Robes in the crunch? The council dilemma

Published on Saturday 15 November 2008 00:13

THE wearing of ceremonial robes is to be debated by Edinburgh councillors amid concerns the dress is inappropriate in the current financial crisis.

Officials have compiled a detailed report, instigated by the capital's Lord Provost George Grubb, on protocols involved in wearing the robes for special occasions. They say hundreds of pounds will have to be spent cleaning dozens of robes held in storage at the City Chambers since they were last worn in the mid 1990s.

The Lord Provost and council leader Jenny Dawe have been among the supporters of bringing back the robes. But 14 months after officials were first asked to look at restoring them, Cllr Dawe last night appeared to back away from the idea following criticism that the council had plenty of other priorities elsewhere.

She said: "While the Lord Provost and other councillors do have important civic and ceremonial roles to play, we can continue to represent the city and the council perfectly well without the robes."

The SNP and all but two Tory councillors, Jason Rust and Gordon Buchan, voted with the Lib Dems to commission a report on the revival of the robes. Councillors will discuss the issue on Thursday.