£100k for tree survey while city swings axe

Published on Friday 27 June 2008 11:18

COUNCIL chiefs are spending £100,000 on a survey of Edinburgh's trees – at the same time as sweeping cutbacks are being made and school closures are being discussed.

All 28,000 trees in the city are being examined to build-up a database which can be used by the city's parks department.

The council insists it is important to find out the condition of trees to identify any potential safety issues. It also says the tree database will help inform future planning.

But questions were raised today over spending such a large amount on the project when so many other services are being cut back.

Creches at Kirkliston leisure centre, the Leith Victoria swim centre, Craiglockhart Tennis and Sports Centre and the Royal Commonwealth Pool were all due to close today, after funding to Edinburgh Leisure was cut by the city council.

A consultation is also being carried out on closing Bonnington, Lismore and Westburn primary schools, with more expected to follow as part of an ongoing review.

Creche campaigner Sam Anderson, 38, from Canongate, who has a 21-month-old daughter Sophie, said: "I would question the council's priorities.

"This is going to cost 100,000 and that is what they estimated it would cost to keep the four creches open for a year while alternative funding was found. It seems this council prioritises trees over families with young children."

Gail Ross, of the Lismore Parents Action Group, added: "I don't think it's a very good use of public money at all – it's disgusting.

"I can look at a tree and tell you whether it's in good health or not, at the end of the day they're only trees. There are much better ways of spending 100,000."

The council also said the survey would give it a much more complete picture of Edinburgh's trees, including which species grow on the city's streets, to help inform future planting.

The "arboricultural audit" – one of the biggest ever undertaken in central Scotland – started in February and will eventually provide a database covering the location, species, health and condition of all of the city's trees.

Forestry and landscaping company UPM Tilhill was contracted to carry out the 23-week survey, due for completion next month.

Inspectors have used hand-held computers to plot the exact location of the trees on an electronic map, which will then be tagged with all the relevant information such as species, height, width, age and condition.

Iain Whyte, the council's Conservative group leader, said the project would be beneficial but raised questions about the timing.

He said: "Given the council's finances, I can only think it's a difficult time to be spending money on something that might not be seen as essential – especially when we are talking about school closures. But at the same time, the public do value trees."

The cost of the work was confirmed today as 100,000. Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city's environment leader, insisted the survey was an important piece of work. He said: "Edinburgh has some of the best green spaces of any city in the country, due in no small measure to the hard work of our dedicated parks team.

"We have a responsibility to ensure these areas are safe and that they flourish. We are using expert tree surveyors to develop a record that will become central to the management of our valuable tree heritage. This important piece of work will allow us to focus our efforts and resources in the most effective way."

Comment: 'It's bad timing at best'

THERE will be plenty of parents left angry and bewildered by the council's decision to spend 100,000 on inspecting trees.

City leaders will try to justify the work through the long-term benefits it will have to our environment, but the truth is people value children far higher than foliage.

With schools closing and community groups facing cuts, no money for creches, and hot school dinners in nurseries replaced with packed lunches, it smacks of bad timing at the least.

People will understandably question whether councillors are out of touch with the public that elected them.

Officials will argue the money from schools and trees come out of different budgets, but this will not wash with taxpayers who are unconcerned with the intricacies of public funding.

It will make it even harder the next time the council tries to justify a cut by claiming poverty.