Business sense has made Edinburgh the best in Britain

Published on Monday 31 March 2008 09:32

We should be proud of a city that's never had it so good, says Donald Anderson.

THE 1980s were not just a period for bad haircuts and some great music, for Edinburgh it was a bleak period. Mass unemployment scarred a city famous for holes in the ground, a lack of ability to get things done and for very little else. Relations between the council and the business community were appallingly bad.

It is worth remembering that unemployment was higher in Morningside than it is today in Craigmillar.

In the mid-80s, that changed. The leadership of both the then district council and Lothian Regional Council started working with the business community. One far-sighted official, Bill Ross, the district council's director of economic development, started two extremely important developments that would kick-start the transformation – Edinburgh Park and the Exchange Financial District.

Financial services boomed. Traditional Edinburgh values of straight talking, honesty, hard work and understated professionalism helped propel the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Bank of Scotland and Standard Life into international forces that brought jobs and investment.

In tourism, the Festival, Hogmanay, Edinburgh's Christmas and the success of the EICC made Edinburgh a genuine year-round tourism destination. Hotel occupancy soared and the accolades flowed with more "best city" awards than any other UK city.

Schools improved with more new ones built and more exam passes than at any time in our history, and transport improvements gave Edinburgh high-quality and popular public transport.

Investment was made to turn around areas of poverty. Never before had communities like Wester Hailes, Burdiehouse, Gilmerton, Restalrig, Gorgie/Dalry and Craigmillar seen the investment that has been and is being delivered.

And for Edinburgh people, living standards rose dramatically. There were more jobs than ever before. By the end of the nineties, Edinburgh had three jobs for every job seeker.

Partnership between the public and private sector has become unpopular in some circles of late. Working with the business community is attacked relentlessly as "affluenza" and has led some to think that investment is no longer a good thing. However, it is investment that has delivered that success.

There is more opportunity and life chances than at any time in Edinburgh's history. That did not happen by accident.

Edinburgh may not be the biggest city in Britain, but it is undoubtedly the best. From time to time we should be bold enough to set aside our traditional reserve and take pride in what a wonderful place we live and work in.

Then it's back to work to make our Edinburgh even better.

&#149 Donald Anderson is director of PPS Scotland and former leader of the City of Edinburgh Council