The Edinburgh Inquirer

It's public transport week in the Inquirer. As the city plans for a cleaner, greener future, public transport has rarely been as important to Edinburgh's future as it is today. What does the future look like and how will we pay for it? On Tuesday, we interviewed The City of Edinburgh Council's new transport and environment leader Stephen Jenkinson to find out about his priorities and ambitions. For today's long read, David Forsyth caught up with the leader of the UK's biggest - and arguably its best - municipal bus service, Lothian Buses chief executive Sarah Boyd, to hear about her plans for the future. https://lnkd.in/eAgV9Aap

Everything from fixing pot holes and the Capital's broken Bus Tracker, to plans for take more cars out of the city centre and a £1.2bn tram extension. Edinburgh's new transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson has a pretty big to do list - with dwindling resources to deliver on his goals. What is trade union activist and IT specialist turned Labour councillor making of the task ahead? Sarah McArthur sat down with him to find out in his first interview since taking on one of the most high-profile roles in city politics. “We talk quite a lot about getting the basics right, that actually requires to be driven forward,” he says. https://lnkd.in/etXuieEw 

Lots to read in our packed Monday round-up of all the most important and most interesting developments in Scotland's beautiful Capital city. Today's headlines include: 👩⚖️Rare charges brought in case of missing mum 🤾♀️Controversial Low Traffic Neighbourhood 'proving popular' 👩🎨 Great week ahead for city art lovers 💨Giant wind turbines plan sparks East Lothian protests Much more to read besides. https://lnkd.in/es46XfvW

It's Saturday, so kickback with a cuppa and enjoy our weekend long read. In 1964, The Beatles staged perhaps the most famous gigs ever to take place in Edinburgh, at the former ABC cinema in Lothian Road. This is the incredible story of those days when a global sensation came to town. https://lnkd.in/eGFkt6_m

The future of Princes St has been one of the most hotly debated questions in the Capital in recent years? Are the famous street’s best days behind it or can it be restored to something like its heyday? A new vision for its future has been drawn up to make the street more welcoming for pedestrians, more resilient to the severe weather caused by climate change, and to revive its beautiful gardens as a destination for pleasure seekers. How will it all be paid for in these days of straitened public finances? The visitor levy or tourist tax is of course the answer to kickstarting this transformation, as Sarah McArthur reports in our long read. https://lnkd.in/ekVZthYF

From rock 'n' roll to rolling back the funding, it's all in our Edinburgh round-up newsletter this morning. 🎸 Anger as Oasis tickets double in price as fans queue 🚌 City's new transport leader braces for funding blow 🎭 Ex-Public Finance Minister wades into arts funding row Much more besides 👇 https://lnkd.in/e7UihQr5

One subject has dominated conversation in Edinburgh this week. Well, two, actually: Oasis and the Fringe. And how the heck the two can be squeezed into one city at the same time. You’ll recall how Edinburgh was so busy when Taylor Swift played back-to-back sell-out shows at Murrayfield that hotels in Glasgow saw a surge in bookings from Swifties. Next August, Oasis will bring their union tour to Murrayfield for three nights in the middle of the Festivals. Who would bet against records being broken for hotel prices in the city? Well, at least ScotRail have got a year’s notice to organise extra trains for all those extra people heading in and out of the Capital… Today’s Inquirer long read takes an in-depth look at one issue which is sure to rear its end in the run up to next August. Taylor Swift famously gave a generous donation to the Edinburgh Food Project after her visit to the Capital. That came after an outcry over the fact homeless people were moved out of Edinburgh to make space for visiting fans as soaring demand for accommodation sent hotel prices rocketing. Can a repeat of those distasteful circumstances be avoided next August? Is Edinburgh ready to host such mega events without making normal day to day life for some of its most vulnerable citizens impossible? Could our booming tourism industry actually be part of the solution rather than the problem? Sarah McArthur has been digging into the thorny problem, talking to some of those on the frontline of helping the city’s homeless, to find out what needs to be done to avoid another travesty. Thanks to Cyrenians and Shelter Scotland for their insights. https://lnkd.in/gVW-Qkr5

Imagine spending decades in pain. Undergoing 16 surgeries and being prescribed medication that was wrong. Imagine being offered only occasional sympathy but being met regularly with scepticism. You don’t have to imagine. That is what happened to Candice McKenzie. And she is not alone in her appalling experience of endometriosis. What she went through had such a profound impact that Candice now runs a campaigning and support group, EndoWarriors West Lothian. Rebecca Johns met her to find out how she is making a difference for other women who find themselves in a similar position. https://lnkd.in/ejmxks9v

Today marks the end of the Festivals, and tourism and the arts loom large in the headlines on our weekly round-up newsletter of the most important and interesting developments in the Capital. Today's headlines include:- 🏨 Tourist tax admin costs double in 5 months - to £1m a year 🎭 Festivals close amid protests over arts funding 🎇 Fireworks ban for four parts of Edinburgh 🎷 Get set for the Big Beach Busk Much more besides here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eYnj4MmM https://lnkd.in/eYnj4MmM

Today marks the end of the Festivals, and tourism and the arts loom large in the headlines on our weekly round-up newsletter of the most important and interesting developments in the Capital. Today's headlines include:- 🏨 Tourist tax admin costs double in 5 months - to £1m a year 🎭 Festivals close amid protests over arts funding 🎇 Fireworks ban for four parts of Edinburgh 🎷 Get set for the Big Beach Busk Much more besides here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eYnj4MmM https://lnkd.in/eYnj4MmM