Latest news with #NeilCuthbert
Scotsman
28-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Edinburgh is going nowhere under Labour
Conservative councillor Neil Cuthbert Aberdeen just hosted the Tall Ships race, welcoming 400,000 visitors to Scotland's biggest tourism event this year. The major Union Square shopping centre broke footfall records with over 140,000 visitors during the weekend. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Did these massive crowds cause traffic chaos? Actually, no. Traffic Scotland reported drivers were 'getting a good run on the A90, A96 and the AWPR this afternoon' on Sunday. This contrasts sharply with Edinburgh, where large-scale events like Murrayfield concerts regularly cause bypass gridlock. The difference is simple: the north east has invested in proper trunk road infrastructure, particularly the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR). The results speak for themselves. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon noted in 2019 that the AWPR shifted vehicles away from nose-to-tail traffic, reducing emissions and improving air quality for around 75,000 homes while creating better conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. You might expect Edinburgh's politicians to learn from this success. Think again. An artist's impression of the proposed Sheriffhall roundabout flyover At June's Transport Committee, I proposed a comprehensive motion requesting traffic impact assessment for the City Mobility Plan's proposed road closures. The A720 bypass already handles over 120,000 vehicles daily beyond capacity, with frequent congestion at key junctions. Recently both East Lothian and Midlothian councils have written to the Scottish Government expressing frustration over delays to the Sheriffhall roundabout improvements. My motion sought proper analysis of how city centre road closures planned by the council might worsen A720 congestion, especially during major events. Recent examples like Robbie Williams' concert at Murrayfield in May demonstrated the bypass's vulnerability to traffic displacement. I requested investigation of mitigation measures, enhanced public transport options and coordination with the Scottish Government on this trunk road responsibility. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The response? Labour's Convener moved to simply ignore the mounting evidence, with the Liberal Democrats, SNP and Greens ganging up to pretend these road problems don't exist. No evidence-based assessment. No consideration of network resilience. No coordination with neighbouring councils. Just 'do nothing'. This coalition of inaction leaves Edinburgh commuters facing daily chaos with no hope of improvement. While Aberdeen demonstrates how proper road investment creates benefits for everyone – drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike – Edinburgh's politicians prefer ideological posturing over practical solutions. Labour has run out of ideas for Edinburgh. Their approach of ignoring problems while they worsen shows complete indifference to residents' daily struggles. When these parties next seek your vote, perhaps the response should be 'No Action' in return.
Edinburgh Reporter
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Questions raised over whether pro-Palestine protest should be banned on safety grounds
Questions have been raised over whether a pro-Palestine protest in Edinburgh should be banned on public safety grounds. A Support Palestine rally has been scheduled for 19 July, but officers have said past events run by the same organiser have had inadequate stewarding and management. The council's public safety department objected to the procession going ahead, with an officer saying: 'The reason for our objection is based on recent experience with this applicant, with serious concerns about the applicant's ability to deliver a safe and controlled procession of this scale in the city centre. The officer said the organiser of the planned demonstration was also behind demonstrations on 29 March and 5 April, which saw 'serious public safety risks'. He continued: 'On the 29th of March, the procession caused severe congestion at the junctions of Princes Street, Hanover Street and the Mound. 'This resulted in large groups of pedestrians and vehicles competing for space. Police Scotland had to intervene to expedite the parade's movement across the junction, which was necessary to avoid the deterioration of public safety conditions. 'On the fifth of April, participants in the procession entered the tram route. This created an uncontrolled crowd environment and introduced serious hazards to life and safety. 'Despite assurances from the organisers in advance, no effective stewarding or containment was in place to prevent this. 'Bus and tram services had to be turned around, and participants and the public were placed at considerable risk.' The officer said that the council's public safety department had concerns over whether the organiser could handle the estimated 2,000 attendees safely, given that the previous demonstrations had been smaller. A Police Scotland representative followed up to say: 'This is a very difficult event to police continually. There's a public safety risk that concerns us. 'While ad hoc it is manageable, it is becoming a regular occurrence which is becoming logistically challenging for us.' Earlier in the meeting, SNP councillor Norman Work said: 'I just wondered if there would be concerns about safety? 'I think it should be a rare or special vein for [a procession across Princes Street to occur.] It can cause a lot of disruption.' Later on, Conservative councillor Neil Cuthbert also questioned what could be done about the parade, saying: 'The applicant for this has also applied on other dates, but they've been withdrawn. Is there anything we should draw from that? 'And is it possible to say, great, it can go ahead, but in a different location?' Council officer Andrew Mitchell explained to councillors the legal test required for a protest to be banned, saying that it would require the event to 'place an excessive burden on police'. Conservative councillor and committee convener Joanna Mowat asked the Police Scotland representative if the bar for a ban had been reached. She said: 'In your opinion, were the issues caused by the previous protests, did that place an unreasonable burden on the police?' The police officer replied: 'We've had to invoke our emergency powers in order to manage traffic, which we shouldn't have to routinely do. 'But as we look at the burden of the police, we'll ultimately just stop traffic, we will absolutely stop everything in order to maintain public safety. Ultimately, we have the police officers to do that.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh safety fears over pro-Palestine protest planned for city centre
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Questions have been raised over whether a pro-Palestine protest in Edinburgh should be banned on public safety grounds. A Support Palestine rally has been scheduled for 19 July, but officers have said past events run by the same organiser have had inadequate stewarding and management. The council's public safety department objected to the procession going ahead, with an officer saying: 'The reason for our objection is based on recent experience with this applicant, with serious concerns about the applicant's ability to deliver a safe and controlled procession of this scale in the city centre. The officer said the organiser of the planned demonstration was also behind demonstrations on 29 March and 5 April, which saw 'serious public safety risks'. He continued: 'On the 29th of March, the procession caused severe congestion at the junctions of Princes Street, Hanover Street and the Mound. 'This resulted in large groups of pedestrians and vehicles competing for space. Police Scotland had to intervene to expedite the parade's movement across the junction, which was necessary to avoid the deterioration of public safety conditions. 'On the fifth of April, participants in the procession entered the tram route. This created an uncontrolled crowd environment and introduced serious hazards to life and safety. 'Despite assurances from the organisers in advance, no effective stewarding or containment was in place to prevent this. 'Bus and tram services had to be turned around, and participants and the public were placed at considerable risk.' The officer said that the council's public safety department had concerns over whether the organiser could handle the estimated 2,000 attendees safely, given that the previous demonstrations had been smaller. A Police Scotland representative followed up to say: 'This is a very difficult event to police continually. There's a public safety risk that concerns us. 'While ad hoc it is manageable, it is becoming a regular occurrence which is becoming logistically challenging for us.' Earlier in the meeting, SNP councillor Norman Work said: 'I just wondered if there would be concerns about safety? 'I think it should be a rare or special vein for [a procession across Princes Street to occur.] It can cause a lot of disruption.' Later on, Conservative councillor Neil Cuthbert also questioned what could be done about the parade, saying: 'The applicant for this has also applied on other dates, but they've been withdrawn. Is there anything we should draw from that? 'And is it possible to say, great, it can go ahead, but in a different location?' Council officer Andrew Mitchell explained to councillors the legal test required for a protest to be banned, saying that it would require the event to 'place an excessive burden on police'. Conservative councillor and committee convener Joanna Mowat asked the Police Scotland representative if the bar for a ban had been reached. She said: 'In your opinion, were the issues caused by the previous protests, did that place an unreasonable burden on the police?' The police officer replied: 'We've had to invoke our emergency powers in order to manage traffic, which we shouldn't have to routinely do. 'But as we look at the burden of the police, we'll ultimately just stop traffic, we will absolutely stop everything in order to maintain public safety. Ultimately, we have the police officers to do that.' A decision on the protest was delayed to the next Licensing Sub-Committee meeting, set to take place on Tuesday, 17 June, which can be viewed here.
Daily Record
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Record
Scotland's highest hills turn white as weather expert gives verdict on June snow
The Cairngorms National Park was dusted with snow, a spectacle more typical of winter months Scotland is well used to experiencing a mixed bag of weather regardless of the time of year. Scots are a resilient bunch - but there is no doubt that seeing snow during the summer will always feel a little odd. Meteorological summer is here but it hasn't stopped the elements from acting up. Despite no rain for the first 23 days of May, four weeks' worth of rain fell in just three days last week, pushing it into wetter-than-average territory. Snow has now entered the picture, too. The white stuff covered Scotland's highest hills and mountains on Wednesday (June 4) including Cairngorm, showing how the freezing level of polar air dropped across the country overnight. Photos showed the wintry-looking road to Cairngorm Ski Centre with fresh snow above 3,2000ft. BBC Scotland weather presenter Judith Ralston gave her verdict on the frosty sight just as British Summertime approaches and how it fares to previous years. "Snow on the hills of Scotland is not unusual in early June," the expert explained. "The colder air has come down from Iceland and, with the strength of wind, it reached Scotland before getting much time to warm up." Even so, Neil Cuthbert, Conservative councillor in Edinburgh couldn't hide his amazement, writing on X: "Pretty amazing to think it's the first month of summer and we have snow in the mountains of #Scotland." Some of Scotland's mountains, including the Cairngorms, had snowfall around this time last June. In 2010, more than 100 skiers took advantage of ski tows being open at the Cairngorm Mountain resort near Aviemore for the first time in midsummer. People were previously able to ski in the Cairngorms at this time of year but they had to trek to where the snow was. Cairngorm Mountain, along with Scotland's other mountain ski centres, had benefited from lengthy periods of freezing conditions over the winter. This most recent bout of snowfall was unexpected because it follows a period of unusually warm weather. Just a couple of weeks ago, Scotland basked in a 'mini-heatwave,' with temperatures soaring to 25C. However, a dramatic shift in weather patterns brought widespread rainfall and even snow to the Highlands. Meteorologists attribute this sudden change to a cold front moving south from the Arctic, bringing freezing temperatures to parts of Scotland. "Overnight lows dipped below freezing in exposed northern regions, and daytime temperatures remained well below seasonal averages," explained. "This sharp contrast to the preceding warmth underscores the volatile nature of Scotland's weather." But is there more snow to come in Scotland? The Met Office hints at such, but stressed that long range forecasts are not as reliable as their shorter range forecasts and due to the "the chaotic nature of the atmosphere," the weather could change on a dime. "Our forecast says a cold front is responsible for the change in the UK's weather, which is seeing a shift to wetter and windier weather on Tuesday and into Wednesday," a weather agency spokesperson revealed. "This could indeed see a mixture of snow and rain over the high ground of Scotland over the next couple of days, but this isn't the weather the vast majority of people will experience and isn't unheard of, even at this time of year." The Met Office long range forecast from June 8-17 throws weight behind this prediction of changeable weather across the UK, but more with showers or some longer spells of rain spreading in from the Atlantic. In terms of the rain, the heaviest and most prolonged bouts will probably be across parts of the north and northwest, with the southeast likely driest. Temperatures are expected to be near normal or slightly below.
Edinburgh Reporter
06-05-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
Councillor calls for canal graffiti prevention
Graffiti and vandalism along the Union Canal in Edinburgh is damaging its historical value and enjoyability, a local councillor has warned. Conservative councillor Neil Cuthbert has put forward a motion to the next full Edinburgh Council meeting calling for action to improve upkeep of the 203 year old waterway. Cuthbert wants to see collaboration between the council, Scottish Canals and Historic Environment Scotland to develop an action plan to 'protect and restore' the route's 'built heritage'. In his motion, he writes: 'Portions of the canal corridor, in common with other parts of historic Edinburgh, are increasingly affected by graffiti and vandalism, which detract from its historical significance, visual amenity, and recreational value for residents and visitors.' Most of the graffiti and vandalism takes place between Kingsknowe and Fountainbridge, where much of the canal route is along Georgian-era bridges and viaducts that carry it over streets, railways and the Water of Leith. The canal starts at sea level in Falkirk, and travels 51 kilometres to its end in Fountainbridge, with most of its route sitting at 73 metres above sea level. Canal boats looking to traverse the waterway climb most of the height difference between the waterway and sea level through the Falkirk Wheel, a massive rotary boat lift built in 2002. Most of the route from Falkirk through to Edinburgh has a walkway adjacent to the canal, which was historically used as a towpath for horses pulling barges. On Twitter/X, he wrote: 'I've submitted a motion to Edinburgh Council to protect the Union Canal's historic built heritage from graffiti and vandalism. 'As a Scheduled Ancient Monument, this Georgian engineering marvel deserves better protection.' In his post, he also says he was writing to Scottish Canals and Historic Environment Scotland ahead of the 8 May council meeting where the motion will be discussed. His motion asks the council to investigate how other councils and government bodies handle preventing graffiti along historic waterways 'while respecting the heritage value of the structures'. Further, it asks the council to spend more money on tackling the graffiti problem, and improve public education about the history of the canal to encourage 'community stewardship' of it. Finally, it asks that the city place specific 'heritage protection' measures into the next update of the city's strategy for the canal. By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
