Anderson's parting shot at 'communist planners'

OUTGOING council leader Donald Anderson has accused city planning officials of having "a communist streak" and trying to stop anything new and colourful being created in Edinburgh.

Senior planning officials opposed initial plans to close the Royal Mile for "garish" street entertainment during the Fringe, he said, and repeatedly raised petty objections to the colour of shop signs and buildings.

Grey was the only colour some planning officers found acceptable, Councillor Anderson said.

He admitted he had wanted to sack some of them after they spent two years creating designs for bins for the city centre - which turned out to be "virtually useless". The council leader vented his frustration as he prepares to hand over the reins next week after seven years leading the local authority.

Union officials accused him of taking "a cheap shot" at public employees who could not defend themselves, and suggested politicians created many of the problems faced by city officials.

But Cllr Anderson said he felt attitudes had to change in order to stop the future development of the city being harmed.

The worst example of the problem had been the attempt to introduce new litter bins in the city centre three years ago after months of debate, he said. The council was forced to ditch dozens of cast irons bins because they got jammed by pizza boxes and filled up quicker than they could be emptied.

"It was the one issue on which I wish we'd had the power to sack officials. It was unbelievable," said Cllr Anderson. "We spent ages arguing over the colour and design of these bins and then it turned out they couldn't be used.

"I have great admiration for many people in our planning department. However, there is a communist streak in some of them that won't allow the introduction of anything to our streets that is visible and are happy for things to be any colour as long as that colour is grey. We've not got the balance right in what is a modern city."

The departing leader, who intends to stand for the Scottish Parliament next May, said he had suffered "immense frustration" in dealings with some officials over the past seven years.

He also criticised officers in the council's transport and development departments. It was "ridiculous" it had taken the council more than four years to develop plans to brighten up roundabouts in the city by getting companies to help pay for flower displays in return for sponsorship, he said.

He also criticised officials for failing to acknowledge things had gone badly wrong when they overhauled the traffic layout in the city centre last year.

Some "industrial language" had been used in exchanges with senior officers as the controversy raged over the impact on motorists in areas like George Street and the West End, the council leader said.

"The main problem was no-one was prepared to admit they were wrong, and that any changes needed to be made. A real weak point in the city development department is that although our officials appear to hear what shopkeepers and retailers say, they don't listen to them.

"As a council it's vital we get right behind our retailers."

John Stevenson, the city council representative for public sector union Unison, said: "Employees of the council are not allowed to respond directly to criticism to the media, so this is a pretty cheap shot if they can't answer back.

"The council has a history of barnstorming through ideas that politicians have not thought through properly and our officials have had to pick up. I can't remember the last politician to admit they ever got anything wrong."

Council chief executive Tom Aitchison declined to comment today.