A meeting to discuss the City of Edinburgh’s far reaching plans to privatise services was well attended last night. Almost 100 people went along to Meadowbank Sports Centre to obtain more information about the proposals. They asked Councillors and Unison representatives for details of the timetable for the scheme and asked for examples of privatisation initiatives which had actually benefited local people. Many people expressed dismay at the lack of transparency over the proposals to date and the way such changes would remove council services from any kind of democratic control.
Fiona Menzies, who chaired the meeting, said:- “We appreciated the presence of LibDem councillor Gary Peacock and Cammy Day Labour Councillor for Forth Ward who stepped in for Ewan Aitken who is on holiday. However we were disappointed that Stefan Tymkewycz, our local SNP councillor, was unable to attend or send a representative from the SNP to the meeting.”
The East Edinburgh Group intends to continue pressure on the Council for full details of the scheme and precise dates for decisions on these issues. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday August 2nd at 7pm at Meadowbank Sports Centre. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The current SNP/LibDem administration is one of the most secretive and insular yet. Consultation to them is giving answers to very restricted questions and no opportunity to ask alternative ones.
This administration has lost control of the city finances, for example their credit card bills are the largest in the UK and they continue to waste huge sums on their pet project the Edinburgh Trams.They risk having to sell Lothian Buses to part fund this project that they have mismanaged and continue to cover up the truth.
We are in the depths of £247m of cuts up to 2019 if the tram goes ahead services will have to be cut even deeper. Schools, day centres, nurseries, youth and community centres and sports facilities are all closing with more to come.
Let’s remove this current incompetent administration, start proper consultation and stop wasting money on expenses, consultants and the trams and focus on primary services.
Voting for me as an independent will remove their overal majority and leave them open to losing a vote of no confidence.
John Carson
Independent candidate
For the City Centre Ward By-election on the 18th August.
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