Fury over Chief Constable relocation expenses
Our exclusive story published over the weekend is another concerning the Chief Constable, Jo Farrell:
“Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell has landed taxpayers with an eye-watering £134,000 bill to help her buy a second home in Scotland, The Edinburgh Reporter can reveal.
“The police chief – who earns £270,000 a year – has bought a £595,000 apartment in an upmarket Edinburgh suburb while keeping on her £1 million five-bedroomed family home 100 miles away in Northumberland.
“Police Scotland’s annual accounts – due to be published later this month – reveal Ms Farrell received relocation expenses of £69,901 while oversight body the taxpayer-funded Scottish Police Authority (SPA) picked up additional “tax costs” of £64,525.”
This week at the council
Monday, 10th November, 2025
- 9.30 am Meeting of Licensing Sub-Committee on 10/11 at 9.30 am – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers
Tuesday, 11th November, 2025
- 9.30 am Meeting of Licensing Sub-Committee on 11/11 at 9.30 am – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers
Wednesday, 12th November, 2025
- 10.00 am Meeting of Planning Local Review Body (Panel 1) on 12/11 at 10.00 am – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers
- 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm Meeting of Planning Committee on 12/11 at 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers. The George Cinema in Portobello is back on the agenda with a recommendation from council officers that the council does NOT serve a defective building notice on the owners of the building to make it wind and watertight. One of the factors against serving such a notice is that it “cannot be guaranteed that all defects resulting in water ingress will be resolved if the works specified are carried out”. The other factor is that if a notice is served then public expectation would be that the council steps in if the owners do nothing, possibly incurring huge costs for little gain. The owners have not taken any steps in the last month to repair the building in any way and say there is likely to be significant asbestos in the former cinema which would expose people to danger. The owners said that if a defective building notice is served they will be unlikely to meet its terms. Meanwhile the building is exposed to rain and is continuing to deteriorate. The owners continue to say this is a dangerous building and they have said in the past they would like to demolish it and replace it with flats. There is a campaign group Save the George who would like to return the building to a cinema. Read some more of the history here and a new article about this week’s Planning Committee here.
Thursday, 13th November, 2025
- 10.00 am Meeting of Transport and Environment Committee on 13/11 at 10.00 am – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers
- 10.00 am Meeting of Cammo Estate Advisory Committee on 13/11 at 10.00 am – Hermitage House, 69a Braid Road, Edinburgh
Friday, 14th November, 2025 No Meetings
Collective on Calton Hill unveils 2026 exhibitions
Collective has a wide programme of exhibitions in 2026, spotlighting ambitious new projects by artists who have developed their practice in Scotland. Artists Paloma Proudfoot and Katie Paterson will present solo exhibitions of new and recent work in Collective’s City Dome Gallery on top of the hill. There is also a new supported programme for early-career artists based in Scotland which will culminate in two exhibitions benefiting up to five artists.
Director of Collective Sorcha Carey said: “There is so much to look forward to at Collective next year, as we continue to provide space for artists to test ideas, develop ambitious work, and share them with our audiences on Calton Hill.
Time + Space marks an exciting new chapter in our programme for early-career artists in Scotland, building on our long history of supporting emerging artists. We can’t wait to open the year with Paloma Proudfoot’s extraordinary work, and I’m personally delighted to bring Katie Paterson’s Afterlife home to Scotland after working with her for the Folkestone Triennial.”
Magic Labyrinth at Barnton Bunker next week
Experience Magic Labyrinth: 6 Rooms. 6 Magic Shows. 1 Bunker.
A spokesperson said: “Join us for an unforgettable evening of illusion and enchantment deep within the historic Barnton Bunker.
“Across six unique rooms, six magicians will transport you into worlds of storytelling, wonder, and impossible feats.
“A night of spellbinding magic that will leave you asking, “How did they do that?” long after the final act.”
https://www.barntonbunker.com/bunker-events/magic-labyrinth
Edinburgh North-South Tram extension – consultation ends on 17 November
There are just seven days left to have your say on the entire length of the proposed north-south tram extension. This is viewed as one since the business case will be prepared on the extension both north and south of the city. The only place where there have been any objections or public comment is at Roseburn. There is a proposal to run the tram down the former railway line which has become an active travel path, or running it along Queensferry Road, down Orchard Brae past the hospital and on to Granton.
The consultation on the tram extension is here.
The council has issued some further information about the plans and say there will be a 3 metre minimum over 90% of the planned route. Plans now show that the tram will be run on battery without the need for a pantograph which will lie flat for certain distances, picking up power elsewhere. There will be no need to excavate or widen bridges on the route as parts will be run as a single track.
SPOKES
Spokes the cycling campaign group has issued its draft response to the plans which can be read in full here. While the group examines the proposals from a cycling perspective they are keen to point out that any tram extension would mean less traffic on the roads which would benefit all.
The introduction to Spokes response states: “Spokes has the objective of promoting cycling as part of an overall sustainable transport and access strategy. As such, we support a growing tram system for Edinburgh, provided cycling is well catered for in project design and operation.
“The aim of the tram is to reduce car traffic, and to head off potential traffic growth in development areas
such as Granton and the Bioquarter. If successful, this is a huge benefit to walking and cycling, as well as its
benefits in terms of congestion, public health and climate. However, the project should be accompanied
by complementary measures to further encourage use of public transport and active travel, for example
bus gates and, notably, congestion charging. It is well established that traffic reduction is best achieved by a
carrot/stick combination.
“The tram project must support and promote active travel as a whole, and cycling in particular, and must not
introduce additional dangers without effective mitigation. The Council has ambitious targets to increase
cycle use, much of which will come from novice and inexperienced cyclists, as well as visitors and locals
using an expanding bike hire scheme. As such it is essential that there is a safe, comprehensive and
connected bike network of segregated bike lanes and low-traffic areas, easy and safe to use by anybody,
and with any kind of cycles – including cargobikes, adapted bikes, etc. Introducing tram should be seen and
planned from the outset as an integrated sustainable transport and place making project, not a tram-only
project into which cycling and walking have to be slotted in once all the tramline decisions are taken as
happened with tramline 1 and to a considerable though lesser extent in the Newhaven extension.”
Save the Roseburn Path
Save the Roseburn Path is a group which has objected to the proposal to use the former railway path, stating that it is an urban green space which improves residents’ physical and mental health, and is part of National Cycle Route 1 as well as a haven for biodiversity.
They offer suggested responses to the consultation in this post here, and suggest that if you have little time to answer the consultation you should just answer one question. Euan Baxter one of the founders of the group said on Facebook: “If you don’t have time to fill in the full thing then please just make sure you jump on and answer “strongly oppose” to the Roseburn option in question 13.”
