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I’d like to begin by paying tribute to my predecessor Councillor Scott Arthur for his hard work and commitment in the past two years as our Transport and Environment Convener. 

From standing up for vulnerable residents with the pavement parking ban, delivering increased active travel routes - such as the City Centre West to East Link - pushing for better air quality in the city with our Low Emission Zone, heading the vision to extend trams to the north and south of Edinburgh and much more, he can be very proud of his record.

I’m really looking forward to getting to grips with, what I know to be, a hugely challenging and rewarding role, and to working with colleagues across the political groups and our council teams to continue towards our ambitious goals for the city.

I was delighted, then, to be able to hit the ground running on Monday with a visit to North Bridge. This a crucial project to refurbish and preserve this elegant but crucial link between the north and south of the city. 

Interestingly, North Bridge was constructed by inspirational Scot, Sir William Arrol, following his world-renowned work on both the Forth Bridge and Tower Bridge, and this refurbishment should ensure it maintains the same iconic status.

I know that these works have taken longer than we had initially anticipated, and I’d like to thank the local business community, residents and commuters for their patience. Not only is this a hugely complex project, the historic nature and age of the bridge requires painstaking and specialist work to restore it to its former glory.

Another project dedicated to improving our city which is nearing completion is restoration work on the wooden groynes at Portobello Beach, which have been combatting the impacts of ‘longshore drift’ since the 1970s. This essential upkeep strengthens our infrastructure, protecting against flooding and coastal erosion. The beach, which sits in a bustling residential area is also a key recreational area enjoyed by many. I’m really proud that we’re safeguarding Portobello Beach for the future.  

We’re also responding to the climate and nature emergencies, from our recently agreed Climate Ready Edinburgh Plan through to our ambitious net zero goals for Edinburgh, we’re working hard to not only get the basics right, but also making sure we are playing our part in this shared effort to make our planet a safer and more sustainable place to live. Key to these aspirations is the expansion of our award-winning tram network, and I look forward to working with the Scottish Government and other partners on this.

I was also delighted to see the recent LEAMS scores, published by Keep Scotland Beautiful, which showed our results for 2023/24 have increased to 90.6% from 86.3% over the last year – making us the best performing and ‘cleanest’ city in Scotland, a far cry from two years ago in 2022 when we were dubbed ‘Scotland’s dirtiest council’. 

This transformation is testament to the fantastic job our waste and cleansing teams do across the city, and they have my sincere thanks. All the more reason then for them to be paid a decent and fair wage for their efforts, and I hope that a resolution will be reached soon between COSLA and our trade union colleagues.  

Finally, I’d like to congratulate our new Interim Executive Director of Place Gareth Barwell on his recent appointment. Gareth has overseen this work amongst many other projects, and I look forward to working with him and the teams across the Council in the weeks and months ahead. 

My first week as Convener has been truly eye opening and I’m really excited to see what the future holds for our city.