Alarming questions remain over warning Newhaven tenement could collapse – Scotsman comment

Under-pressure councils still need to fulfil their primary duty to protect lives

On December 12, a structural engineer warned Edinburgh Council that the structure of a tenement block in Newhaven was “vulnerable to an unpredictable (ie immediate) failure” with a “risk to life”. A total of 41 days later, the council suddenly decided to tell residents of 12 homes they had just an hour to evacuate the building.

The problem was found to be related to the way the weight-bearing bay windows were built in the 1800s and the residents were, thankfully, able to return to their homes last month. But the gap between the engineer’s warning and the seemingly panicked evacuation raises worrying questions about the speed of the response.

Councils have long been struggling with a lack of money from the Scottish Government, with Edinburgh complaining it is particularly poorly funded compared to the others. So some may have sympathy when under-pressure services do not live up to the expected standards.

However, councils must remember that the first duty of all governments is to protect the lives of the people they serve. Had disaster struck, no excuse would have been good enough.