Building a better Edinburgh, together

The past few months have been incredibly tough. The pandemic brought with it immense and abrupt change and a great deal of uncertainty about what was coming next.

However, our city has been faced with huge challenges before and has emerged the other side – stronger.

Our world-renowned festivals were born out of the ashes of WW2 and it is this deep-rooted spirit of creativity, among other things, that will see us flourish again as Edinburgh starts to recover from COVID-19. Without losing focus from continuing to battle this virus and supporting the incredible efforts of our colleagues in health and social care, we’re planning and working towards the city that we want Edinburgh to become. This will challenge us all but with much to be done, it’s not something that we can shy away from or shelve for another day.

 While we are very much thinking long-term, there is a need for short term action to provide immediate support to our local businesses and hospitality sector. That’s why we have joined up with the Edinburgh Tourism and Action Group (ETAG) and other industry partners to launch the Forever Edinburgh campaign, encouraging all of Edinburgh’s residents and visitors to get back into the city, rediscover and fall in love with it all over again. 

Adapting our city for the months ahead and thinking about its longer-term renewal must start now. We should not aim to return Edinburgh to where it was before the pandemic but to collectively strive to make this wonderful city even greater than it was before.  Amongst all the challenges there is an opportunity to be grabbed to build an even better city for the future. 

Back in 2018 we asked Edinburgers what they wanted their city to be like in 2050. Resoundingly you told us it should be greener, welcoming, a place where people are happy, healthy and safe. You said you want your Edinburgh to thrive as a clean, green, sustainable City. And that it should be fair – a Capital which is inclusive, affordable and connected. You also said that that the Edinburgh of the future needs to be pioneering and value culture, business and data.

While clearly much has happened since then – I believe these values hold true; that they should become the cornerstones that Edinburgh is rebuilt on, our foundations for the next 30 years and beyond. 

This vision could not have been formed without input from Edinburgh’s people and it cannot be delivered without all of us pulling for it. The same can be said for our recovery from COVID. We have to do this as one team: building a better Edinburgh, together. 

Since March, our residents have cared for loved ones across our communities by following the government guidance: observing lockdown measures, implementing physical distancing and looking after our more vulnerable people. 

Recently we asked you to invest in your communities by getting back into the town centres and supporting local businesses, but of course, only in a manner you feel safe and comfortable doing so. 

Thanks to the gradual yet continued relaxation of lockdown measures, people are enjoying some elements of normal life again although they might look quite different now – bars and restaurants are open, and cultural attractions following with many businesses planning for their teams to return to work. This year, we took Festivals online with several events like the Book Festival and the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival very well attended digitally. It might not have been the August that we’re used to but it reminds us of our city’s unique atmosphere which we can look forward to enjoying fully next year. 

I know there was a collective sigh of relief at the news of shielding being paused at the start of August and we were able to see our older or infirm friends and family again – an emotional reunion for sure.  

We’ve worked hard to bring back as many services as we can as quickly and safely as possible. Schools reopened earlier this month and we’re continually working to keep up with the changing circumstances and ensure our children’s education isn’t interrupted like it was earlier this year. 

While work is underway on some parts of our recovery plan, there are many elements to be discussed and choices to be made in the short and long term.  How we do this needs to be a collective conversation and there will be further opportunities for each and every person in Edinburgh to have their say in what happens next. 

Our priority has always been to look after our most vulnerable people – that’s not going to change. We need to build on the great work being done by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission to support those who need it and use the crisis to inform how we tackle poverty in our city in the future. 

Meanwhile, following a decade of growth, a new tourism strategy will see a fundamental change in how we approach attracting and managing visitors to our city. There is an all-important balance that has to be struck between attracting tourists and protecting the things that bring them here in the first place. 

We also have a duty of care for the 30,000 people who are employed in our tourism industry. How do we make their jobs more sustainable? How do we make sure they have rewarding careers?  

This stretches across much more than tourism of course and we need take steps now so that our young people leaving school have jobs to go to and careers to develop. We’re exploring options with leaders from across Edinburgh’s employability and skills sector about what we can do as a City to best support the younger workforce and people who are disproportionately affected by the way Covid has hit our economy As part of this, we’re speaking to employers about expanding our Edinburgh Guarantee to create the training, education and job opportunities we need.

This crisis has shone a light on the health of our people and planet and, as we plan our recovery, we will also need to grapple with climate change, sustainability and accessibility.  We made a commitment as a Council to be net zero carbon by 2030 and we must hold to that commitment. 

During lockdown we implemented several measures to increase active travel, making it easier for people to walk and cycle around. Things like pedestrianising streets, widening cycle paths and the new Waverley Masterplan to improve rail integration in our city – these are the types of actions with positive carbon impacts that can help Edinburgh to become a more people and environmentally friendly place to live. For now - and for the next 30 years.

There is a lot of work to be done, and we know that. But we also know that it can only be done together, working as one team Edinburgh to bring the city to a new glory, rather than returning it to its former one.

Edinburgh and its residents will bounce back, I have no doubt. We don’t have to sacrifice our long-term goals to do so and we can build a better Edinburgh for us all.  

Council Leader, Adam McVey