This week at the council
Monday, 8th December, 2025
- 9.30 am Meeting of Licensing Sub-Committee on 08/12 at 9.30 am – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers
Tuesday, 9th December, 2025
- 10.00 am Meeting of Policy and Sustainability Committee on 09/12 at 10.00 am – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers. A report about data centres will be considered at today’s meeting. This follows a motion by Cllr Alys Mumford on data centres and AI. Concerns have been raised that increased energy demand cannot be met by renewable energy alone – and Edinburgh Council has not required environmental impact assessments for every planning application – although that is likely to change as you can read here.
- The council will set out a draft policy on generative AI in the New Year. The two centres for which planning permission is sought in Edinburgh would use as much energy as all the houses in Edinburgh and Glasgow twice over. That is not in itself a bad thing – but the point is that it is not likely that developers will make any contribution to support renewable energy sources for the region. Planning rules offer limited control over environmental impacts from data centres.
- Pride in Place Programme Funding
- Edinburgh has been chosen as one of the 12 local authority areas to receive funding under this scheme. The Pride in Place programme will share £280 million among 12 councils for town centres and high streets. The funding is intended to preserve heritage and improve safety and security. Edinburgh will receive up to £20 million from this fund in the next decade.
- A further award – the Pride in Place Impact Fund of £12 million – will be shared among eight councils, providing £1.5 million to each to provide new green spaces, play areas and town centres.
- On 20 October 2025, a letter from the UK Government confirmed that 10
- ‘intermediate zones’ in Edinburgh had been identified as eligible areas for the
- neighbourhood that will receive investment. This identification was made by UK
- Government using an approach which ranked areas using data provided by the
- Scottish Community Needs Index (SCNI), and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
- (SIMD) on a 75/25 percent basis.
- The Council was not asked to provide any advice on or information to support this initial process, but did complete a questionnaire for each of the potential neighbourhoods in mid November.
- Members of Parliament (MPs) for each of the eligible constituency areas (Edinburgh
- East and Musselburgh, Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh South, and Edinburgh South West) were also asked to submit evidence for each of those
- areas.
- The announcement about Pride in Place funding is expected to be made by the UK Government before the end of the year.
- In Wales eleven politicians have criticised the funding as a “constitutional outrage” as it bypassed The Welsh Government which makes funding decisions for local government. The eleven Members of the Senedd have signed an open letter addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister asserting that this undermines devolution. We cannot find anything similar in Scotland, but if we are wrong then please do let us know.
- The letter reads: “We have increasing concern about the failure to move forward with agreed steps to devolve further functions to Wales. In opposition we raised expectations of reform of the Barnett formula, devolution of rail infrastructure, policing and justice, and of the Crown Estate. Not only is the government not progressing these but it is rolling back the existing devolution settlement.
- “The most recent example, the Pride in Place Programme, has caused considerable unhappiness amongst Welsh Labour Senedd Members. This is a UK Government programme operating in a wholly devolved area that is being designed and delivered from Whitehall. Why is the UK Government directly funding Welsh councils to fix bus shelters, reopen park toilets, and provide bins?
- “As well as top-slicing funding from the Local Growth Fund – which we would have expected to have been passed to the Welsh Government as an EU successor fund – Pride in Place is being imposed using powers in the UK Internal Market Act 2020.
- Regeneration is a devolved matter. Yet UKIMA is being used to give the UK Government authority to provide financial assistance without requiring consent from the Senedd or Welsh Ministers. You will remember the Welsh Government brought a judicial review against the last UK Government because, in its view, the Internal Market Act represented an unwarranted attack on devolution. The Conservative legislation repealed parts of the Government of Wales Act 2006, reduced the Senedd’s legislative competence, and gave UK ministers broad “Henry VIII powers” to amend primary legislation, which could undermine devolution. For our own government to then come in and use the very same powers to act in devolved areas is at best deeply insensitive, at worst a constitutional outrage.
- “Not only is it wrong in principle to use the Internal Market Act in this way, the design of the Pride in Place programme by the Wales Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, has cut out the democratically-elected Welsh Government in a policy area that is fully within its remit. Whilst there is a genuflection in the neighbourhood selection criteria to the Welsh Government policies the UK Government is, nonetheless, requiring Welsh local authorities to seek Whitehall approval for spending that cuts across existing programmes. This is ineffective and wasteful and no way to spend public money.
- “If this was being done by a Tory Government we would be calling for a judicial review. This must never happen again. Wales needs and deserves to be treated as an equal part of the UK and the UK Government has a responsibility to act to deliver this equality. The signs are clear that the public understands this, we must demonstrate that we do too.”
Wednesday, 10th December, 2025
- 10.00 am Meeting of Special Meeting, Finance and Resources Committee on 10/12 at 10.00 am – Dean of Guild Court Room – City Chambers
- 6.00 pm Meeting of Consultative Committee with Parents on 10/12 at 6.00 pm – Virtual Meeting – via Microsoft Teams
Thursday, 11th December, 2025 No meetings
Friday, 12th December, 2025 No meetings
- 9.30 am Meeting of Licensing Board on 12/12 at 9.30 am – Virtual Meeting – via Microsoft Teams
Offord is off to Reform
Edinburgh resident, Malcolm Offord, received a life peerage during the last government in September 2021. This honour was granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on the recommendation of the Prime Minister who was advised it was a good idea by Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack. This allowed Mr Offord as he then was to become a government minister. Now he says he has renounced his peerage and defected to Reform.
However life peerages cannot be relinquished, but he can resign from being a member of the House of Lords.
At the time of the appointment the SNP criticised the appointment as “Tory cronyism”. They said that Mr Offord had donated £147,500 to the party and in return was given a peerage. Mr Offord had stood in the previous Scottish parliamentary election, but was not elected.
He has said he will stand in the elections to Holyrood in May 2026.
Lord Offord of Garvel remains listed on the House of Lords website.
Getting festive at Bonnie & Wild
| On screen: A Wonderful Life and Love Actually |
| Two Christmas movies …these Christmas classics will be playing on the big screen at Bonnie & Wild on Tuesday 16 and 23 December. Expect mulled cider and popcorn. |
December at the Museum
Live Music Mondays
15 December
12.:45 – 1.30
Free, drop in
Go along to free live music performances, featuring folk, classical, traditional Scottish, and modern fusion styles. In collaboration with Live Music Now Scotland, The National Museum of Scotland are introducing live music in the heart of the museum. With experienced performers and rising stars of live music, each week features a different soloist, duo, or ensemble.
Find out more nms.ac.uk/events/live-music-mondays
Drawn Together at the Museum
27 – 30 Dec
10.30am – 4:00pm
Grand Gallery, Level 1
Free, drop-in
Be inspired to sketch some of the fascinating objects in the collection. Whether it’s an old favourite or something new to you, there will be plenty to catch your eye in the galleries.
Find out more nms.ac.uk/events/drawn-together-at-the-museum
Reminder about Christmas Jumper Day on Thursday
.
.
Scottish party leaders – Anas Sarwar, Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, John Swinney, Russell Findlay, Ross Greer and Alex Cole-Hamilton, put on their festive knits ahead of Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day 2025 to encourage everyone to get involved on the day itself on 11 December and make the world better with a sweater.
On Thursday 11 December, everyone in Scotland is invited to don their jolliest jumpers to raise money for Save the Children.
Things are tough for families across Scotland. Part of the money raised by Christmas Jumper Day could go towards Save the Children’s work in Scotland to support families and children, and to end child poverty.
First Minister John Swinney said: “Save the Children is a key partner in helping the Scottish Government achieve our top priority of eradicating child poverty.
“This Christmas, join me by donning your best festive jumper on 11 December and if you can, donating to support this vital charity and the essential work they do all over Scotland and internationally.”
Since launching in 2012, Christmas Jumper Day has raised a total of £40 million to help transform the lives of children around the globe. The money raised supports children in Scotland, the UK and around the world to stay safe, healthy and learning. Save the Children is inviting everyone to get involved with their friends, family, colleagues, or classmates, by throwing on their favourite Christmas jumper on Thursday 11 December and donating whatever they can to Save the Children.
For more information and to sign up, visit – christmasjumperday.org
.
