Edinburgh city council spends £25,000 of taxpayers' cash to discover their "likes and dislikes" about the capital

Published on Wednesday 25 November 2009 20:04

IT MIGHT seem like an exercise in finding out the blindingly obvious, but that didn't stop council officials in Scotland's capital spending thousands of pounds asking people about their favourite aspects of the city.

Edinburgh city council yesterday faced criticism after it emerged it had sent staff to meetings and events to quiz members of the public on their "likes and dislikes" about the capital.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the city's world-famous architecture, its hugely popular parks and gardens, and its cultural attractions were top of the popularity stakes.

And there can't have been many surprises at the City Chambers when it emerged that traffic congestion, the amount of litter left on the city's streets and tramworks were among the least favourite aspects of the city.

More than 1,000 members of the public were asked for their views at a variety of events earlier this year as part of a new drive by the council to listen more to taxpayers.

However, critics have blasted the initiative as a waste of money in the current climate and said the public's views on the issues raised were already widely known.

Last night, the city council refused to reveal how much it had spent on the survey, insisting it was part of normal staff work on "community engagement".

However, insiders estimated the cost of staff time, producing materials and hiring venues, such as the Assembly Rooms, would be in the region of 25,000.

The council also asked its own staff to take part in the survey, and asked what they would like to see in the city centre in the next 20 years.

Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the SNP/Liberal Democrat-run council, said: "Surveying members of the public does have its place, but where there is any kind of cost involved in the current climate, I would have to question whether this is the best use of staff time and resources.

"Our existing research should be more than adequate." One council source said: "There is a real drive to consult people on just about everything within the council these days, but what does the city actually gain from this kind of thing? It's not exactly been a useful exercise."

A council spokeswoman said the results from the survey would go into a new "community plan" for the city centre.

She added: "Although the answers may be obvious, we are still keen to hear people's views so we can then act on them. We would receive criticism if we did not ask for people's views."

Earlier this month, council leader Jenny Dawe was condemned for launching her own personal consultation on budget changes.

She said: "I'm shocked anyone should suggest that there is no value in seeking the public's views."

Sally Richardson, of the Save Our Old Town campaign, which battled to save historic buildings from being demolished to make way for the Caltongate development, said: "It may seem a bit obvious to everyone else that the best thing about the city centre is the historic environment, but it didn't stop the council agreeing to allow a developer to knock down listed buildings in the Old Town."