Report card shows Council pledges on track, one year on

Published Friday 24 May 2013

 

A review of pledges made to Edinburgh residents by the Council shows that the majority are progressing well.

 

The ‘contract with the capital’, published after the 2012 local government elections, details 53 specific commitments that will be reported on annually by the Labour and SNP Capital Coalition.

Four pledges have been completed, including creating a transport forum and introducing a ‘living wage’ for the lowest-paid Council staff. However, most are at the stage of having actions agreed and are in progress.

 

Council Leader Cllr Andrew Burns said:

 

“While I’m pleased that we’re making headway with the commitments we made, the most important thing about this first report card is that we are openly letting the public see how we’re doing so that they can make up their own minds about the Council’s performance. In terms of the biggest issues facing the city, we have seen some big steps forward with the tram project, property conservation and youth employment. But in these, and other areas, there are still very significant challenges such as ensuring we build a new high school in Portobello. Next year and beyond will be the real test as we see if the actions underway are going to deliver on our contract with the capital.”

 

Deputy Council Leader Cllr Steve Cardownie added:

 

“We must now continue to make sure that councillors and officers work together to maintain the momentum. There’s been a lot of discussion and effort in getting us to this stage, but what we all want to see is the delivery of the outcomes of the pledges that we made. The Council is united in the vision of Edinburgh as a successful and sustainable capital city. We will keep working towards that and the public will be able to see how we are doing in future reports.”

 

After the local government election in May 2012, the Capital Coalition set out six high-level commitments:

• Ensuring every child in Edinburgh has the best start in life
• Reducing poverty, inequality and deprivation
• Providing for Edinburgh’s prosperity
• Strengthening and supporting our communities and keeping them safe
• Ensuring Edinburgh, and its residents, are well-cared for
• Maintaining and improving the quality of life in Edinburgh.

 

These are further broken down into specific pledges, of which:

• 4 are complete
• 36 have actions that are agreed and on track
• 7 have new actions under development
• 6 are on track but with some actions that are not met

 

Full details of the pledges and their status are contained in the first year’s performance report to be considered at the Council meeting on 30 May.