and organisations on innovative, tailored waste management solutions – wants to see public perception of recycling changed to provide greater urgency.
And after they were joined for a morning by First Minister John Swinney on their rounds, they will be hoping that they have persuaded the nation’s political leader – and the man who leads one of their customers, The Scottish Parliament of the need for “system change.”
Mr Swinney joined Stephen Cameron, Managing Director of Change Waste Recycling, and a collection team on their rounds in Edinburgh to see first-hand how segregating waste at source into individual waste streams e.g. paper, plastic, cardboard, and cans is transforming recycling outcomes for businesses across the city.
Speaking about the visit, First Minister John Swinney said reducing waste using fewer resources was key to a more sustainable economy. Stephen Cameron, Managing Director - Change Waste Recycling, commented: “Driving forward source segregation and encouraging wider adoption is at the core of Change Waste’s mission as we move into our next phase of growth.”
According to Zero Waste Scotland, we generate around about 2.3 million tonnes of waste just across household collections each year yet only 43% is recycled. This means that across household collections there is about a million tonnes of material that could be recycled isn’t and added to unexploited commercial and industrial waste is costing the nation hundreds of millions of pounds.
Change Waste recycling wants to see system-level changes to change the public mindset about waste and recycling increase source separated waste, in the same way that the plastic bag charge led to usage dropping from 7.6 billion in 2014 to just 133 million by 2022/23 – a 98% reduction
SKILLS OFFER: Businesses are being offered the chance to connect with support available across Edinburgh’s innovation and skills ecosystem – to upskill teams, develop talent through graduate apprenticeships, or explore collaborations in innovation and research. Edinburgh Chamber is holding a free event along with stakeholders including local universities, Edinburgh College and Edinburgh Futures Institute for chamber members on August 27 from 9am-11am at Edinburgh Napier University’s Craiglockhart campus.
FOUNDRY FOUNDERS: Ballantine Castings in Bo’ness, one of Scotland’s last foundries, has been wound up and placed in the hands of liquidators after 200 years in business, with the loss of 44 jobs.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
SORRY, BABY: Edinburgh Film Festival kicks off on Thursday with the UK premiere of US writer-director Eva Victori’s comedy drama Sorry, Baby, followed by six days of movie treats from around the world.
FRINGE HITS: From hit comedy Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) to family-friendly physical theatre Pekku, you can read our tips for the early hits of the Fringe here, if you missed them on Saturday.
MONSTROUS REGIMENT: Terry Pratchett fans can still catch Strawmoddie Theatre’s production of Monstrous Regiment at Edinburgh Academy on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, although the shows at Craigmillar Castle later in the week are sold-out.
DEAR LIBRARY: Authors Alisha Fernandez Miranda and Mark Baillie kick off the Dear Library: Story Sessions tomorrow at 12pm in the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge. Staged in conjunction with the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature, the sessions over the next two weeks will feature different pairs of authors, sharing their work and the stories that shaped them. You can see the full programme and book free tickets here.
QUICK BITES
PREZZO OPENS: Prezzo Italian is to open its first new restaurant in five years – at the site of the former Gusto eatery at 135 George Street in Edinburgh. Prezzo Italian bought the site following the closure of Gusto and has offered all former staff jobs with 16 former Gusto staff joining the new team to date.
HARBOUR CAFÉ: Coffee, baked goods, breakfast and lunch are all on the menu at Norah, a new café which has opened at 3 Pier Place in Newhaven, in premises formerly occupied by The Harbour Bistro overlooking Granton harbour.
I hope the people at Change Waste Recycling have been looking at how Sweden views waste as a valuable resource rather than a problem and is actively working towards a circular economy, where products are designed for longevity and reuse